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UFC 300 50/50 Charity Raffle Raises More Than $112,000
UFC Fan Wins More Than $56,000 Net Proceeds Benefit UFC Foundation
UFC’s 50/50 raffle at T-Mobile Arena held during UFC 300: PEREIRA vs. HILL on Saturday, April 13, grossed a total of $112,480, with 50% ($56,240) benefitting the UFC Foundation. The amount marked the third-highest total for a UFC raffle in the U.S. and fourth highest ever for a UFC event in North America.
The winner of the remaining 50%, Juan Fuentes of Calexico, California, purchased a $40 raffle ticket while attending the historic event with family members and friends.
“I come to Vegas for at least one UFC event each year, and with UFC 300 being such a historic fight card, we had to come,” said Fuentes. “I always enter the raffle, and tonight, I felt lucky. I just had a feeling!”
The UFC Foundation is dedicated to making a positive and sustainable impact by advocating for youth, public service, equality, and those who fight to overcome critical and life-threatening illnesses.
As part of UFC 300 fight week, UFC launched its Las Vegas-based ‘Youth Mentoring Program’ in partnership with Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
Designed for high-risk youth ages 12-17, the youth mentoring initiative will comprise free after-school tutoring for student-athletes participating in the program. In partnership with UNLV Boxing and the UNLV School of Dental Medicine, both community partners of the LVMPD Foundation, tutors will be provided for five free sessions per week at Fight Capital Gym.
UFC light heavyweight Khalil Rountree Jr., welterweight Gilbert Burns, and strawweight MacKenzie Dern joined former pro boxer / Fight Capital Gym owner Skip Kelp to teach boxing and jiu-jitsu as part of the programs first two-hour training session.
“This is a safe space for our kids here in this community,” said Kelp. “We allow them to train and receive free afterschool tutoring, while fostering a positive relationship with local law enforcement. We help provide characteristics such as honor, respect, and discipline, at the ages where it’s important for their overall development.”
Participants of this program will receive access to three free MMA-based fitness classes per week at Fight Capital Gym that will teach various levels of disciplines that are the foundation of mixed martial arts, including Boxing, Kickboxing, Muay Thai, Wrestling, Judo, and Jiu-Jitsu.
“Growing up here in Vegas, we didn’t have much to look forward to, but having a program like this is awesome,” said Rountree Jr. “A gym just like this changed my life, and if I had not been provided with an opportunity and welcomed at a gym when I was a teenager, I would not be the person that I am today.”
This program aims to help young people develop skills with a focus on self-discipline and self-defense, while giving them access to coaches and instructors from Fight Capital Gym, as well as after-school tutoring, in a safe and supportive environment.
UFC also hosted several Make-A-Wish kids and their families as part of the event, providing once-in-a-lifetime experiences for kids fighting critical illnesses.
Since 2017, UFC has produced more than 30 separate 50/50 raffles throughout North America that have grossed more than $1.8 million, with net proceeds benefitting local charities in the communities that have hosted UFC events throughout the United States and Canada.
UFC’s next 50/50 raffle will take place from Wednesday, June 26 – Saturday, June 29, as part of UFC 303: MCGREGOR vs. CHANDLER.
For more information, please visit UFCFOUNDATION.
UFC 300: Pereira vs Hill took place live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 13, 2024. See the final Prelim and Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
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