- Dana White has said that Conor McGregor’s return has made ‘over $20 million’
- McGregor, 35, fights Michael Chandler at UFC 303 on June 29 in Las Vegas
- The Irish star has not fought since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier in 2021
UFC CEO Dana White has stated that Conor McGregor’s highly anticipated comeback fight against Michael Chandler has already netted a ‘$20 million’ live gate, the largest in the company’s history.
McGregor, 35, is set to make his return to the octagon at UFC 303 on June 29 in Las Vegas, just under three years since his last fight, where he broke his leg against Dustin Poirier.
The Irish fighter has always been a source of financial gain for the UFC. His fight with Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 holds the company’s current all-time live gate record, earning $17.7 million.
However, it looks like the record has already been destroyed and the fight is still six weeks away.
White said after UFC St. Louis on Saturday: “It’s already over $20 million.”
Conor McGregor returns to the Octagon after three years to face Michael Chandler on June 29
Dan White has revealed that the fight has already generated a live gate of ‘over $20 million’
McGregor, 35, last fought Dustion Poirier in July 2021 and broke his leg in the first round
Fans were desperate to see the ‘Notorious’ return to the fight game after his horrific injury in the trilogy fight with Poirier.
Many wondered if McGregor still had the same pulling power he did many years ago, and he appears to have.
McGregor has competed in three of the five best-selling events of all time, but none of them came close to the $20 million mark.
Now that the big milestone has been reached, White has been able to get one back over Stephen Espinoza, the former president of Showtime Sports.
The two martial arts figures have never been more fond of each other since they co-promoted the crossover boxing match between McGregor and Floyd Mayweather.
In September 2023, Espinoza hosted an event headlined by Canelo Alvarez and Jermell Charlo, which grossed over $20 million in gate receipts. It was the third event he promoted that year that achieved these numbers.
Stephen Espinoza (left) previously mocked the UFC for not breaking the $20 million mark for a single event
After the fight last year, he decided to take a look at White’s MMA company: “This Saturday night event will bring in a gate of over $20 million.
“That’s a rare feat in martial arts. This will be the third time in the last six months that we’ve done a $20 million gate. To put that in perspective, UFC has never done a $20 million gate in its entire history. We’ve done it three times since April.”
Unsurprisingly, White had a few things to say now that the big mark appears to have been broken.
He said: ‘Who cares what Espinoza thinks, pardon my language. Where is Espinoza? Who cares?’