SUMMARY
- Alex Pereira's fights at UFC 300 and 303 are currently two of the highest gates in UFC history.
- UFC 303 was supposed to have a $20+ million gate until Conor McGregor pulled out while UFC 300 was a monumental event by itself.
Alex Pereira is slowly becoming one of the biggest superstars to ever step into the octagon. Despite him being only nine fights into his UFC career, the decorated kickboxer has had more title fights than regular bouts in the promotion. Even Dana White had mentioned that he was completely wrong about what Pereira would become after joining the UFC.
White initially believed Pereira would get eaten by the younger stars in the UFC. However, the journey has been quite the opposite recently. Pereira has been shutting down fighters who usually knock others out. His recent bout against Jiri Prochazka proved that Pereira is going to be an unstoppable force. Interestingly enough, his headliners have resulted in some of the highest gates ever.
UFC 303 initially belonged to Conor McGregor, not Alex Pereira
UFC 303 was absolutely thrilling to watch as the event resulted in a whopping $15.9 million gate. While the main event belonged to Alex Pereira, the numbers generated from the event weren’t purely from him. Conor McGregor was supposed to headline the card until he pulled out due to an injured toe just a few weeks before the fight.
pereira and mcgregor has the top 5 ufc gates 🤝 pic.twitter.com/5QMnMgejfN
— Dovy🔌 (@DovySimuMMA) July 4, 2024
Dana revealed that UFC 303 had surpassed a $20 million gate, which would’ve been the highest ever recorded in the history of the promotion. However, the numbers plummeted to $15 million after the McGregor vs Chandler fight was called off. Conor’s fights against Eddie Alvarez, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and Dustin Poirier rank as the first, second, and fight-highest gates ever.
UFC 300 was a historic event regardless of Alex Pereira’s presence
UFC 300 was another one of Alex Pereira’s fight cards which resulted in a $16.5 million gate. While Pereira deserves the credit, UFC 300 was also a monumental event that fans certainly didn’t want to miss.
The UFC just posted Alex Pereira’s knockout of Jamahal Hill at #UFC300 with no commentary 🔥
“Alex Pereira noises” 😭😭
🎥 @ufc #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/JtfKOFc7iW
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) June 30, 2024
Regardless of the numbers, Pereira delivered an incredible performance against the former light heavyweight champion, Jamahal Hill. Pereira’s insane first-round knockout after being hit below the belt by Hill went viral on social media. He delivered a spectacular knockout that fans will forever remember until the end of time.
Alex Pereira still owns some of the highest gates in UFC history
Alex Pereira has only just started his UFC career, and this is something people still have a tough time digesting as well. Despite being only nine fights into his career, the 36-year-old has surpassed the legacy of several UFC greats and is on pace to potentially become one of the greatest combat fighters of all time.
Pereira’s previous fights against Israel Adesanya and Jiri Prochazka also rank in the top 10 in terms of gate numbers. He owns five of the highest gates ever. Rumors claim that Pereira is open to fighting at heavyweight, potentially against Jon Jones or Tom Aspinall. A Pereira heavyweight fight might potentially result in the highest gate ever due to the fact that it will be the first time a fighter challenges for the belt in a third weight class.