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Jul 2, 2009 - 7:16:18 PM By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief The UFC 101 event coming to the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, PA, on August 8th has already broken the state's live gate record, and the show's not even sold out yet.
According to the UFC's Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Marc Ratner on MMAJunkie.com, the event has already sold 14,000 tickets since they went on sale in late April/early May, and it has resulted in more than $3 million in ticket sales.
That figure makes it the largest gate for an event in Pennsylvania history. The card is headlined by the Lightweight Title bout between B.J. Penn and Kenny Florian. It also features Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva jumping up for a second time in the UFC to 205 lbs. to face former Light Heavyweight Champion Forrest Griffin.
Penick's Analysis: The UFC's continues it's dominance in the live gate and attendance areas for all of these new venues they bring events to. Breaking record after record with each new location is just becoming commonplace, and it's a testament to the fighters and the product that the UFC is bringing on a consistent basis. This event will set the stage for more events on the east coast as the clear view of what the UFC can bring to a city. New York needs to be on notice for what this card is going to bring to the city of Philadelphia monetarily.
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