Prudential Center Preparing to Host UFC® 302: MAKHACHEV vs. POIRIER on Saturday, June 1, 2024
LAS VEGAS and NEWARK, NJ – May 29, 2024 – This Saturday, June 1, UFC returns to Newark for a second consecutive year, as Prudential Center hosts UFC® 302: MAKHACHEV vs. POIRIER. The event was made possible with the support of New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, and the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority.
UFC® 302 represents a tremendous economic opportunity to Newark and the surrounding communities, as demonstrated by a study conducted by research firm Applied Analysis and released today by UFC. Last year’s UFC® 288: STERLING vs. CEJUDO, which marked UFC’s ninth event at Prudential Center dating back to 2007, generated $25.1 million in economic impact for the Newark metropolitan area, according to the study.
“Demand for UFC events has never been stronger,” said Lawrence Epstein, UFC Chief Operating Officer, “and this study proves the broader economic benefits that UFC brings to the communities that host our events. The city of Newark and Prudential Center have always been great partners to us, and we thank Governor Phil Murphy for leading the charge to once again bring UFC back to the Garden State. We’re looking forward to another incredible night of action-packed fights.”
“Last year’s UFC 288 event marked the highest-grossing sporting event in Prudential Center history and generated over $25 million in total economic output,” said Governor Murphy. “The City of Newark and Prudential Center continue to be a premium entertainment hub for visitors all across the country and the world. We are proud and excited to welcome the UFC and its fans back to New Jersey.”
On May 6, 2023, UFC 288 attracted a sold-out crowd of more than 17,500 attendees to the Prudential Center and recorded a gate of $5.2 million, making it the highest-grossing sporting event in Prudential Center history.
Fans watched as Aljamain Sterling defended his bantamweight title against Henry Cejudo and made UFC history as the first bantamweight titleholder to successfully defend the belt three times.
Attendance at UFC 288 reflected a wide range of ticket buyers, with approximately 61 percent originating from markets outside of New Jersey. Visitors from 49 U.S. States and 25 other countries, including Canada and Mexico, traveled to the event.
This record gate of $5.2 million, coupled with additional visitor spending sourced to out-of-town attendees, resulted in substantial impacts within the Newark area and surrounding local communities. Direct spending attributable to the event exceeded $14.6 million. After accounting for the ripple effect generated from vendor purchases (indirect impact) and employee spending (induced impact), total economic activity sourced to UFC 288 reached a total of $25.1 million.
As a result, the event supported 265 local employees and $11.8 million in salaries and wages (not including athletes’ purses). An additional $200,000 in fiscal (tax) revenue was contributed by UFC through ticket and pay-per-view taxes to the benefit of the regional economy. Finally, the event created significant media exposure for the area, with 62.5 billion impressions (the majority of which stemmed from Instagram) valued at more than $1.0 billion.
UFC 288 Newark Economic Impact
On Saturday, June 1, UFC® 302: MAKHACHEV vs. POIRIER will feature another thrilling card in Prudential Center, headlined by UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev defending his title against No. 4 ranked contender Dustin Poirier. Also, an action packed five-round co-main event sees No. 1 middleweight contender Sean Strickland square off with No. 7 ranked Paulo Costa.
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