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Over the years, the UFC has grown into an enormous money-making machine. Whether it be pay-per-view sales, merchandise, sponsorships or other avenues, the UFC is constantly finding new ways to make money.
One way the UFC has always been able to make money is through their ticket sales. Given the big venues the UFC are now able to fill, ticket sales alone can generate significant income for the company.
The bigger the fight the UFC is able to put on, the higher the ticket prices and the bigger the venues they can fill. If a fight is able to break into mainstream media attention, this can lead to millions of dollars worth of ticket sales on fight night.
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With that in mind, it may be somewhat unsurprising to learn that one Conor McGregor features a number of times on this list. McGregor is the biggest draw in the sport and the ticket sales he generates reflect this.
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Here are the top 5 biggest live gates in UFC history:
#5. UFC 246: McGregor vs. Cowboy
UFC 246 saw Conor McGregor square off against Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone at the T-Mobile arena in Las Vegas. The event took place on January 18 2020 and the total gate came to $11,100,000.
The fight was McGregor's return to the octagon following his loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 and year-long absence from the sport. It also showcased a friendlier side to 'The Notorious' as both men clearly had a great deal of mutual respect for one another.
The bout itself was rather one-sided as McGregor picked up the TKO win in just 40 seconds.
He found success with rarely utilized shoulder strikes, before landing a big head kick and finishing the fight with a barrage of punches.
#4. UFC 129: St-Pierre vs. Shields
Spoiler alert: this will be the only entry on this list not featuring Conor McGregor. UFC 129 saw Georges St-Pierre face Jake Shields at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Canada. Ticket sales that night came to $12,075,000.
This event benefitted from GSP's popularity in Canada and the fact that this was the first and only time he would fight in Toronto. While GSP may be better known for his fights at the Bell Centre, the Rogers Centre has a significantly bigger capacity with over 55,000 fans in attendance.
The fight itself went the full 25 minutes and saw St-Pierre add yet another win to his title reign via unanimous decision. Taking place on April 30th 2011, this would hold the record for the biggest live gate in UFC history for some time before the rise of one Conor McGregor.
#3. UFC 264: Poirier vs. McGregor III
We now go from the oldest event on the list to most recent. Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier fought at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on July 10th 2021. The third bout between these two stars drew in $15,759,800 in ticket sales.
There was more animosity going into this one after the build-up to their second bout was more amicable. McGregor reverted to his more brash persona and even brought Poirier's wife into his trash talking prior to the third fight.
The fight saw Dustin Poirier win a competitive first round that took a sudden turn when 'The Notorious' broke his leg in the closing moments. With McGregor unable to continue, Poirier took the win and a 2-1 lead in a series that may not be over.
#2. UFC 229: Khabib vs. McGregor
Khabib Nurmagomedov versus Conor McGregor at UFC 229 comes in at second place all-time in terms of biggest gates. The fierce rivals squared off on October 6th 2018 and generated $17,200,000 in ticket sales at the T-Mobile arena in Las Vegas.
The hype surrounding this one was enormous as it saw the culmination of a lengthy rivalry that reached a new level when McGregor threw a metal dolly through the window of a bus that Khabib was in.
On top of this, both men had won the UFC lightweight championship in their previous fights so there was genuine intrigue as to who would come out victorious. Khabib picked up the win via submission in the fourth round.
#1. UFC 205: Alvarez vs. McGregor
Somewhat surprisingly, Conor McGregor's fight with Eddie Alvarez on November 12th 2016 is currently the biggest live gate in UFC history. The event took place at UFC 205 in Madison Square Garden in New York and brought in $17,700,000 in ticket sales.
The appeal of this one was finding out whether or not the UFC's biggest star and featherweight champion would also be able to win the UFC lightweight belt. The feat had never been achieved before so there was history to be made.
Ultimately, Conor McGregor was able to get the win via TKO in the second round.
This cemented his status as the biggest star in UFC history, which he remains to this day, despite having lost three of his last four fights.
