Ronda Rousey’s scheduled bout with Holly Holm at UFC 193 looks set to be watched by a record crowd, with a reported 70,000 spectators set to pack the Etihad Stadium in Melbourne for the showpiece.
According to the Herald Sun, tickets for the Nov. 15 spectacle went on sale on Monday, and "phones ran hot" with MMA fans Down Under desperate to catch a glimpse of Rousey, the women’s UFC bantamweight champion:
A spot in the gods on level 3 of the stadium was priced at $100.60. The best seats in the house were $468 and sold out in minutes. And that’s outside the corporate boxes selling for $18,000 or VIP seats at ringside.
With seating to be set up on the ground, the stadium’s capacity is expected to be increased by about 15,000 to 70,000. That would smash the present world record for an Ultimate Fighting Championship event of 55,724 in Toronto four years ago.
As we can see here courtesy of the stadium’s official Twitter feed, it’s an event they are billing as the biggest in the history of the sport:
It’s a sign of the gravitas Rousey has and a surefire indicator that she’s one of the most popular sporting figures anywhere in the world at the moment—and not without reason.
Rousey has taken the UFC by storm in her recent fights. As noted in the Herald Sun’s piece, Rousey’s last three fights have lasted a grand total of 130 seconds, with 11 of her 12 bouts finishing inside the opening round of the contest.
As we can see here courtesy of BT Sport UFC, her last victory over Bethe Correia was a particularly brutal finish:
Holm seems like an opponent who has been chosen to test Rousey a little more than previous challengers. As is evident in the previous video, Rousey loves to exert early pressure on fighters, something that’s manifested so many quick wins. But Holm’s boxing background should see the champion be a little more cautious in her forward forays.
Indeed, MMABettingEdge thinks Holm will be capable of holding her own against the rampant Rousey:
Regardless of what goes down, the Melbourne crowd will be in for a treat. The 70,000 expected to be in situ for the event have bought tickets on the pretence of Rousey brutally finishing her opponents, and even if it is over sharpish, you suspect it’ll be money well spent for the spectators.
As Rousey herself has noted during the pre-fight preparations, Australian fans have really taken to the American superstar:
There are plenty who would love to see Rousey tested by Holm. She’s shown how brutally effective she can be flying out of the traps and smothering her challengers in pugnacious style, but it’s been a long time since Rousey was made to dig deep in a bout. Holm seems well equipped to drag it out, but she remains a big outsider for this one.
Rousey’s stock shows no signs of falling, and these ticket sales represent the biggest indicator yet of her worldwide appeal. Another win under sensational circumstances in front of a record-breaking crowd of 70,000, and surely Rousey would have to be considered one of the sport’s immortal figures.
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