MINNEAPOLIS, MN – UFC 87 was a huge success on many levels from ticket sales to the fights themselves. The Target Center in Minneapolis, where the event was held, set a new record gate of $2.2 million dollars with 15,082 attendees.
Dana said, “Georges St. Pierre put on an amazing performance against a guy (Jon Fitch) who would not quit…he took him down at will…GSP looked unstoppable.”
And when your boss says this about you, it’s a damn good day: “When Brock said he wanted to fight in the UFC, I told him this isn’t the place to learn how to fight…but he said he wanted to test himself against the best…Heath Herring has a ton of experience, big fights with some of the best fighters in the world…Brock Lesnar looked unbelievable tonight. I was blown away with how well he looked.”
According to Dana, Minneapolis is the best kept secret in America and maybe the world. That’s interesting…I thought that was Lyoto.
Do you see the fight between B.J. Penn and Georges St. Pierre being the next fight for them both? “Definitely,” said White.
White says Brock Lesnar has a lot to learn and he’s not nearly ready for a title shot. He’s “blown away” (one of White’s favorite terms) with Brock, but also realizes that the guy needs more experience before getting a title shot in the world’s premiere MMA organization. When asked if Cheick Kongo may be a next possible opponent for Lesnar, White would not say.
White confirms that Diego Sanchez’s next opponent will be Thiago Alves and the winner of that fight will get a title shot.
Here are the official bonus winners for UFC 87: Seek and Destroy
- Fight of the Night, $60K each – Georges St. Pierre & Jon Fitch
- Submission of the Night, $60K – Demian Maia
- Knockout of the Night, $60K – Rob Emerson
Here’s the audio of the post-fight press conference for UFC 87 featuring Dana White:
Thanks to MMA Experts Blog at Yahoo Sports for the audio.