Conor McGregor is big business.
June’s UFC 303 event, which is to be topped by McGregor’s return to active competition after a three-year absence, is already among the most lucrative fight cards in Ultimate Fighting Championship history, according to the promotion’s CEO Dana White.
McGregor will compete for the first time since sustaining a serious leg injury in his most recent bout in the cage in the UFC 303 main event, where he will take on former Bellator champion (and his opposing coach on last year’s season of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’) Michael Chandler in a fight which is to serve as the bookend to the UFC’s annual International Fight Week in Las Vegas.
And as Dana White explained to the media, including The Mac Life, following last Saturday night’s event in St. Louis, Missouri, the anticipation of McGregor’s return has been well and truly reflected in the ticket sales.
“It’s already way over $20 million,” said White of the ticket sales for the fight, which takes place in the T-Mobile Arena.
That figure — $20 million — is a new high-water mark for the UFC’s ticket selling capabilities, and represents the single most lucrative gate in the company’s history.
The previous highest gate in UFC history was the $17.7 million taken at the door for the UFC 205 fight card topped by McGregor’s lightweight title win against former champ Eddie Alvarez.
In addition to his ticket sales dominance, McGregor also stands alone as the biggest pay-per-view commodity in the UFC history, having been responsible for eight of the top ten biggest-selling pay-per-view events.