April 23, 2024 10:00 pm ET
There have been over 650 events in UFC history since its debut in 1993.
Of those events, the 10 atop the all-time attendance records provided memorable moments amplified by unique environments with palpable energy.
The top 10 largest attendances in UFC history feature six countries: Canada (4), Australia (2), Russia (1), Sweden (1), Mexico (1), and Brazil (1).
Eight of the events were pay-per-views, while two of the three most recent were UFC Fight Nights.
Five of those events hit the 30,000 attendee mark. Three of those five had over 50,000 attendees.
With the help of combat sports database Tapology, check out below a top 10 list of the largest UFC attendances in the promotion’s history. The figures are those tallied and relayed by the promotion after each event.
10
UFC 83: Serra vs. St-Pierre 2
Attendance: 21,390
Date: April 19, 2008
Venue: Bell Centre
Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
The highly-anticipated rematch of one of the biggest upsets in MMA history had Montrealers packing the Bell Centre to support their most well-known native sons at UFC 83.
Georges St-Pierre denied history from repeating when he finished Matt Serra with knees to the body as the clock wound down in Round 2 to win the UFC welterweight title.
Also on the card, Rich Franklin finished Travis Lutter with punches in the co-main event. Nate Quarry, Michael Bisping, Demian Maia, and a budding youngster named Cain Velasquez also competed on the undercard.
9
UFC 97: Redemption
Attendance: 21,451
Date: April 18, 2009
Venue: Bell Centre
Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Anderson Silva’s Canadian debut remains his only competitive appearance in the Great White North. Despite being in GSP country, Silva heard the support from the crowd as he defeated Thales Leites by unanimous decision to retain the UFC middleweight title for the fifth time consecutively.
Also at UFC 97, Sam Stout defeated Matt Wiman by unanimous decision in Fight of the Night bonus-earning performance, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua knocked out Chuck Liddell, and Krzysztof Soszynski submitted Brian Stann with a kimura in Round 1.
8
UFC Fight Night 237: Moreno vs. Royval 2
Attendance: 21,456
Date: Feb. 24, 2024
Venue: Arena CDMX
Location: Mexico City, Mexico
The most recent event to grace the list, UFC Fight Night 237 featured the promotion’s first event in Mexico since February 2020. In front of a raucous crowd of nearly 22,000 fans, home country heroes Brandon Moreno and Yair Rodriguez were a one-two punch atop the billing.
However, Moreno was upset by short notice replacement Brandon Moreno by split decision and Rodriguez was submitted in a rematch against Brian Ortega.
Mexican talent thrived on the undercard, however, as Daniel Zellhuber, Yazmin Jauregui, Manuel Torres, Jesus Aguilar, Edgar Chairez, and Luis Rodriguez all notched victories.
7
UFC Fight Night 136: Hunt vs. Oleinik
Attendance: 22,603
Date: Sept. 15, 2018
Venue: Olimpiyskiy Arena
Location: Moscow, Russia
One of only three Russia-located UFC events in promotion history to date, UFC Fight Night 136 featured a thrilling heavyweight battle between contenders Mark Hunt and Aleksei Oleinik. While Hunt found some success early, Oleinik sent the fans home happy with a signature submission victory in Round 1.
Also on the card, Jan Blachowicz submitted Nikita Krylov, and Shamil Abdurakhimov defeated Andrei Arlovski by unanimous decision. Young up-and-comers Petr Yan, Magomed Ankalaev, and Merab Dvalishvili also picked up victories on the prelims.
6
UFC 124: St-Pierre vs. Koscheck
Georges St-Pierre (L) from Montreal, Canada punches Josh Koscheck from Waynesburg US during the third round of the Ultimate Fighting Championship on December 11, 2010 at Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. AFP PHOTO / ROGERIO BARBOSA (Photo credit should read ROGERIO BARBOSA/AFP/Getty Images)
Attendance: 23,152
Date: Dec. 11, 2010
Venue: Bell Centre
Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
The heated rivalry between Georges St-Pierre and Josh Koscheck finally came to a head at UFC 124 in Montreal. After coinciding coaching stints on “The Ultimate Fighter 12,” St-Pierre got his hands on the all-time instigator Koscheck. The performance was a jabbing masterclass by St-Pierre, who broke Koscheck’s orbital en route to a unanimous decision win – his sixth-straight title defense.
In the co-main event, Stefan Struve defeated Sean McCorkle by first-round TKO. Also on the main card, Jim Miller submitted Charles Oliveira with a kneebar.
5
UFC on FOX 14: Gustaffson vs. Johnson
4
UFC 198: Werdum vs. Miocic
Stipe Miocic
Attendance: 45,207
Date: May 14, 2016
Venue: Arena da Baixada
Location: Curitiba, Parana, Brazil
The largest-attended event in Brazil, UFC 198 featured a heavyweight title fight atop the card. While it was then-reigning champion Fabricio Werdum who made silly faces on the entrance, it was Stipe Miocic who grinned the widest during the exits. Miocic flattened a charging Werdum just under three minutes into Round 1 to win the UFC heavyweight strap for the first time.
In the co-main event, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza defeated Vitor Belfort with first-round ground-and-pound. Other Brazilian legends on the card included Cris Cyborg, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, and Demian Maia.
3
UFC 129: St-Pierre vs. Shields
Attendance: 55,724
Date: April 30, 2011
Venue: Rogers Centre
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
While Montreal has three of the top 10-attended events in promotion history, it’s Toronto that holds the record for the largest attendance in Canada. At UFC 129, Georges St-Pierre and Jake Shields fought in a baseball stadium in what was by far the biggest crowd in promotion history at the time. St-Pierre methodically defeated Shields in a five-round unanimous decision.
In the co-main event, Jose Aldo notched the first-ever UFC featherweight title fight against Canada’s Mark Hominick, who sported an all-time hematoma during the fight. Earlier in the evening, Lyoto Machida retired Randy Couture with a first-round crane kick knockout. Benson Henderson and Rory MacDonald were also on the card.
2
UFC 193: Rousey vs. Holm
Holly Holm def. Ronda Rousey at UFC 193
Attendance: 56,214
Date: Nov. 14, 2015
Venue: Etihad Stadium
Location: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
In a venue and atmosphere seemingly built exactly for the moment, Holly Holm etched one of the most prolific moments in MMA history atop the UFC 193 billing. In front of over 56,000 screaming fans, Holm head kicked and finished the then-seemingly unbeatable Ronda Rousey to become the second women’s champion in promotion history.
In the co-main event, Joanna Jedrzejczyk defeated Valerie Letourneau by unanimous decision to successfully defend her title for the second time. Also on the card, Mark Hunt finished Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva by TKO in a rematch, and Robert Whittaker defeated Uriah Hall by unanimous decision.
1
UFC 243: Whittaker vs. Adesanya
UFC middleweight champion: Israel Adesanya
Attendance: 57,127
Date: Oct. 5, 2019
Venue: Marvel Stadium
Location: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Melbourne holds a special place in UFC history, serving as the site of the No. 1 and No. 2 largest attendances ever. Just shy of four years after Holm blasted Rousey with the head kick, Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya threw down in all-Oceanic region title fight at UFC 243. Adesanya burst further into stardom when he knocked out Whittaker in Round 2 to unify the middleweight titles and become champion.
In the co-main event, Dan Hooker defeated Al Iaquinta by unanimous decision. Rounding out the pay-per-view main card, Serghei Spivac submitted Tai Tuivasa; Dhiego Lima earned a split decision over Luke Jumeau, and Yorgan De Castro knocked out Justin Tafa.
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