UFC 97 sells out in less than a week

UFC 97 sells out in less than a week
MMAjunkie.com Staff, MMAjunkie.com

Earlier this week, the UFC contacted the Nevada State Athletic Commission with back-up plans to move its April UFC 97 event from Montreal to Las Vegas due to regulatory issues.

The UFC, though, worked with Canadian officials and resolved those problems, and more than 20,000 Canadian fans who purchased tickets for the show are now breathing a sigh of relief.

The UFC today announced that the April 18 event, which takes place at Montreal's Bell Centre, has officially sold out in less than a week.

The UFC first ventured to Montreal in April 2008 for what was the organization's Canadian debut. With Georges St. Pierre ready to reclaim his title from Matt Serra in the night's main event, UFC 83 drew a UFC and North American MMA attendance record with 21,390 fans, who accounted for a $5.1 million gate.

More than 13,000 UFC 83 tickets were sold in a presale to UFC Fight Club members, and the event officially sold out one minute after tickets went on sale to the general public a week later.

"I knew going back to Montreal would be another home run," UFC President Dana White stated on UFC.com. "Our Canadian fan base is incredibly strong and continues to grow even in these hard times. UFC events continue to bring a substantial economic impact to the city of Montreal."

UFC 97 tickets went on sale to Fight Club members on Feb. 11 and the general public on Feb. 14.

UFC 97 features a main event between UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and top contender Thales Leites, and future UFC hall-of-famer Chuck Liddell meets Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in the co-main event. Numerous Canadian fighters (including Denis Kang, Jason MacDonald, Sam Stout and T.J. Grant) have been booked for the night's undercard.

For complete UFC 97 coverage, check out the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.