Conor McGregor’s return to UFC this weekend is projected to spur a major revival of the company’s fortunes.
The Irishman’s fight against Russian lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedo at UFC 229 in Las Vegas is expected to record over three million pay-per-view buys, which would be the third biggest PPV event in US history.
Priced at $64.99, gross revenue could reach $195m, of which UFC shares a portion of the sales with cable and satellite TV operators.
The bout at T-Mobile Arena is also expected to be a 20,000 sell-out, generating a gate of around $17m, which would be the highest ever for UFC in Vegas.
“This is the biggest fight we’ve ever done,” said UFC president Dana White.