UFC 96 drew 17,033 to the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio for a live gate of $1.8million.

Dana White confirmed the figures during a post-show press conference late on Saturday night.

Although the figures are lower than previous visits to Columbus (UFC 68 drew 19,000 with a $3m gate while UFC 82 drew over 16,000 for a $2.2m gate), they certainly won’t be seen as disappointing during some tough economic times.

The main event of the night saw Quinton Jackson beat Keith Jardine via decision – a match which perhaps was lacking in the ability provide the UFC with some heavyweight coverage pre-fight.

But White was happy with the numbers – especially with the UFC running up against Columbus’ Arnold Sports Festival, a three-day sports and fitness exhibition held in downtown Columbus.

“I heard on the radio today that between [the Artnold] and the UFC, we brought $41 million into Columbus this weekend,” said White after running against the Festival for the third time.

“So obviously in these hard economic times, coming in here and doing huge numbers like that (is impressive).”

White has already confirmed a return to Columbus as a result of good ticket sales.

Phil Lowe
phil@ifight365.com