UFC’s struggles to pull strong gate revenue for its numbered event in Miami raised doubts about the promotion’s dominance. However, UFC 328’s unparalleled success once again proved why Dana White’s company remains a revenue-generating machine.
This year, UFC 327 in Miami, headlined by Jiri Prochazka vs. Carlos Ulberg for the 205-pound title, amassed an impressive $6,518,684 gate revenue. But it still fell short compared to the promotion’s previous Miami events. Last year, UFC 314 drew a staggering $11 million in ticket sales, while UFC 299 generated approximately $14 million in gate revenue in 2024. Because of that, fans were concerned that UFC 328 might not perform up to the mark. Yet, the UFC’s numbered event in Newark shattered all expectations in gate revenue.
According to reports, UFC 328 generated a gate revenue of $7,518,918, the highest in the arena’s history, with an attendance of 17,783. Previously, UFC 302, headlined by Islam Makhachev defending his lightweight title against Dustin Poirier in 2024, held the record at the Prudential Center with a $7,250,000 gate. Though the difference was not massive, it once again proved that New Jersey remains UFC’s stronghold for selling fights.
With the successful outing of UFC 328, Dana White and Co. now hold the first, second, fifth, and sixth highest-grossing events in Prudential Center history. Plus, the Sean Strickland vs. Khamzat Chimaev event became the fourth highest-gate revenue card for this year so far, sitting behind UFC 324 (almost $11 million), UFC 325 ($10 million+), and UFC 326 ($8 million+).
Now, with that much success, the UFC would expect its next event to deliver similar results. But Dana White believes it could generate even bigger numbers than Newark.
Dana White believes their next event will shatter UFC 328’s number
Other than gate revenue, a UFC event’s success is also measured by how many live viewers it attracts. That is the route the UFC took under its Paramount+ and CBS deal after moving away from the traditional PPV model. UFC CEO Dana White looked ecstatic, claiming that the Newark event pulled “monstrous” live numbers, though he did not reveal the exact figures.
Following this numbered card, the UFC will conduct its ambitious White House event on June 14, and Dana White believes that card will shatter the viewership numbers of UFC 328.
“It’s gonna be the biggest fight we have ever done,” White said during the UFC 328 post-fight presser. “And then the numbers are gonna be massive. The numbers tonight were monstrous. The White House fight will blow this out of the water.”
For those unaware, the UFC Freedom 250 card will not have traditional ticket sales, as only a reserved audience will be able to watch the event directly from the White House premises. But they have a ‘partner investment’ which gives access to the event for tickets priced at $1.5M. Fans, however, can watch the event live from the adjacent park, for which the promotion has already made over 80,000 free tickets available. So, the event itself will not generate any gate revenue.
That means the UFC will largely rely on live viewership and sponsorship deals to recover some of the reported $60 million budget spent on the spectacle, which the promotion has already declared will not make any profit. That said, it will be interesting to see whether UFC Freedom 250 can surpass UFC 328 in overall viewership numbers.
