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Total Attendance
Even as the Ultimate Fighting Championship surges in virtually every measurable popularity metric, including Pay Per View buyrates, television ratings, and merchandise sales, enormous room for growth remains in its capacity for large venue ticket sales. Even in 2010, the average fan attendance for recent UFC events remained decidedly middle-tier, with overall attendance rates for major UFC Pay Per View events hovering between 10,000 and 20,000 fans. The venues supporting UFC live events are almost exclusively "arena" (sub-40,000 person) class venues as opposed to "stadium" (40,000 person and over) class venues.
Those who doubt the ability of mixed martial arts to expand into large-scale baseball, football, and European soccer stadium venues need only look to the history of live attendance of combat sporting events to prove otherwise. As early as July 4, 1921, barely two decades into the nascent rise of professional boxing as a major American spectator sport, more than 90,000 fans attended the light heavyweight boxing "Fight of the Century" pitting Jack Dempsey against Frenchman Georges Carpentier just across the river from New York City. Dempsey-Carpentier was a landmark sporting event, the first of any sport to gross over $1,000,000 from a live gate, and the first to be broadcast on live radio. From that time on, major boxing events were routinely held in front of audiences in excess of 60,000 fans in venues such as the old Yankee Stadium. More than thirty championship boxing bouts in all were held in Yankee Stadium before its demolition in 2008. Attendance totals of roughly 50,000 were not unusual, such as the 47,000 who witnessed an aging "Sugar" Ray Robinson fall to Joey Maxim in June of 1952.
Recent UFC fans might also be surprised to learn that history's largest mixed martial arts sporting events as measured by fan attendance have taken place exclusively outside of the United States. The current record for live attendance of an MMA event is now (and surely will be for some years to come) the August 2002 inaugural Pride Shockwave event held in Tokyo National Stadium in Tokyo, Japan. Reportedly 71,000 fans attended the event, a truly massive crowd for any event regardless of the sport. Pride Shockwave featured Mirko Filipovic defeating national hero Kazushi Sakuraba in the main event, and the event was such a success that the promotion's annual Shockwave series continued to draw some of the largest crowds in MMA history for years to come. Indeed, as is amply demonstrated by the listing below, 19 of the 20 largest events in MMA history as measured by fan attendance were Pride FC events.
The three largest UFC events to date as measured by fan attendance, UFC 124, UFC 97 and UFC 83, were also each held outside of the United States, as well as in the same venue, Montreal, Quebec, Canada's Bell Center. Over 21,000 fans were in attendance for each of the three events.
Total Attendance
Event | Name | Date | Attendance | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fury vs. Whyte | 2022.04.23 | 94,000 | ||||
Joshua vs. Klitschko | 2017.04.29 | 90,000 | ||||
Froch vs. Groves 2 | 2014.05.31 | 80,000 | ||||
Canelo vs. Saunders | 2021.05.08 | 73,126 | ||||
Pride Shockwave | 2002.08.28 | 71,000 | ||||
Joshua vs. Usyk | 2021.09.25 | 66,276 | ||||
KSW 39 | Colosseum | 2017.05.27 | 57,766 | |||
UFC 243 | Whittaker vs. Adesanya | 2019.10.05 | 57,127 | |||
UFC 193 | Rousey vs. Holm | 2015.11.14 | 56,214 | |||
UFC 129 | St. Pierre vs. Shields | 2011.04.30 | 55,724 | |||
Pride 17 | Championship Chaos | 2001.11.03 | 53,246 | |||
Pride Final Conflict 2003 | 2003.11.09 | 53,000 | ||||
Pride 23 | Championship Chaos 2 | 2002.11.24 | 52,228 | |||
Canelo vs. Smith | 2016.09.17 | 51,240 | ||||
Pride Grand Prix 2000 Opening Round | 2000.01.30 | 48,316 | ||||
UFC 198 | Werdum vs. Miocic | 2016.05.14 | 45,207 | |||
Pride Total Elimination 2005 | 2005.04.23 | 43,000 | ||||
Pride Total Elimination Absolute | 2006.05.05 | 43,000 | ||||
Kambosos vs. Haney | 2022.06.04 | 41,129 | ||||
Spence Jr. vs. Ugas | 2022.04.16 | 40,828 | ||||
Canelo vs. Trout | 2013.04.20 | 39,240 | ||||
Pride Grand Prix 2000 Finals | 2000.05.01 | 38,429 | ||||
Pride 1 | 1997.10.11 | 37,000 | ||||
Pride Shockwave 2006 | 2006.12.31 | 35,000 | ||||
Pride Total Elimination 2003 | 2003.08.10 | 35,000 | ||||
Pride Shockwave 2003 | 2003.12.31 | 35,000 | ||||
Pride Total Elimination 2004 | 2004.04.25 | 35,000 | ||||
Pride 10 | Return of the Warriors | 2000.08.27 | 35,000 | |||
Pride Critical Countdown 2004 | 2004.06.20 | 35,000 | ||||
Desafio Gracie | 1954.05.02 | 35,000 | ||||
Pride Shockwave 2005 | 2005.12.31 | 35,000 | ||||
K-1 | Dynamite 2009 | 2009.12.31 | 35,000 | |||
Pride Shockwave 2004 | 2004.12.31 | 35,000 | ||||
Pride Final Conflict 2004 | 2004.08.15 | 35,000 | ||||
UFC on FOX 14 | Gustafsson vs. Johnson | 2015.01.24 | 30,000 | |||
RIZIN 20 | 2019.12.31 | 29,315 | ||||
K-1 | Dynamite 2006 | 2006.12.31 | 27,500 | |||
Pride 15 | Raging Rumble | 2001.07.29 | 27,323 | |||
RIZIN 13 | 2018.09.30 | 27,208 | ||||
Brook vs. Spence Jr | 2017.05.27 | 27,000 | ||||
Pride 12 | Cold Fury | 2000.12.09 | 26,882 | |||
Pride 28 | High Octane | 2004.10.31 | 24,028 | |||
UFC 124 | St. Pierre vs. Koscheck 2 | 2010.12.11 | 23,152 | |||
UFC Fight Night 136 | Hunt vs. Oleinik | 2018.09.15 | 22,603 | |||
Canelo vs Chavez Jr. | 2017.05.06 | 22,108 | ||||
Pride 29 | Fists of Fire | 2005.02.20 | 22,047 | |||
Canelo vs. GGG 2 | 2018.09.15 | 21,965 | ||||
UFC 97 | Redemption | 2009.04.18 | 21,451 | |||
UFC 83 | Serra vs. St. Pierre 2 | 2008.04.19 | 21,390 | |||
UFC 188 | Velasquez vs. Werdum | 2015.06.13 | 21,036 | |||
UFC 144 | Edgar vs. Henderson | 2012.02.25 | 21,000 | |||
UFC 180 | Werdum vs. Hunt | 2014.11.15 | 21,000 | |||
UFC 268 | Usman vs. Covington 2 | 2021.11.06 | 20,715 | |||
UFC 205 | Alvarez vs. McGregor | 2016.11.12 | 20,427 | |||
UFC 158 | St. Pierre vs. Diaz | 2013.03.16 | 20,145 | |||
UFC 244 | Masvidal vs. Diaz | 2019.11.02 | 20,143 | |||
UFC 264 | Poirier vs. McGregor 3 | 2021.07.10 | 20,062 | |||
UFC 229 | Khabib vs. McGregor | 2018.10.06 | 20,034 | |||
Gracie vs. Kimura | 1951.10.23 | 20,000 | ||||
UFC 272 | Covington vs. Masvidal | 2022.03.05 | 19,425 | |||
RIZIN Fighting World Grand Prix 2016 | Final Round | 2016.12.31 | 19,357 | |||
UFC 171 | Hendricks vs. Lawler | 2014.03.15 | 19,324 | |||
Taylor vs. Serrano | 2022.04.30 | 19,187 | ||||
UFC 68 | Uprising | 2007.03.03 | 19,049 | |||
UFC 246 | McGregor vs. Cerrone | 2020.01.18 | 19,040 | |||
UFC 231 | Holloway vs. Ortega | 2018.12.08 | 19,039 | |||
UFC 266 | Volkanovski vs. Ortega | 2021.09.25 | 19,029 | |||
Davis vs. Romero | 2022.05.28 | 18,970 | ||||
Paul vs. Woodley 2 | 2021.12.18 | 18,865 | ||||
UFC 203 | Miocic vs. Overeem | 2016.09.10 | 18,785 | |||
UFC Fight Night | Blaydes vs. Daukaus | 2022.03.26 | 18,630 | |||
UFC 207 | Nunes vs. Rousey | 2016.12.30 | 18,533 | |||
UFC 269 | Oliveira vs. Poirier | 2021.12.11 | 18,471 | |||
RIZIN Fighting World Grand Prix 2015 | Day 2 | 2015.12.31 | 18,365 | |||
UFC 239 | Jones vs. Santos | 2019.07.06 | 18,358 | |||
K-1 HERO'S | Dynamite USA | 2007.06.02 | 18,340 | |||
RIZIN Fighting World Grand Prix 2017 | Final Round | 2017.12.31 | 18,316 | |||
UFC 140 | Jones vs. Machida | 2011.12.10 | 18,303 | |||
Strikeforce | Shamrock vs. Gracie | 2006.03.10 | 18,265 | |||
GGG vs. Canelo | Supremacy | 2017.09.16 | 18,252 | |||
UFC 200 | Tate vs. Nunes | 2016.07.09 | 18,202 | |||
UFC 127 | Penn vs Fitch | 2011.02.26 | 18,186 | |||
UFC 225 | Whittaker vs. Romero 2 | 2018.06.09 | 18,117 | |||
UFC 206 | Holloway vs. Pettis | 2016.12.10 | 18,057 | |||
KSW 37 | Circus of Pain | 2016.12.03 | 18,000 | |||
UFC 217 | Bisping vs. St. Pierre | 2017.11.04 | 18,000 | |||
RIZIN 11 | 2018.07.29 | 17,912 | ||||
UFC 271 | Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2 | 2022.02.12 | 17,872 | |||
UFC 211 | Miocic vs. Dos Santos 2 | 2017.05.13 | 17,834 | |||
UFC 227 | Dillashaw vs. Garbrandt 2 | 2018.08.04 | 17,794 | |||
RIZIN Fighting World Grand Prix 2017 1st Round | 2017.07.30 | 17,730 | ||||
UFC 184 | Rousey vs. Zingano | 2015.02.28 | 17,654 | |||
UFC 113 | Machida vs Shogun 2 | 2010.05.08 | 17,647 | |||
UFC 218 | Holloway vs. Aldo 2 | 2017.12.02 | 17,587 | |||
EliteXC | Destiny | 2007.02.10 | 17,465 | |||
UFC 226 | Miocic vs. Cormier | 2018.07.07 | 17,464 | |||
Pacquiao vs. Ugas | 2021.08.21 | 17,438 | ||||
UFC 110 | Nogueira vs. Velasquez | 2010.02.20 | 17,431 | |||
UFC 103 | Franklin vs. Belfort | 2009.09.19 | 17,428 | |||
UFC 101 | Declaration | 2009.08.08 | 17,411 | |||
UFC 247 | Jones vs. Reyes | 2020.02.08 | 17,401 | |||
UFC 270 | N'Gannou vs. Gane | 2022.01.22 | 17,387 | |||
UFC 241 | Cormier vs. Miocic 2 | 2019.08.17 | 17,304 | |||
UFC 154 | St. Pierre vs. Condit | 2012.11.17 | 17,249 | |||
UFC 166 | Velasquez vs. Dos Santos 3 | 2013.10.19 | 17,238 | |||
UFC 274 | Oliveira vs. Gaethje | 2022.05.07 | 17,232 | |||
UFC 185 | Pettis vs. Dos Anjos | 2015.03.14 | 17,160 | |||
UFC 120 | Bisping vs. Akiyama | 2010.10.16 | 17,133 | |||
UFC 210 | Cormier vs. Johnson 2 | 2017.04.08 | 17,110 | |||
UFC Fight Night | Volkov vs. Aspinall | 2022.03.19 | 17,081 | |||
UFC 96 | Jackson vs. Jardine | 2009.03.07 | 17,033 | |||
UFC 223 | Khabib vs. Iaquinta | 2018.04.07 | 17,026 | |||
UFC 230 | Cormier vs. Lewis | 2018.11.03 | 17,011 | |||
UFC 111 | St-Pierre vs Hardy | 2010.03.27 | 17,000 | |||
Fields Dynamite!! 2010 | 2010.12.31 | 17,000 | ||||
UFC on FOX 11 | Werdum vs. Browne | 2014.04.19 | 17,000 | |||
UFC on FOX 2 | Evans vs. Davis | 2012.01.28 | 16,963 | |||
UFC 115 | Liddell vs Franklin | 2010.06.12 | 16,915 | |||
UFC 153 | Silva vs. Bonnar | 2012.10.13 | 16,844 | |||
UFC 245 | Usman vs. Covington | 2019.12.14 | 16,811 | |||
UFC 152 | Jones vs. Belfort | 2012.09.22 | 16,800 | |||
UFC Fight Night 84 | Silva vs. Bisping | 2016.02.27 | 16,734 | |||
UFC 105 | Couture vs Vera | 2009.11.14 | 16,693 | |||
RIZIN Fighting World Grand Prix 2016 | 2nd Round | 2016.12.29 | 16,642 | |||
UFC 214 | Cormier vs. Jones 2 | 2017.07.29 | 16,610 | |||
UFC 265 | Lewis vs. Gane | 2021.08.07 | 16,604 | |||
UFC on ESPN+ 5 | Till vs. Masvidal | 2019.03.16 | 16,602 | |||
Canelo vs. Plant | 2021.11.06 | 16,586 | ||||
UFC on ESPN+ 3 | Błachowicz vs. Santos | 2019.02.23 | 16,583 | |||
Davis vs. Barrios | 2021.06.26 | 16,570 | ||||
UFC 194 | Aldo vs. McGregor | 2015.12.12 | 16,516 | |||
UFC 82 | Pride of a Champion | 2008.03.01 | 16,431 | |||
UFC 123 | Rampage vs. Machida | 2010.11.20 | 16,404 | |||
UFC 135 | Jones vs. Rampage | 2011.09.24 | 16,344 | |||
Strikeforce | Shamrock vs. Le | 2008.03.29 | 16,326 | |||
UFC Fight Night 127 | Werdum vs. Volkov | 2018.03.17 | 16,274 | |||
UFC 75 | Champion vs Champion | 2007.09.08 | 16,235 | |||
UFC 215 | Nunes vs. Shevchenko 2 | 2017.09.09 | 16,232 | |||
Mayweather vs. Pacquiao | 2015.05.02 | 16,219 | ||||
UFC 136 | Edgar vs Maynard 3 | 2011.10.08 | 16,164 | |||
Mayweather vs. Canelo | The One | 2013.09.14 | 16,146 | |||
UFC on FOX 6 | Johnson vs. Dodson | 2013.01.26 | 16,091 | |||
UFC 149 | Faber vs. Barao | 2012.07.21 | 16,089 | |||
UFC 102 | Couture vs. Nogueira | 2009.08.29 | 16,088 | |||
UFC 238 | Cejudo vs. Moraes | 2019.06.08 | 16,083 | |||
UFC on FOX 4 | Shogun vs. Vera | 2012.08.04 | 16,080 | |||
UFC 77 | Hostile Territory | 2007.10.20 | 16,054 | |||
UFC 189 | Mendes vs. McGregor | 2015.07.11 | 16,019 | |||
UFC 220 | Miocic vs. N'Gannou | 2018.01.20 | 16,015 | |||
UFC 204 | Bisping vs. Henderson 2 | 2016.10.08 | 16,000 | |||
Spence Jr. vs. Garcia | 2020.12.05 | 16,000 | ||||
K-1 World GP 2019 Japan | K’FESTA.2 | 2019.03.09 | 16,000 | |||
UFC 262 | Oliveira vs. Chandler | 2021.05.15 | 16,000 | |||
UFC 232 | Jones vs. Gustafsson 2 | 2018.12.29 | 15,862 | |||
Fury vs. Wilder 3 | 2021.10.09 | 15,820 | ||||
Wilder vs. Fury 2 | 2020.02.22 | 15,816 | ||||
UFC 119 | Mir vs Cro Cop | 2010.09.25 | 15,811 | |||
UFC Fight Night 107 | Manuwa vs. Anderson | 2017.03.18 | 15,761 | |||
UFC Fight Night 91 | McDonald vs. Lineker | 2016.07.13 | 15,671 | |||
UFC 168 | Weidman vs. Silva 2 | 2013.12.28 | 15,650 | |||
UFC 208 | Holm vs. de Randamie | 2017.02.11 | 15,628 | |||
UFC 199 | Rockhold vs. Bisping 2 | 2016.06.04 | 15,587 | |||
UFC 202 | Diaz vs. McGregor 2 | 2016.08.20 | 15,539 | |||
RIZIN Fighting World Grand Prix 2017 | 2nd Round | 2017.12.29 | 15,539 | |||
UFC 165 | Jones vs. Gustafsson | 2013.09.21 | 15,504 | |||
UFC 212 | Aldo vs. Holloway | 2017.06.03 | 15,412 | |||
UFC 90 | Silva vs Cote | 2008.10.25 | 15,359 | |||
UFC 85 | Bedlam | 2008.06.07 | 15,327 | |||
UFC on FOX 13 | Dos Santos vs. Miocic | 2014.12.13 | 15,300 | |||
UFC 261 | Usman vs. Masvidal 2 | 2021.04.24 | 15,269 | |||
UFC 69 | Shootout | 2007.04.07 | 15,269 | |||
UFC 234 | Adesanya vs. Silva | 2019.02.09 | 15,238 | |||
UFC 159 | Jones vs. Sonnen | 2013.04.27 | 15,227 | |||
Strikeforce | Shamrock vs. Diaz | 2009.04.11 | 15,211 | |||
UFC 237 | Namajunas vs. Andrade | 2019.05.11 | 15,193 | |||
UFC Fight Night 122 | Bisping vs. Gastelum | 2017.11.25 | 15,128 | |||
UFC on ESPN+ 16 | Cowboy vs. Gaethje | 2019.09.14 | 15,114 | |||
UFC 148 | Silva vs. Sonnen 2 | 2012.07.07 | 15,104 | |||
UFC 87 | Seek and Destroy | 2008.08.09 | 15,087 | |||
UFC 248 | Adesanya vs. Romero | 2020.03.07 | 15,077 | |||
RIZIN Fighting World Grand Prix 2016 | 1st Round | 2016.09.25 | 15,011 | |||
UFC 196 | McGregor vs. Diaz | 2016.03.05 | 14,898 | |||
UFC 104 | Machida vs Shogun | 2009.10.24 | 14,892 | |||
UFC 94 | St-Pierre vs. Penn 2 | 2009.01.31 | 14,885 | |||
UFC 121 | Lesnar vs. Velasquez | 2010.10.23 | 14,856 | |||
UFC 167 | St. Pierre vs. Hendricks | 2013.11.16 | 14,856 | |||
Affliction 1 | Banned | 2008.07.19 | 14,832 | |||
UFC 235 | Jones vs. Smith | 2019.03.02 | 14,790 | |||
UFC 84 | Ill Will | 2008.05.24 | 14,773 | |||
UFC 60 | Hughes vs Gracie | 2006.05.27 | 14,765 | |||
UFC 161 | Evans vs. Henderson | 2013.06.15 | 14,754 | |||
Strikeforce | Evolution | 2009.12.19 | 14,749 | |||
UFC 88 | Breakthrough | 2008.09.06 | 14,736 | |||
UFC 71 | Liddell vs Jackson | 2007.05.26 | 14,728 | |||
UFC 190 | Rousey vs. Correia | 2015.08.01 | 14,723 | |||
UFC 131 | Carwin vs. Dos Santos | 2011.06.11 | 14,685 | |||
UFC on FUEL TV 8 | Silva vs. Stann | 2013.03.02 | 14,682 | |||
UFC 146 | Dos Santos vs. Mir | 2012.05.26 | 14,674 | |||
UFC 65 | Bad Intentions | 2006.11.18 | 14,666 | |||
UFC 192 | Cormier vs. Gustafsson | 2015.10.03 | 14,622 |