“Belal Has No Appeal” – UFC 315 Ticket Sales Leaves Fans in SHOCK Ahead of PPV in Canada

UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad fails to sell tickets for his upcoming main event bout against Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315.

“Belal Has No Appeal” – UFC 315 Ticket Sales Leaves Fans in SHOCK Ahead of PPV in Canada

Belal Muhammad couldn't sell out arena PPV tickets for UFC 315 (via Imago/X)

Belal Muhammad is preparing to main event his second pay-per-view card, UFC 315, which will take place in Montreal, Canada. This time, he will defend his title against the dangerous and rising contender Jack Della Maddalena in a thrilling matchup. It will mark the welterweight king’s first ever title defense and he wants to continue building his dominant reign.

However, his lack of widespread popularity isn’t helping his cause and might impact pay-per-view sales and general fan interest significantly. With only a few more days until the fight, UFC is working hard from every marketing perspective to promote everything. Recent reports suggest a large percentage of seats in the Bell Centre remain unsold, raising concerns about overall attendance.

Many believe Muhammad lacks the charisma or style that draws mainstream attention, limiting his capacity to headline profitable UFC pay-per-views. It is the first pay-per-view this year, which has struggled to sell tickets, while others have performed incredibly well overall. UFC 311, headlined by the lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, achieved a remarkable live gate total of $10.2 million.

After that, UFC 312 took place in Sydney and was headlined by Dricus Du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland title fight. They broke the arena’s long-standing live gate record, selling over $7 million in ticket sales. Following that, it was UFC 313 featuring Alex Pereira and Magomed Ankalaev at the T-Mobile Arena. They also sold over $10 million in tickets, continuing UFC’s trend of successful events.

Alexander Volkanovski’s title fight with Diego Lopes at UFC 314 in Miami grossed $11+ million in live gate. These remarkable numbers set a high bar, but Muhammad’s live gate performance hasn’t come close to matching this level of success. His last outing was against Leon Edwards at UFC 304, where he won the belt, and sold only over $6 million in ticket sales.

Fight fans react to Belal Muhammad’s inability to sell seats at UFC 315 

Belal Muhammad had to wait very long for his title shot because the promotion didn’t think he was entertaining enough. However, consistent performances and dominant victories eventually helped him secure the long-awaited title shot, which he had been chasing. After his title win, many people believed that UFC CEO Dana White would be extremely disappointed by the result.

Belal Muhammad fights Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315
Belal Muhammad fights Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315 (via MMA Fighting)

When asked about this at a press conference, White said Muhammad’s social media numbers were actually quite impressive. However, it doesn’t appear that those numbers eventually helped Muhammad generate strong ticket sales for his championship fight. Nevertheless, here are a few notable reactions from recent UFC 315 unsold ticket reports circulating within the media. 

As expected, fans were quick to blame Muhammad for not being compelling enough to attract the crowd. He got brutally mocked by fans made some hilarious jokes about the welterweight champ. There were also comments about Dana White losing sleep over Muhammad’s title run.

Can Belal Muhammad become a UFC superstar? 

At the end of the day, the UFC is a business, which runs on profit and prioritizes sales more than legacy. Throughout his history, fighters such as Nate Diaz, Conor McGregor, and Brock Lesnar have experienced massive PPV success irrespective of titles. Belal Muhammad can become a UFC superstar by consistently winning against top-ranked opponents and finishing them. 

Belal Muhammad to become a PPV star
Belal Muhammad to become a PPV star (via X)

He could also focus on building a strong social media presence that connects with fans and showcases his personality. Though he has been doing that with his trash-talking abilities, it hasn’t been prominent. At the end of the day, winning decisions rarely put fighters into superstar status. Meanwhile, a mean streak of finishes will definitely propel anyone into superstardom like it happened for Jorge Masvidal.

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