The UFC couldn’t have picked a worse weekend to showcase their fight between Jake Sheilds and Jake Ellenberger. It could have been another weekend, it didn’t have to be the same weekend as the Floyd Mayweather fight. At least the UFC didn’t make the mistake of trying to put a blockbuster fight up against Mayweather, they must have learned from 2009 when Mayweather’s fight with Juan Manuel Marquez left UFC 103 in the dust at the box office.
This is boxing’s weekend and this is Floyd Mayweather’s statement weekend. Sure it could be a chance for a young man panty wearing fighter like Ortiz to make his mark, but this is more about Mayweather sending a message to all his haters and doubters. Exactly what that message will be is what everyone is betting about and paying to see, that is, except for those who will be in Vegas.
Dan Rafael of ESPN.com said on Twitter that the MGM Grand is calling local VIPs and offering comp tickets to Saturday night’s fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr and Victor Ortiz. According to Rafael, it’s because the fight is far from sold out, with plenty of tickets available.
Really? So even the people that can afford the overpriced tickets, still don’t want them? Shocking.
Of course Pay Per View will bring in plenty of dough, but it should be a little disturbing that a fight of this magnitude is not selling out. So while boxing may own this weekend, the UFC can take comfort in knowing that surely, if they were showcasing their top talents in their sport, like Silva, St. Pierre or Lesnar at the MGM Grand in a highly hyped and well promoted fight, they’d be selling out.
Then again, given his past antics and legal problems, maybe people in Vegas are just plain sick of Mayweather.
