UFC 229 generated record-breaking revenue for Vegas
UFC 229 continues to break records, this time involving Las Vegas’ economic impact.
UFC 229 will always be known as one of the most infamous fight cards in history. And as of Monday, it also marked the largest economic impact for the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which is also the largest for a single UFC event to date.
According to the company’s official website, UFC 229 generated a total of $86.4 million, which translated to $17.2 million in salaries and wages, and 414 jobs for the night of October 6th. The fans who were in attendance also contributed to $3.7 million in public revenues from taxes for the state of Nevada.
Per UFC.com, here the key highlights for the card:
$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 traveled 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
Prior to the fight, UFC president Dana White was already expecting the card to rake in massive numbers, up to 3 million pay-per-view buys to be exact. Now that the official figures have been released, the outspoken UFC executive could not be more proud.
”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,” White said. “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 in 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.”
A rematch between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor is expected to happen down the line. But in the meantime, the two fighters will first have to deal with their sanctions from the Nevada State Athletic Commission for their involvement in the brawl that transpired after the main event fight.