UFC 100 PPV buys in 1.5 million range; Dana White to jump off Mandalay Bay

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Prior to the landmark centennial pay-per-event (PPV) for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), company president Dana White promised to do a backflip off the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada, if the show attracted buys in the 1.5 million range.

He’s apparently a man of his word.

UFC 100 on July 11 must have hit or exceeded that gaudy number because White announced during the ESPN Radio 1100 Radiothon that he would be base jumping off the 39-story luxury hotel and casino, according to ESPN.com.

And he sounded dead serious.

No date or time for the stunt was mentioned in the interview; however, the annual year-end event in Las Vegas would seem like a logical choice, putting an exclamation point on yet another banner year for business.

Prior to UFC 100, it’s believed that UFC 92: “The Ultimate 2008″ on Dec. 27, 2008, held the company record for the most PPV buys for a single event with an estimated 1.2 million. UFC 66: “Liddell vs. Ortiz 2,†which took place on Dec. 30, 2006, now falls to third all-time with an estimated 1,050,000 PPV buys.

Of course, it’s always hard to nail down an exact figure because the information is never made public; however, with all the mainstream media coverage and the historic nature of the show, it’s easy to understand the many reasons UFC 100 was so successful.

UFC 100 also attracted a sell-out crowd of more than 11,000 fans, tallying a juicy $5,128,490 live gate for the promotion. It ranks second all time behind UFC 66: “Liddell vs. Ortiz 2″ in Dec. 2006 ($5.3 million) as the most successful gate in the history of the organization.

Who wouldn’t flip out with those types of numbers