According to research analysis firm Applied Analysis, UFC 229 generated a whopping $86.4 million in revenue for the Las Vegas metropolitan area.
The event which was headlined by Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor was guaranteed to garner success, but no one expected that much.
“During the build up to UFC 229, I said it was going to be the biggest event in UFC’s history, and now we have all the numbers to prove it,” said UFC President Dana White. “Khabib vs. McGregor smashed our records for Pay-Per-Views, social media impressions, and global viewership, and now we know it set records for economic impact here Las Vegas. None of this would have been possible without the support from the Las Vegas community and UFC’s loyal fans, the best in sports.”
The landmark event also contributed $17.2 million in salaries and wages and supported an estimated 414 jobs in the Southern Nevada market.
In the end, the brash Irish bad boy McGregor wound up losing to the now lightweight champion Nurmagomedov.
Check out Key Highlights of the UFC 229: KHABIB vs. MCGREGOR economic impact study:
- $86.4 million total economic output
- $17.2 million total salaries and wages paid
- 414 jobs supported in Southern Nevada
- $3.7 million total taxes paid by visitors
- 40% of UFC 229 visitors travelled from international locations
- 50% of attendees were between the ages of 21 to 34
- 50% of attendees reported an annual household income of $100,000 or more
- One in five attendees stayed in Las Vegas for at least five days
- Nearly two in five attendees reported spending more than $2,000 on non-gaming activities
