Dana White claims the UFC will lose $100 million this year

UFC president Dana White claimed that the world’s leading mixed martial arts promotion will lose $100 million this year due to not having a live gate.

The coronavirus pandemic has ravaged businesses all over the world, and the sports world is no different. The NBA, MLB, and NHL are all currently on hiatus, while the UFC only recently returned to action, albeit with no crowd in attendance. Although the UFC is still pulling in money from its TV deal with ESPN, not having a live gate is apparently costing the organization millions of dollars in lost revenue each event they put on.

White recently spoke to the media in Las Vegas prior to UFC Fight Night: Woodley vs. Burns, where he said the UFC is being hit hard by not having fans in attendance. White previously admitted that he doesn’t see the UFC having fans in attendance for a long time.

“The big problem for all sports right now, me, them, is the gate. We’ll lose over $100 million this year. Over $100 million. It would be much easier for me to sit back and say, ‘Let’s wait this thing out.’ Waiting this thing out is a good option for a lot of people right now because there’s no gate,” White said (via Bloody Elbow).

White explained that the UFC will continue to hold events despite losing money from not having fans in attendance. He bragged that despite industries such as the movie business being hit especially hard right now, the UFC will continue to operate despite being hit hard by the loss of a live gate.

“Why aren’t they releasing all these movies? They have all these movies in the can right now. They could be pumping these movies out left and right. Because they’re gonna lose possibly hundreds of millions of dollars in releasing these movies without people going and buying tickets in movie theaters. It usually goes to movie theaters, then it goes to some exclusive pay window, and then it gets released everywhere, then on TV. Financially, it’s hard to operate right now with the way that things are going on, but I’m moving forward. I don’t care. I’m gonna push through this,” White said.

Do you think Dana White and the UFC will have a live gate again in 2020?