UFC 306 sets record as highest-grossing event in UFC history for ticket sales, merchandise and more
UFC 306 at Sphere in Las Vegas may have been one of the most expensive cards to produce but the gamble paid off.
On Tuesday, TKO Group Holdings revealed that the event headlined by Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili ended up as the highest grossing card in UFC history across several major metrics.
First and foremost, UFC 306 produced a $22 million live gate, which smashed the previous record at $17.7 million when UFC 205 landed at Madison Square Garden in New York for the first time back in 2016. UFC CEO Dana White previously revealed that the show cost over $20 million to produce so the live gate alone covers those costs.
UFC 306 also served as the highest grossing single event held at Sphere since the massive $2.3 billion arena first opened in 2023.
Meanwhile, UFC 306 also produced the highest grossing sponsorship sales for the company, which included a marquee branding sponsorship with Riyadh Season — the Saudi Arabia funded celebration headed up by Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of the country’s General Entertainment Authority.
Additional records were set for the highest grossing sales for VIP experiences, which is handled through On Location — an event service company owned by Endeavor, the primary shareholder in TKO Group Holdings.
UFC also touted the event for having the highest grossing merchandise sales in company history as well.
Despite all the success produced by UFC 306 at Sphere, TKO Group Holdings’ executives and White have both said the event was “one and done.” While the cost to produce a show there plays some part in not returning to Sphere, the UFC also maintains an exclusive agreement with MGM properties in Las Vegas, which is why all major pay-per-views are held at T-Mobile Arena — an MGM owned venue.
It was only after MGM booked a Canelo Alvarez fight at T-Mobile Arena that same weekend that White was able to break free from that deal for the one-night only card held at Sphere, which is owned by the Dolan family — the same company that owns properties like Madison Square Garden and the NBA’s New York Knicks.