Aljamain Sterling, a seasoned fighter, encountered an unfamiliar situation at UFC 296.
The former bantamweight champion, scheduled to compete at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, was informed upon arrival that his tickets were unavailable. Sterling expressed his apologies on social media for any fans he may have unintentionally disregarded while waiting outside the arena.
Sterling tweeted, “Sorry to all the fans who were asking to take pictures while we were stuck outside. After arriving at the arena, I was a little annoyed to find out that my ticket had been taken out. #UFC296 pic.twitter.com/d5VY10YmGG”
UFC CEO Dana White responded to Sterling’s ticket incident and mentioned that the tickets were arranged through a sponsor, although it was unclear why they were revoked. Sterling addressed White’s comments in a YouTube channel interview.
Sterling stated, “I think there was a bit of miscommunication. The only thing that puzzled me was Dana saying the tickets were through a sponsor. I’ve never received UFC tickets from a sponsor, so I was confused about that.” He expressed his disappointment at not being informed earlier about the issue.
Sterling remarked that it was an unusual experience for him and emphasized the significance of fighters being able to attend such events. He expressed his desire for better communication in similar situations in the future.
After the failed ticket situation, Sterling and his team watched the pay-per-view event at a rooftop bar as UFC staff attempted to resolve the issue. Unfortunately, by the time they reached out to Sterling, he had already left the arena.
Sterling attributed the incident to a possible misunderstanding and acknowledged that he usually requests tickets for various events in advance. He mentioned that such a situation had never occurred before.
Despite the inconvenience, Sterling clarified that he holds no grudge and stressed the need for improved communication in ticket arrangements for future events.
This miscommunication regarding fighter seats is not unprecedented in the UFC, as similar incidents have occurred in the past with other fighters. In conclusion, Sterling expressed his intention to be more thorough in checking ticket arrangements before future events.
Sterling remains unfazed by the incident and simply sees it as a learning experience in handling future ticket purchases more diligently.
He appreciated the outreach from UFC staff but emphasized the importance of improved communication for future events to avoid similar situations.
Sterling hopes to prevent such incidents from occurring again and vowed to be more vigilant with ticket arrangements in the future.
