TUF 16 FINALE DRAWS ANNOUNCED ATTENDANCE OF 2,500 FOR $318,525 GATE
BY MMAJUNKIE.COM STAFF ON DEC 16, 2012 AT 12:05 AM ET

LAS VEGAS – Saturday's TUF 16 Finale card drew an announced attendance of 2,500 fans for a live gate of $318,525.

UFC officials announced the figures at the show's post-event news conference, which MMAjunkie.com attended.

The TUF 16 Finale took place at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The main card aired on FX following prelims on FUEL TV and Facebook.

While the number of complimentary tickets issued was not revealed, the figures represent an average of $127.41 in revenue generated per ticket issued.

In the main event, Roy Nelson handed Matt Mitrione the first stoppage loss of his career. The "TUF 10" heavyweight teammates stood toe to toe in the first round, slugging it out to no one's surprise. But Nelson got the better of it and stopped the former NFL lineman 2:58 into the fight.

And Colton Smith won Season 16 of "The Ultimate Fighter" with a dominant three-round unanimous decision win over Mike Ricci in the co-main event.

The UFC returned to The Joint for the first time since the TUF 4 Finale in November 2006. Since that time, all of its smaller Las Vegas shows had been held at The Pearl at Palms Casino Resort until Saturday night's card.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission will release official attendance and gate numbers in the coming days.