Just ONE more sleep! Taking place inside the Kaseya Center on Saturday night, UFC 287 promises to be one of the biggest events of the year. With fan excitement at an all-time high, UFC President Dana White has found some great positives already.
Although the highlight of the event is Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira, a lot has been made of Jorge Masvidal’s return as well. Taking place in his hometown, the 305, the support for Masvidal was through the roof during the press conference. Notably, UFC 287 is the first UFC event in Miami since 2003.
“Last time we came to Miami was 20 years ago, and we did a gate of like $446,000,” said Dana during the pre-fight press conference on Thursday. “That was 20 years ago. We came back this time, and we did one of the all-time biggest gates. This is the biggest gate outside of Las Vegas and outside The Garden. We’ll definitely be coming back to Miami.” Whilst an ecstatic Dana announced the great success of the event, the crowd roared in support.
Taking on Gilbert Burns in the co-main event of the evening, there is a lot of expectation on Masvidal to deliver. Although talks of retiring have been a recurring theme, Masvidal could be tempted to fight in Miami once more. As such, many will be keenly watching how some of the fights play out on Saturday night.
Dana White teases return to Miami after UFC 287
With Dana already forecasting a massive gate success for the event, it will be interesting to see the real turnout. Previously, White has made it a habit of saying “MSG-type gate” without it actually being true. Thus, should the gate be anything close to what White thinks it will be, expect the UFC to run it back in Miami soon.
“Whenever you come to somebody’s hometown who’s a superstar like he is, it’s always fun,” Dana said about Masvidal. “It’s exciting. It’s energetic. You know when they both come out of the tunnel on Saturday night, it’s just that goosebump moment. So to answer your question, yes.” Thus, a potential victory could see Masvidal taking on a big name for that No.1 contender spot.
Previously, UFC 42 had a turnout of around 6,700 in 2003. In comparison, the Kaseya Center is expected to be sold out with a capacity of 19,600 at UFC 287. As such, the Miami PPV is the UFC’s latest card in the state of Florida over the past few years. Notably, Florida allowed the UFC to slowly move back into a full crowd during the COVID-19 pandemic with UFC 261 back in 2021.
Moreover, UFC 287 is the first UFC event since parent company Endeavor announced its merger with WWE. With the umbrella company now worth an estimated $21.4 billion, it marks the dawn of a new era. Will UFC 287 have the MSG-type gate Dana is expecting? Does Masvidal get the win and bring the UFC back to Miami? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.