Former UFC two-division champion Conor McGregor is poised to make his highly anticipated return to the octagon this summer at UFC 303, nearly three years after his last fight. The Irishman, known as The Notorious, last competed in 2021 against his long-time rival Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 for the third time.
Their trilogy bout ended abruptly in the first round when Poirier repeatedly targeted McGregor's leg with powerful low kicks, resulting in a gruesome leg break for McGregor. The referee and doctor promptly called off the fight, declaring Poirier the victor and concluding their epic rivalry.
Fight fans are eagerly awaiting McGregor's return, and the excitement reached fever pitch when the 155-pound king announced his intention to shatter his own record for the highest-grossing UFC event.
At the UFC St. Louis Press Conference, UFC President Dana White vehemently dismissed the claims of Stephen Espinoza, the long-time rival president of Showtime Boxing. Espinoza had boasted that Showtime Boxing had achieved three events with gate revenues exceeding $20 million since April, a feat UFC had never accomplished.
When asked about Espinoza's comments and the status of McGregor's UFC 303 card, White responded with characteristic defiance, dismissing Espinoza's remarks and asserting that UFC 303's gate revenue had already surpassed the $20 million mark.
According to White, the UFC 303 main event, which will pit McGregor against Michael Chandler, has already surpassed the highest gate revenue in UFC history.
UFC 303 has shattered all previous gate revenue records, becoming the first UFC event to surpass the $20 million mark. McGregor has once again proven his unparalleled ability to generate massive revenue, breaking his own previous record for the highest-grossing UFC event.
The following is a list of the top 10 highest-grossing UFC events in history:
1. UFC 205: Eddie Alvarez vs. Conor McGregor - $17,700,000
2. UFC 229: Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor - $17,188,895
3. UFC 300: Alex Pereira vs. Jamahal Hill - $16,508,823
4. UFC 264: Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor 3 - $15,759,800
5. UFC 299: Sean O'Malley vs. Marlon Vera - $14,142,904
6. UFC 295: Jiri Prochazka vs. Alex Pereira - $12,400,000
7. UFC 285: Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane - $12,150,000
8. UFC 129: Georges St-Pierre vs. Jake Shields - $12,075,000
9. UFC 287: Alex Pereira vs. Israel Adesanya 2 - $11,943,363
10. UFC 281: Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira 1 - $11,562,807
