The 10 Biggest UFC Gates (Including Attendance & Ticket Price)

With nearly 700 events since its first in 1993, the UFC has evolved into a global promotion, captivating millions of fans and reshaping the landscape of MMA. 

Throughout its history, certain events have stood out not only for their unforgettable fights but also for their extraordinary financial success.

In this article, we list the 10 biggest UFC gates in terms of revenue, including the event attendance, average ticket price, and reasons why the event was so successful.

The 10 Biggest UFC Gates of All Time

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has seen some of the most electrifying moments in sports history, drawing massive crowds and generating significant revenue.

Here, we explore the top 10 biggest UFC gates of all time, delving into what made these events so successful.

Note: The UFC gates are the price of tickets multiplied by the number of tickets sold.

1. UFC 205: Alvarez (c) vs. McGregor

• Gate: $17,700,000
• Attendance: 20,427
• Average Ticket Price: $866.17
• Date: Nov 12, 2016
• Venue: Madison Square Garden
• City: New York City, New York, U.S.

UFC 205 was a historic event, marking the UFC’s first foray into New York City at the legendary Madison Square Garden, shortly after MMA became legal there.

The main event saw Eddie Alvarez defending his lightweight title against Conor McGregor.

McGregor’s pursuit to become the first simultaneous two-division champion in UFC history and a star-studded lineup made this event a massive success.

The 5 main card fights were:

1. Eddie Alvarez vs. Conor McGregor
2. Tyron Woodley vs. Stephen Thompson
3. Joanna Jędrzejczyk vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz
4. Chris Weidman vs. Yoel Romero
5. Miesha Tate vs. Raquel Pennington

2. UFC 229: Khabib (c) vs. McGregor

• Gate: $17,200,000
• Attendance: 20,034
• Average Ticket Price: $858.67
• Date: Oct 6, 2018
• Venue: T-Mobile Arena
• City: Paradise, Nevada, U.S.

Headlined by the intense rivalry between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor, UFC 229 drew immense attention as Khabib was defending his lightweight title for the first time.

McGregor’s return after a 2-year hiatus and the heated buildup made this one of the most successful events in UFC history.

The 5 main card fights were:

1. Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor
2. Tony Ferguson vs. Anthony Pettis
3. Ovince Saint Preux vs. Dominick Reyes
4. Derrick Lewis vs. Alexander Volkov
5. Michelle Waterson vs. Felice Herrig

3. UFC 264: Poirier vs. McGregor 3

• Gate: $15,759,800
• Attendance: 20,062
• Average Ticket Price: $785.33
• Date: July 10, 2021
• Venue: T-Mobile Arena
• City: Paradise, Nevada, U.S.

The trilogy bout between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor was a major draw. With each fighter holding a victory over the other, the anticipation for the decisive third fight was high, contributing significantly to the event’s success.

Both fighters were confident of the win, with the pair exchanging plenty of trash talk during the run-up.

The 5 main card fights were:

1. Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor
2. Gilbert Burns vs. Stephen Thompson
3. Tai Tuivasa vs. Greg Hardy
4. Irene Aldana vs. Yana Kunitskaya
5. Sean O’Malley vs. Kris Moutinho

4. UFC 295: Procházka vs. Pereira

• Gate: $12,432,563
• Attendance: 19,039
• Average Ticket Price: $653.23
• Date: Nov 11, 2023
• Venue: Madison Square Garden
• City: New York City, New York, U.S.

UFC 295 featured a fight between Jiří Procházka and Alex Pereira for the vacant light heavyweight title and Sergei Pavlovich and Tom Aspinall for the interim heavyweight title.

The event’s success was amplified by its return to Madison Square Garden, a venue synonymous with major sporting events.

The 5 main card fights were:

1. Alex Pereira vs. Jiří Procházka
2. Tom Aspinall vs. Sergei Pavlovic 
3. Jéssica Andrade vs. Mackenzie Dern
4. Benoît Saint-Denis vs. Matt Frevola
5. Diego Lopes vs. Pat Sabatini

5. UFC 285: Jones vs. Gane

• Gate: $12,154,753
• Attendance: 19,471
• Average Ticket Price: $624.42
• Date: Mar 4, 2023
• Venue: T-Mobile Arena
• City: Paradise, Nevada, U.S.

UFC 285 showcased the return of Jon Jones in his first heavyweight bout against Ciryl Gane. The UFC legend hadn’t fought in 3 years and he was vying to become only the eighth UFC two-division champion.

Jones’ status as one of the greatest fighters and Gane’s rising profile made this event a major draw, as did the co-main event which featured a flyweight title fight between Valentina Shevchenko and challenger, Alexa Grasso.

The 5 main card fights were:

1. Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane
2. Valentina Shevchenko vs. Alexa Grasso
3. Geoff Neal vs. ShavkatRakhmonov
4. MateuszGamrot vs. Jalin Turner
5. Bo Nickal vs. JamiePickett

6. UFC 129: St-Pierre vs. Shields

• Gate: $12,075,000
• Attendance: 55,724
• Average Ticket Price: $216.62
• Date: April 30, 2011
• Venue: Rogers Centre
• City: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

UFC 129 was notable for Georges St-Pierre’s immense popularity in Canada, particularly in Toronto. It was only the sixth UFC event held in Canada.

The event benefited from being GSP’s sixth welterweight title defense and first and only fight in Toronto, attracting over 55,724 fans.

This was the UFC record attendance until it was beaten by UFC 193 in 2015. It also became the live gate record ($12,075,000), until it was beaten by UFC 205: Alvarez (c) vs. McGregor in 2016 ($17,700,0000.

The event also featured a featherweight fight between champion Jose Aldo and challenger Mark Hominick – Aldo’s first title defense.

The 5 main card fights were:

1. Georges St-Pierre vs. Jake Shields
2. José Aldo vs. Mark Hominick
3. Lyoto Machida vs. Randy Couture
4. Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Jason Brilz
5. Mark Bocek vs. Ben Henderson

7. UFC 246: McGregor vs. Cerrone

• Gate: $11,100,000
• Attendance: 19,040
• Average Ticket Price: $583.03
• Date: January 18, 2020
• Venue: T-Mobile Arena
• City: Paradise, Nevada, U.S.

UFC 246 featured Conor McGregor’s comeback fight against taking on Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone, after his UFC 229 loss against Khabib.

Cerrone’s popularity, McGregor’s star power, and the anticipation for his return to the Octagon after a period away made this event particularly successful.

Apart from the main event, the card featured other notable fighters, including Holly Holm, a former women’s bantamweight champion, and Anthony Pettis, a former lightweight champion.

The 5 main card fights were:

1. Conor McGregor vs. Donald Cerrone
2. Holly Holm vs. Raquel Pennington
3. Aleksei Oleinik vs. Maurice Greene
4. Brian Kelleher vs. Ode Osbourne
5. Diego Ferreira vs. Anthony Pettis

8. UFC 200: Tate vs. Nunes

• Gate: $10,700,000
• Attendance: 18,202
• Average Ticket Price: $587.85
• Date: July 9, 2016
• Venue: T-Mobile Arena
• City: Paradise, Nevada, U.S.

UFC 200 was a landmark event celebrating the 200th UFC PPV event, the final event under the ownership of Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta before it was sold to WME-IMG.

The event was headlined by Miesha Tate defending her women’s bantamweight title against Amanda Nunes.

The card was also stacked with high-profile fights, including Brock Lesnar’s return to MMA against Mark Hunt and the UFC light heavyweight fight between Daniel Cormier and Anderson Silva.

The significance of the event, combined with a lineup of starfighters, contributed to its massive gate, making it one of the biggest in UFC history.

The 5 main card fights were:

1. Miesha Tate vs. Amanda Nunes
2. Brock Lesnar vs. Mark Hunt
3. Daniel Cormier vs. Anderson Silva
4. José Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar
5. Cain Velasquez vs. Travis Browne

9. UFC 194: Aldo vs. McGregor

• Gate: $10,006,249
• Attendance: 16,516
• Average Ticket Price: $605.77
• Date: December 12, 2015
• Venue: MGM Grand Garden Arena
• City: Las Vegas, Nevada

UFC 194 was a landmark event in UFC history, headlined by the featherweight championship unification bout between long-reigning champion Jose Aldo and the interim champion Conor McGregor.

The fight was one of the most anticipated in the promotion’s history, with McGregor heavily building excitement for the event with his trash-talking, charisma, and star power. 

It was also Aldo’s seventh title defense and McGregor’s first title challenge.

The 5 main card fights were:

1. José Aldo vs. Conor McGregor
2. Chris Weidman vs. Luke Rockhold
3. Ronaldo Souza vs. Yoel Romero
4. Demian Maia vs. Gunnar Nelson
5. Max Holloway vs. Jeremy Stephens

10. UFC 296: Edwards vs. Covington

• Gate: $9,300,000
• Attendance: 19,039
• Average Ticket Price: $488.47
• Date: 17 December 2023 
• Venue: T-Mobile Arena
• City: Paradise, Nevada, U.S.

UFC 296 was the final UFC event of 2023 and featured a highly anticipated welterweight bout between Leon Edwards and Colby Covington – Edwards’ second title defense.

This event was notable for the intense rivalry between the two fighters, with Colby Covington claiming the pair would meet Leon’s dead father in hell while fighting in the Octagon.

Edwards, known for his striking and fight intelligence, and Covington, recognized for his wrestling skills and endurance, provided a compelling matchup that captivated the audience and led to a high UFC gate.

Ufc 296 also featured Alexandre Pantoja’s first flyweight title defense against Brandon Royval.

The 5 main card fights were:

1. Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington
2. Alexandre Pantoja vs. Brandon Royval
3. ShavkatRakhmonov vs. Stephen Thompson
4. Tony Ferguson vs. Paddy Pimblett
5. Josh Emmett vs. Bryce Mitchell

The Bottom Line

The top 10 biggest UFC gates underscore the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s remarkable ability to blend thrilling action with significant financial success. 

Particularly noteworthy is Conor McGregor’s involvement in half of these events, highlighting his exceptional draw as a fighter and a showman. 

His matchups against notable opponents like Eddie Alvarez, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and Donald Cerrone have not only been highlights in the sports world but also major commercial triumphs.