Conor McGregor is still the biggest of big business.
On Friday, UFC CEO Dana White told ESPN that Saturday’s UFC 329 event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas – headlined by McGregor’s comeback fight against Max Holloway – has broken the promotion’s live gate record with approx. $25 million in ticket sales.
“The Conor McGregor effect is huge,” White said. “Our biggest gate ever was the Sphere, $22 million, this gate beat it at $25 million. So this is the biggest gate in UFC history for his return. The city is buzzing.”
White announced the triumph at Thursday’s post-fight press conference (without mentioning a number) and McGregor was on hand to thank the fans for their support. Ticket prices for UFC events have risen to record-high levels in 2026, but that hasn’t deterred the public from snatching up seats for Saturday’s show.
Anticipation is high for McGregor’s return fight, with the former two-division champion having last been seen competing in the octagon in July 2021 in the main event of UFC 329. There, McGregor faced longtime rival Dustin Poirier for a third time, but his night ended in a devastating disappointment when he broke his leg at the end of the opening round. The injury left McGregor sidelined until 2024, when he was supposed to headline UFC 303 opposite Michael Chandler, but a toe injury forced McGregor to withdraw from that bout and he was not booked again until the Holloway rematch was announced.
McGregor was also at the center of numerous controversies during his five-year hiatus, including being found liable for sexual assault in a civil suit in 2024, and an aborted presidential run in his native Ireland in 2025.
Despite his long absence from competition, McGregor has a well-earned reputation for being one of the biggest box office draws in the history of combat sports. He owns the UFC record for the most-watched pay-per-view event of all time at 2.4 million buys, from when he fought Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229. He also passed the 1.5 million buy mark in two bouts against Poirier and in his second fight with Nate Diaz.
In 2017, McGregor competed in a crossover boxing bout against undefeated legend Floyd Mayweather Jr. McGregor was defeated in by 10th-round knockout, but the event drew a reported 4.3 million domestic buys with McGregor pocketing a $130 million for the fight.
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