​Conor McGregor remains the biggest name in the business, and the numbers back that up. On Friday, UFC’s chief executive Dana White told ESPN that Saturday’s UFC 329 event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, headlined by McGregor’s return fight against Max Holloway, shattered the promotion’s live gate record with roughly $25 million in ticket sales. “The Conor McGregor effect is huge,” White said. “Our biggest gate ever was the Sphere at $22 million, and 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 milestone at Thursday’s post-fight press conference, though he did not disclose a figure at that moment, and McGregor himself was on hand to thank the fans for their support.
Even as ticket prices for UFC events hit new highs in 2026, fans have continued to snap up seats for Saturday’s show. The anticipation surrounding McGregor’s return is immense. The former two-division champion last appeared in the Octagon in July 2021 at UFC 329, where he fought his longtime rival Dustin Poirier for a third time. The bout ended in tragedy for McGregor as he broke his leg at the end of the first round, leaving him out of action until 2024. He was initially set to headline UFC 303 against Michael Chandler, but a toe injury forced him to withdraw, delaying his return until the Holloway rematch was announced.
McGregor has also been at the center of several controversies during his five-year hiatus, including a civil suit in 2024 in which he was found liable for sexual assault, and a failed presidential bid in Ireland in 2025. Despite these distractions, McGregor’s status as a box-office magnet remains unquestioned. He still holds the UFC record for the most-watched pay-per-view in history, with 2.4 million buys for UFC 229 against Khabib Nurmagomedov. That figure stands as a benchmark alongside his two aggressive showings against Dustin Poirier and his second bout with Nate Diaz, each drawing over 1.5 million buys.
Beyond MMA, McGregor’s crossover appeal was highlighted in 2017 when he stepped into the boxing ring against undefeated legend Floyd Mayweather Jr. The bout, though won by Mayweather in the 10th round, drew an estimated 4.3 million domestic pay-per-view buys, and McGregor reportedly earned about $130 million from the fight—a testament to his global drawing power. As the sport’s biggest draw, McGregor’s name continues to drive attention, ticket sales, and pay-per-view engagement, underscoring why promoters and fans alike still view him as a rare force in combat sports.