UFC® BRINGS INTERNATIONAL FIGHT WEEK TO LAS VEGAS
Next week, the Ultimate Fighting Championship will stage the first annual INTERNATIONAL FIGHT WEEK beginning July 3 and culminating with one of the biggest sporting events of the year – UFC 148: SILVA VS. SONNEN 2 – at the MGM Grand on Saturday July 7.
The UFC developed the concept of International Fight Week in partnership with the City of Las Vegas with a goal to make the July fight event not just a Las Vegas tradition, but a signature sporting occasion which will draw tens of thousands of fans from all over the globe to the entertainment capital of the world.
As an international sports attraction, the UFC has staged events in Canada, Brazil, Europe, Japan, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates, still, the locally grown brand remains closely identified with the city it calls home, Las Vegas.
The UFC is a true Vegas success story. When Zuffa LLC acquired the UFC brand in January 2001, it opened its Las Vegas offices with only a half dozen staff; since then, its employment rate has increased by an average of 41% annually. Today, the UFC headquarters boasts nearly 200 positions and shows no signs of slowing its growth any time soon.
Since 2000, the UFC has staged 70 events in Las Vegas, which have drawn over half a million eager attendees to the neon city. Past UFC events of similar size and significance to UFC 148, have generated over $51 million in revenue for the city, with a staggering $93.7 million more generated by the two-day UFC Fan Expo. The inaugural INTERNATIONAL FIGHT WEEK, with ancillary activities blanketing the strip, is sure to add to these already impressive receipts as well as draw attention to the diverse and truly global character of the UFC and Las Vegas, the city that birthed it.
- The UFC attracts visitors who come to Las Vegas more often, have higher incomes, and arrive with larger gaming and non-gaming budgets than the average Las Vegas tourist.
- A UFC visitor to Las Vegas: Visits 2.2 times per year, over 42% has $100,000 or above annual income, has non-gaming budget of $1,528, spends an average of $149 rooming rate, and has a gaming budget of $931.
- Average visitor to Las Vegas: Visits 1.8 times per year, 24% have annual income of $100,000 or more, has $869 non-gaming budget, an average room rate of $109, and a gaming budget of $556.
- Last year, the UFC fans account for 46,000 visitor trips to Las Vegas, taking over 80,000 room nights in hotel rooms, supporting 703 local jobs, accounting for $77million in sales receipts for Las Vegas businesses and $3.3million in State and Local Tax Payments.
