Jon Jones at the UFC 145 press conference (Photo: Kevin C. Cox/Zuffa LLC)
After a year of 2011 with below-expected results in sales of pay-per-view which culminated in the retirement of Brock Lesnar, one of the UFC's most popular fighters, the organization breathes a sigh of relief with the emergence of a new star.
O UFC 145, led by the defense of the Jon Jones against Rashad evans, sold 700 thousand packages in the USA. This mark is around 35% higher than the old record for an event led by the young champion (520 thousand at UFC 135).
With Lesnar retired and Georges St-Pierre injured, the UFC was left without its biggest salespeople. pay-per-view, one of the most important sources of income for the organization. Jones' growth as a salesman pay per view serves as encouragement for Dana White.
It is worth remembering that UFC 145 sales were boosted by the rivalry created between Jones and Rashad. The former champion had already proven himself in this regard when he sold a million packages for UFC 114, which featured the fight against Quinton jackson, his opponent in TUF 10.
The UFC should establish a significant brand with UFC 148, when Anderson Silva e Dominick Cruz will face their popular arch-rivals Chael Sonnen e Urijah faber, respectively. There is an expectation that this July 7th event will surpass the sales record, still held today by Brock Lesnar vs Frank mir 2 at UFC 100, with more than 1,5 million packages sold.
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