Conor McGregor's return breaks UFC record as Dana White hails Irish star

Conor McGregor's return to the UFC has produced the highest gate in the sport's history, as UFC president Dana White hailed the Irish star.

UFC 329 has shattered the promotional record for ticket revenue, generating $25million (£18.66m) in gate sales.

The Las Vegas event this weekend sees McGregor's long-awaited return to the octagon, where he will face Max Holloway in the headline bout.

The Irish fighter steps back into competition for the first time since July 2021.

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Saturday's card also includes Paddy "The Baddy" Pimblett taking on Benoit Saint Denis as the co-main event.

McGregor, now 37, previously defeated Holloway when the two fighters met at UFC Boston back in 2013.

His last fight saw him suffer a leg fracture sustained during his trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier.

When tickets became available to the general public in May, entry-level seats started at approximately $1,800 (£1,343), whilst VIP packages began from $3,500 (£2,612) upwards.

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UFC chief executive White has anticipated the event would surpass the organisation's previous gate record of $21.8m (£16.24m), achieved in September 2024.

That benchmark was set during the UFC Noche event held at the Sphere in Las Vegas, where Merab Dvalishvili claimed the bantamweight title with a five-round decision victory over Sean O'Malley.

White confirmed the record had been broken during Thursday's press conference for UFC 329, before revealing the precise figure on Friday.

When asked how this McGregor fight week compared to previous events, the UFC boss replied: "Biggest gate in UFC's history."

He told ESPN: "The Conor McGregor effect is huge. Our biggest gate ever was the Sphere, $22m, this gate beat it at $25m

"So this is the biggest gate in UFC history for his return. The city is buzzing."

The Irishman has now topped the bill at three of the four highest-grossing UFC events ever staged.

Upon hearing the record had fallen, McGregor said: "Thank you to the fans. Thank you to our fans."

Offering his prediction for Saturday's contest, the 37-year-old stated: "Destruction. I'm going to destroy Max.

"I'm going to eliminate Max, the final opponent of mine still within the UFC ranks. All of my other opponents are gone.

"Max is the last one left, and on Saturday night, he gets eliminated for good."

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