The recently concluded UFC 297 may have enthralled fans with its superb fights. But reports say that it became a huge revenue gainer for Dana White and Co. as well. A recent ‘X’ update from the noted UFC coverage persona, ‘Jed i. Goodman’ revealed that UFC earned a whopping $7,898,695 from the gate revenues of the event. It also revealed that UFC 297 couldn’t overtake the Georges St-Pierre highlighted UFC 129 gate revenues which earned about $12.07M.
#UFC297
Announced Gate: $7,898,695
Announced Attendance: 18,559A look at all #UFC Toronto events. pic.twitter.com/LaRUCagHKU
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) January 21, 2024
The main event of the night between Sean Strickland stood up to its hype as it earned the ‘Fight of the Night’. Both fighters pocketed $50k for their incredible 25-minute showdown inside the octagon. But the authorities probably couldn’t come to a conclusion regarding the performer of the night. This is why they presented both Gillian Robertson and Jasmine Jasudavicius with $50k bonuses each as they shared the ‘Performance of the Night’ title.
Here’s a look at the results of the entire UFC 297 fight card:
Main Card
Dricus du Plessis def. Sean Strickland (UFC middleweight title fight)(via split decision)
Raquel Pennington def. Mayra Bueno Silva (UFC bantamweight title fight)(via unanimous decision)
Neil Magny def. Mike Malott (TKO, round 3)
Chris Curtis def. Marc-Andre Barriault (via split decision)
Movsar Evloev def. Arnold Allen (via unanimous decision)
Undercard
Garrett Armfield def. Brad Katona (via unanimous decision) (29-28 x3)
Sean Woodson def. Charles Jourdain (via split decision)
Ramon Taveras def. Serhiy Sidey (via split decision)
Gillian Robertson def. Polyana Viana (TKO, round 2)
Sam Patterson def. Yohan Lainesse (via submission, rear-naked choke, round 1)
Jasmine Jasudavicius def. Priscila Cachoeira (via submission, anaconda choke, submission, round 3)
Jimmy Flick def. Malcolm Gordon via submission (via submission, arm-triangle choke, round 2)
But there is one incident which has been forming a lot of headlines apart from the results and income figures of UFC 297. Besides the highly exciting fights, UFC 297 also featured an incident that fans consider to be an unholy one in the world of MMA.
The UFC 297 main event results turned out to be another example of the Drake Curse
Avid UFC fans may know that the noted Canadian rapper and musician, Drake, is known for betting huge amounts of money on UFC fighters. The ‘One Dance’ rapper had also supported the noted Conor McGregor during his coveted UFC 229 fight against Khabib ‘The Eagle’ Nurmagomedov. But the UFC community has often witnessed that most fighters lose their fights once Drake extends his support to them or bets his money on them. Fans call it the ‘Drake Curse‘.
The 37-year-old didn’t miss out on the opportunity to play a bet on the UFC 297, which was being held in his home country. He placed a bet of a staggering $700k on the outcome of the middleweight champ, Sean Strickland, defending his title in the UFC 297 main event, which could have given him $1.3M. But after witnessing Strickland’s defeat, fans might say that it was the ‘Drake Curse’ that cost Strickland this fight and the UFC middleweight title.
