UFN 20 was announced as a sellout with 8,500 people in attendance on the campus of George Mason University in Virginia.  The live gate for the event was one of the highest ever at $730,000.  The UFC: Fight For The Troops event that was held here in North Carolina in December of 2008 had well over 8,000 in attendance as well.  However, that was a special event for the military in which they were allowed free admittance.  The rumor now is that the UFC will be coming back to North Carolina in March with another Ultimate Fight Night event and that the event could take place in Charlotte.  Last April I gave 5 compelling reasons as to why  the UFC should come back to North Carolina.

I know it's all about going to new markets, and the UFC going to northern Virginia was a testament to that.  However, this is stuff that we as east coast residents already know.  If you bring a quality event here, then we'll show up in droves.  If the Fight For The Troops event would have been open to civilians and military?  The fire marshall would have had to come and close the Crown Coliseum down in Fayetteville that night.  So I'd like to thank our neighbors to the north for coming out in strong numbers.  Granted, I'm sure it was more than just fans from northern Virginia there.  They filled up the spot, and I even made note of that last night in the open discussion post.  However, please leave all that booing at home next time.

SBN coverage of UFC Fight Night 20: Maynard vs. Diaz