UFC on FX 3: Johnson vs. McCall Attendance and Bonuses
The attendance, gate and post-fight bonuses have been announced for tonight’s UFC on FX 3 from the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida. The event drew a reported attendance figure of 6,635 and a live gate of $329,110. Bonuses were awarded for Submission of the Night, Fight of the Night and Knockout of the Night; all of which went to fighters on the main card, excluding the headliner. The total bonus payout for this event came to $160,000.
While in line with recent UFC attendance figures, the crowd barely filled 1/3 of the BankAtlantic Center, a facility which boasts over 20,000 seats. At the post-fight press conference, UFC President Dana White let everyone know his thoughts on the gate: “I think it sucked. This arena was awesome, the media was fantastic, but the market in Florida has always been tough. I’m not saying we’re not going to be back (in Florida), but it will be a while, you better get used to Vegas.”
In spite of that, White had nothing but praise for the card, itself: “The Main Card delivered, these guys killed it tonight!”
The $40,000 bonuses were issued as following:
Submission of the Night:
Erick Silva picked up the “Submission of the Night” award for a first-round win over Charlie Brenneman, via rear-naked choke. This was Silva’s first MMA fight outside of Brazil and he was impressive to say the least.
Knockout of the Night:
Mike Pyle of Team Xtreme Couture was awarded Knockout of the Night for his knockout of Josh Neer with only 4 seconds remaining in the first round. Although it looked like Neer was getting the better of him in the final minute of round one. Pyle caught Neer with a left jab followed by a right-hand haymaker that sent Neer face first into the canvas. Pyle said, post-fight: “The fight definitely went the way I wanted it to go. He was definitely tougher than I thought he was and he let me know it a few times. We were trading some good blows and I got tired of making him look good. I tried to throw some shots just to get him away from me and reset myself, but those shots ended up putting him out.”
Fight of the Night:
The Fight of the Night bonus went to Eddie Wineland and Scott Jorgensen. Both fighters received a bonus of $40,000 each for this fight. Jorgensen caught Wineland with a knee that opened a gash on Wineland’s forehead. In retaliation, Wineland fired back a 3-punch salvo and won via TKO in the second round. In the end, that gash needed 15 stitches to close as Wineland posted on Twitter prior to the press conference.
15 stitches…thanks Scott!! #toughguy #manly #frankenstein instagr.am/p/Lo2ArokhAw/
— Eddie Wineland(@EddieWineland) June 9, 2012
