UFC 261 sells out in minutes, tickets warn of 'death' and 'permanent damage' from COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic isn’t over yet, but UFC president Dana White is moving forward with UFC 261 next month like normal.
The UFC sold out 15,000 tickets in just minutes on Friday for the April 24 bout at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida — which sets an arena record for the largest gross gate.
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Ticket prices, according to Yahoo Sports’ Kevin Iole, have already jumped 20 times face value.
So #UFC261 now officially a sell-out, with 15k seats gone. Set arena record for largest gross gate. Tickets are going for up to 20x face value now.
— Kevin Iole (@KevinI) March 26, 2021
Fine print on tickets warns of ‘death, permanent damage’
While vaccines are being administered at an incredibly fast rate across the country and cases are down from record spikes earlier this year, packing 15,000 people into an arena almost certainly isn’t a safe move.
White and the UFC, it seems, are fully aware of this — and they're moving forward anyway.
In the fine print on the tickets for the event, they warned fans that attending the event “may lead to exposure to COVID-19,” which could result in “death” or other “permanent damage.”
The fine print on tickets for #UFC261 😬 pic.twitter.com/4CZNvgdfdx
— MMA mania (@mmamania) March 26, 2021
Now, UFC 261 should be a good one. Kamaru Usman and Jorge Masvidal are set for their welterweight title rematch, and will step into the Octagon after flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko attempts to defend her belt against Jessica Andrade in the co-main event.
Considering the circumstances, however, attending will be costly — both to fans' bank accounts and potentially to their health. The CDC is still urging people to practice social distancing and not gather in large groups, too, which won't be happening with a sold out arena.
If someone does get sick, though, White and the UFC have more than made sure they are protected legally.
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