SUMMARY
- Conor McGregor will take on Michael Chandler at UFC 303.
- Ahead of the event, UFC President Dana White has made a big revelation about the event.
UFC superstar Conor McGregor is finally set to make his much-awaited comeback to the Octagon, headlining UFC 303 against Michael Chandler at the famous T-Mobile Arena on June 29. The mixed martial arts fandom is in high spirits to see the former double champion back in action. Amid that, UFC president Dana White has dropped another huge bombshell about UFC 303—a historic, record-setting gate that has already crossed $20 million.
In the wake of a nearly three-year hiatus filled with an astounding amount of speculation, McGregor‘s return is finally set for UFC 303, where the former UFC Featherweight and Lightweight Champion will face the former three-time Bellator Lightweight World Champion and former UFC Lightweight title contender in Michael Chandler. The pair, who have previously coached against each other on The Ultimate Fighter, are set to star in the welterweight main event of UFC 303.
The full McGregor vs Chandler incident on TUF:pic.twitter.com/LTfvM7n9ys
— MMA News (@MMATrending) July 5, 2023
“The Notorious One” has been out of action since losing the trilogy against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 back in July 2021. Aside from suffering a first-round TKO defeat, McGregor suffered a fractured tibia, which was later reported to be linked to a pre-existing injury. What followed was a prolonged recovery period, with continued rumors and developments about the Irishman’s possible comeback to the Octagon, as the MMA fandom waited with bated breaths for the return of the “Mystic Mac”.
No matter if he is active or not, anything involving McGregor is expected to garner peak attention in the mixed martial arts community. Now, with his return to the promotion confirmed, UFC 303 is expected to become one of the biggest UFC events of all time. A similar notion was reflected in the words of Daniel Cormier.
A UFC color commentator and a former double champ, Cormier recently stressed that UFC 303 would fetch a record $20 million gate, breaking the promotion’s all-time record of $17.7 million gate in UFC 205, which featured McGregor against Eddie Alvarez in November 2016 at the Madison Square Garden in New York.
Dana White reveals UFC 303 has already gone beyond the $20 Million gate
The UFC president, Dana White, sees beyond the prediction made by “DC”. At the post-fight press conference of UFC St Louis, which treated fans with some brutal knockouts featuring Derrick Lewis and Carlos Ulberg, Dana White insisted that UFC 303 has so far clocked over $20 million—their highest gate of all time.
“It’s already way over $20 million,” White confirmed at the event.
Dana White says Conor McGregor’s return will produce a massive, massive gate for #UFC303
“It’s already way over $20 million” #UFCStLouis
— Damon Martin (@DamonMartin) May 12, 2024
McGregor has been the catalyst of three of the four highest UFC gates in history. Aside from UFC 205, which has remained the promotion’s biggest gate for more than seven years, McGregor also headlined UFC 229, which had a whopping $17.1 million gate, and UFC 264, the $15.7 million gate event that sent McGregor into hiatus.
With UFC 300 already clocking a gate of $16.5 million and a reported million-plus PPV buys in April, the addition of UFC 303 to the calendar is making 2024 another fruitful year for Dana White’s promotion.
