- UFC. Dan Ige steps in on 3 hours' notice to fight Diego Lopes in UFC 303 co-main event
- UFC. Conor McGregor calls Khabib Numagomedov a terrorist after Russian police gym raid
UFC 303 thrilled fans despite several main card fights being canceled.
The main event, featuring Alex Pereira's knockout of Jiri Prochazka in the second round, and the co-main event where Dan Ige fought Diego Lopes on just three hours' notice, were particularly exciting.
During the UFC 303 press conference, White suggested that Conor McGregor might no longer be the face of MMA.
McGregor had been scheduled to fight Michael Chandler at UFC 303, marking his return to the octagon after a three-year absence.
However, a broken toe forced him to withdraw, putting the event at risk until Pereira stepped in. Popular TV broadcaster and MMA journalist Jason Hagholm shared on X that Dana White pointed out Pereira's strong performance in ticket sales.
"Dana White can't say that Alex Pereira is the greatest striker in UFC history but reconfirms that Pereira did bring the Light Heavyweight Division back to life," he wrote in a series of tweets.
"Dana White says the third & fourth highest gates are Alex Pereira's so he may be the face of MMA now.
"Dana White says that Callum Walsh has been a fun project for him and that Freddie Roach believes in him and that the he will do a big Title fight for him in Ireland."
Pleased with the earnings
While McGregor is known for his ability to generate massive gate revenues, sometimes hitting $20 million, Pereira is catching up. UFC 303 generated $15,909,243 from live gate sales, with 18,881 fans attending the event.
This made UFC 303 the fourth-highest gate in UFC history. Pereira's remarkable performance against Prochazka likely added many new fans to his following.
Even though McGregor could have brought in a significant amount of money, White was pleased with the turnout and revenue for UFC 303, with Pereira in the spotlight.