What started as a comeback story is now turning into a way for the UFC to break revenue records. UFC 329 will see Conor McGregor’s return after five long years against Max Holloway. But this return will also act as a key for the promotion to earn massive numbers. From TV ratings to fans’ attention, everything is expected to kick off and is expected to surpass UFC Freedom 250’s success.

UFC Freedom 250 attracted huge TV audiences and got people across the MMA world talking. The historic event took place at the White House and averaged 8.2 million viewers across the United States and Latin America. Paramount+ also said that more than 17 million people watched at least part of the event, making it one of the most-watched combat sports shows in recent years.

Now, UFC 329 will transition to the same success. Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) co-founder Nakisa Bidarian, who previously worked as the UFC’s Chief Financial Officer, believes that Conor McGregor could attract even bigger revenue of $30 million and could earn at least $60 million from the fight.

UFC CEO Dana White also believes Conor McGregor’s return will bring in huge money. Right now, the UFC’s highest live gate record is almost $22 million, which was set at UFC 306 at the Sphere in September 2024. White expects UFC 329 to break that record because so many fans want to see McGregor fight again, which should lead to higher ticket sales and more money from the event.

This belief comes from years of success. Conor McGregor has won 22 fights and lost 6 in his MMA career, including a 10-4 record in the UFC. Max Holloway has a 27-9 MMA record and a 23-9 UFC record. Plus, this will be McGregor’s first fight since he broke his leg during a TKO loss to Dustin Poirier in 2021.

When UFC 329 tickets went on sale in late May for his fight against Max Holloway on July 11 in Las Vegas, they were sold out instantly. Because so many people wanted to attend, tickets sold out fast and demand became very high, both from the UFC and on resale websites where fans sold their tickets for much higher prices.

The resale ticket prices for UFC 329 are very high because so many fans want to watch Conor McGregor fight. According to MMA Fighting, the cheapest resale ticket costs about $1,800 before taxes and fees, and that only gets fans a seat in the last row of the arena. Fans who want better seats have to pay much more, with some premium tickets costing up to $24,600.

The UFC also sells VIP packages for fans who want a special experience. Those packages cost between $8,000 and $13,500. These high prices show that McGregor’s return has created huge demand, and many fans are willing to spend a lot of money to watch him fight live.

Looking at his past success records, these numbers don’t come as a shocker. UFC 205 made about $17.7 million just by selling tickets. It became the biggest ticket-selling UFC event at that time. The event was held at Madison Square Garden in New York on November 12, 2016, and Conor McGregor’s fight against Eddie Alvarez was the main reason so many fans wanted to attend.

So, right now, Conor McGregor’s return is acting as the main catalyst for this major revenue generation. Something like Serena Williams returning to Wimbledon after four years.

The White House card was designed for symbolism, and UFC 329 is designed for monetization

Freedom 250 was a special event because it took place at the White House, not because it was meant to make money from ticket sales. The event celebrated President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday and the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, but the audience was invite-only. Reports said the White House South Lawn had about 4,300 seats. Around 1,200 seats went to active U.S. military members, while the rest were shared by the White House, TKO Group, and the UFC. The UFC also gave away free viewing-area tickets instead of selling them. And there’s the catch.

It generated $0 in revenue, although the UFC spent almost $60M in setting up the event. They earned a reported $30M back through sponsorships. But that was about it. It was a point of pride for Dana White that they did not use a single cent of taxpayer money to hold the event.

TKO executives were transparent; they did not expect the event to make a profit. Their main goal was to give the UFC more publicity, attract sponsors, and reach a large audience across the country rather than earn money from ticket sales. Instead of focusing on ticket revenue, Freedom 250 focused on TV and streaming viewers.

UFC 329 will take place at T-Mobile Arena, a large venue where the UFC can sell every ticket, premium seat, VIP package, and hospitality package. This helps the promotion earn much more money from the event. The UFC hopes to break its current ticket sales record of nearly $22 million, which was set by UFC 306 at the Sphere in Las Vegas in September 2024. The biggest reason for these high expectations is Conor McGregor’s return.

And the UFC uses his popularity in the best possible way. Conor McGregor said in March that the UFC has a smart business plan for his fights. Instead of putting him on events that are already very popular, like UFC Freedom 250 at the White House, they usually book him for the next event. The fact that they did not put their biggest star to date on their biggest event to date, so that they could make use of his drawing power, tells you everything you need to know about his popularity.

The reason is simple. The White House event was already going to attract a lot of attention because of its unique location. If McGregor fought there, the UFC would not gain much extra benefit from his popularity. McGregor wanted to fight on the UFC White House card, and former heavyweight champion Jon Jones also hoped to be part of that event.

However, the UFC did not include either fighter on the card. Instead, the promotion decided to save McGregor’s comeback for UFC 329, where he will headline the main event against Max Holloway. This helps the UFC create two successful events instead of one.

On top of it, Dana White said the UFC will not hold another fight event at the White House after UFC Freedom 250. Even though the event was a big success, White said it was only meant to happen once. He explained that organizing the event took a lot of planning, dealing with outdoor weather, building the arena at the White House, and spending about $60 million.

Now, the UFC hopes Conor McGregor’s huge popularity at UFC 329 will help bring in strong ticket sales and revenue after the expensive White House event.

McGregor creates pricing power

The numbers prove it. Back in 2021, he drew a massive audience at UFC 264 at the T-Mobile Arena while going up against Dustin Poirier. They had 100% capacity and 20,000 fans in the arena. So, now that same success might transition with UFC 329, too.

So, Conor McGregor does have a successful history. Now, if the event crosses the $30 million threshold, it will reinforce a long-standing business reality.