UFC on FX 7 Attendance Hits the Sellout Mark

UFC on FX 7: Belfort vs. Bisping, unlike most of the UFC’s preceding events in Brazil, sold tickets on a slow burn leading up to the day of the fight.

Ultimately, however, the event was a sellout, drawing 9,116 in attendance, according to UFC officials at the post-fight press conference. The gate was not revealed.

UFC on FX 7 was the promotion’s first non-pay-per-view offering since returning to Brazil in late 2011, and was set-up accordingly for roughly 9,000 fans. It was held at the Ibirapuera Arena in Sao Paulo.

Vitor Belfort drove his Brazilian fans into a frenzy when he knocked out Michael Bisping with a head kick in the main event. The knockout derailed Bisping’s opportunity to gain a title shot against UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, but left Belfort in limbo, calling for Chael Sonnen to step aside to give him a rematch with Jon Jones.

Although no dates have been announced, the UFC is expected to return to Brazil several more times this year, including an early June date for the finale of the second season of The Ultimate Fighter: Brasil.

Stay tuned to MMAWeekly.com for up to the minute UFC on FX 7 news and fight coverage.