CONOR MCGREGOR has already broken a long-standing UFC record ahead of his eagerly-anticipated octagon return.
The former two-division champion will make his long-awaited cage comeback next month in the main event of UFC 303 in Las Vegas.
The Notorious will be welcomed back to the octagon by fellow fan favourite Michael Chandler – his rival coach on season 31 of The Ultimate Fighter.
Tickets for the Return of the Mac have sold like hotcakes, with most of the seats at the T-Mobile Arena having already sold out.
And the tickets already sold, according to UFC president and CEO Dana White, have shattered the promotion’s live gate record.
The record was previously held by the historic UFC 205 card at Madison Square Garden, which McGregor headlined.
The live gate for the 2016 extravaganza was a whopping £13,662,593 ($13,662,593).
But the gate for UFC 303, according to White, is set to dwarf that massive figure.
During the UFC St. Louis post-fight press conference last weekend, White said of the gate: “It’s already way over $20 million.”
UFC 303 will likely do well north of one million pay-per-view buys given the immense interest in McGregor’s return.
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The Irishman, 35, hasn’t set foot inside the octagon since shattering his left leg in his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier in July 2021.
McGregor underwent a long and arduous rehab to recover from the shattered tibia and fibula he suffered in the Sin City showdown.
With more sides to his personality than an Octagon, Conor McGregor's rise has been an enthralling watch.
Going from UFC icon to entrepreneur and Hollywood star, the Irishman has transcended the sport he helped bring to the masses.
He has four children with fiancee Dee Devlin and the family enjoy a lavish lifestyle.
McGregor has not fought in UFC since breaking his leg in a trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier in 2021.
That has not stopped him amassing a net worth of over £150m thanks to his Proper No Twelve whiskey and fashion line.
And he is due to return to the Octagon at UFC 303 in an eagerly-awaited headline clash with Michael Chandler.
McGregor also starred alongside Jake Gyllenhaal in the Amazon Prime remake of classic movie Road House, although he is dreading his mum seeing one X-rated scene.
Notorious turned up to the premiere in a £60,000 suit that was outdone by his £460k watch.
The only thing sharper than his fashion sense is his tongue and the Dubliner has several bitter spats under his belt, including with UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov.
That row led to one of his biggest controversies in 2018 as he travelled 3,000 miles to confront Khabib in a vicious attack on his bus.
He pleaded guilty to assault after punching a man in a pub in 2018 and had his £150k Bentley seized by police for driving offences four years later.
Joe Rogan lashed out at McGregor in a four-letter outburst and the Irishman has also fired shots at Jake Paul, KSI and Tommy Fury.
Boxing great Floyd Mayweather also has McGregor on his enemy list after the pair clashed in a cross-sport bout in 2017.
Read all of our Conor McGregor stories here.
But the Dubliner will have no qualms about firing his once-snapped limb at the dome of Chandler.
In a recent interview with James Corden, the Dubliner said: “I am Terminator now.
“I have a titanium rod that goes into the knee and down to the bone, right down to my ankle.
“It’s unbreakable.
“I wish for and I will work for landing this kick with this steel bar in my leg against an opponent and getting them out of there.”
