Conor McGregor Fight Expected to Boost Economy in Las Vegas

Las Vegas is set to benefit from another big Ultimate Fighting Championship event featuring McGregor and Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone. In 2018, McGregor helped generate $86.4 million for Las Vegas on the occasion of his fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov.

McGregor Drives Revenue High for Las Vegas

Conor McGregor has made headlines around the world for various reasons. He attacked a fellow fighter – Khabib Nurmagomedov – throwing barrels at him and his entourage, punched a man in a Dublin pub because the man had turned down a complementary drink from him, and he was eventually thrown out of boxing.

While he acknowledged some of his past transgressions, that’s not all. McGregor is also being investigated for sexual assault, a matter on which he has chosen to remain silent, and the controversies around the fighter just keeps piling on.

Yet, McGregor is still in the limelight and judging by his history, he is tipped to send the sports betting handle in Las Vegas flying up today as he prepares to face off with Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone. There’s no doubt about it – he certainly is bringing a lot of financial windfall to the Las Vegas metropolitan area.

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Last year, his presence generated estimated $86.4 million for Las Vegas, making him one of the highest grossing fighters at all. In fact, UFC 229 was the single highest-grossing event in the history of the Ultimate Fighting League.

And now the question remains – can UFC 246 fetch an even bigger economic windfall? In sheer ticket revenue, The Notorious – as McGregor is known to fans for well-established reasons – drove $17.2 million in ticket sales.

The Hospitality and Gaming Sector Benefit

According to UFC COO Lawrence Epstein, UFC 246 shouldn’t do any worse. The common denominator is Conor McGregor, Epstein said meaningfully to press. The state was also happy with the results as taxes collected off the fight in 2018 amounted to $1.8 million.

And it doesn’t stop just at ticket sales or bets. The overall hype for McGregor has translated into positive economic impact across the board, with restaurants, bars, night clubs, and even retailers posting better results.

The venue of the fight, the T-Mobile Arena, has also been chosen strategically. Surrounded by hospitality giants such as Park MGM, New York and Excalibur, the area is perfect place to book your hotel and watch the hotel.

Gaming also benefited in UFC 229 from the influx of visitors to Las Vegas who dropped some $500,000 on various casino products.