Minnesota

(Photo courtesy of UFC.com)

Some fun facts coming out of Minneapolis...

According to Dana White, the Target Center hosted 15,082 spectators for UFC 87, and banked a live gate total of $2,252,000, breaking the venue's former record gate ($2,062,000) set by a Billy Joel/Elton John concert in 2001. It was the first UFC event held in Minnesota, and White hinted that the UFC could return to the Land of 10,000 Lakes in the future.

As for medical suspensions, the fighters of "Seek and Destroy" got off easily, with just four participants picking up 30-day time-outs. They are: Georges St. Pierre (cuts), Jon Fitch (cuts), Ryan Thomas (cuts), and Dan Evensen (precautionary due to KO). Strangely, the also-knocked-out Manvel Gamburyan and the whaled-on Heath Herring managed to escape the suspensions. Minnesota seems to have a "rub some dirt on it" attitude when it comes to fighter injuries, and that's cool with us. Unfortunately, they also have a "none of your goddamned business" attitude when it comes to fighter payouts — apparently, UFC salaries will not be released in Minnesota as part of the state's freedom of information legislation.

(Lesnar socks Frank Mir with one of his XXXXL gloves at UFC 81.)

The UFC released an official statement late last night on UFC.com announcing that the heavyweight fight between ex-WWE star Brock Lesnar and UFC Hall-of-Famer Mark Coleman will be the official headlining match for UFC 87, which has been dubbed "Seek and Destroy." UFC 87 will take place August 9th at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota; tickets go on sale next Sunday at noon CT. Considering that Lesnar and Roger Huerta (who will face Kenny Florian in a #1 lightweight contender eliminator match on the same card) are both based in the Minneapolis area, you should expect those tickets to sell out fast. But hey, there's always the UFC's official bloodsucking scalpers "fan to fan ticket marketplace" StubHub.

Coleman expressed excitement at his matchup with Brock Lesnar and his return to the Octagon, but it doesn't sound like the Hammer's game plan is to outwrestle the 265-pound dick-tatooed beast. "I'll be up against a bigger, stronger wrestler for the first time, and they know this fight will be extremely intense from the start," Coleman said. "But I didn't take this fight to lose, I expect to win and win by knockout." Said Lesnar: "It's an honor to get a chance to fight Coleman, he's a legend and he's made history fighting all over the world. I know he is going to come into this fight in great condition, looking to re-establish himself as a top contender in the UFC. It's going to be a challenge, and I'm looking forward to it."