Donald Trump, Dana White Face Backlash at UFC 327 as Thousands of Seats Go Unsold
"The arena wasn't sold out. I want to say there were about 6,000 tickets that were unsold at this event because of the way that people actually saw this card."
Updated April 15 2026, 10:47 a.m. ET
Donald Trump and Dana White
Despite boasting a coveted attendance by Donald Trump himself and a crowd of 17,741, UFC 327 is being called out for being the promotion's weakest event so far in 2026. The event took place at Kaseya Center in Miami on Saturday and made at least $6.5 million in gate sales, according to Irish Star. However, thousands of seats remained empty, and it is now officially the year’s lowest-grossing event.
UFC CEO Dana White has repeatedly faced backlash from fans over rising ticket prices, which have led to empty seats and a lack of attendees at Combat Sports events. Entry prices were fixed above $200 just days before the event.
UFC fighting arena
On the same night, boxing legend Tyson Fury was also having a rough time as he struggled to sell out his fight with Arslanbek Makhmudov. Fans joke that perhaps the weekend was cursed overall for combat sports.
Henry Cejudo Calls Out UFC 327's 'About 6,000 Unsold Tickets' on Podcast—And Fans Say High Prices Are to Blame
President Trump watched from the cageside as Carlos Ulberg, with a knee injury, came back with an unexpected knockout over Jiri Prochazka in the main event and gained his first win as a UFC champion.. And Josh Hokit and Curtis Blaydes also put up an impressive fight
According to HITC, “Josh Hokit and Curtis Blaydes put on an unforgettable heavyweight scrap, further strengthening what has been an eventful year so far.”
Donald Trump attends UFC 327 in Miami SOURCE: X/@FOXNEWS
Fans believe that not featuring stars like Paddy Pimblett or Sean O’Malley, both of whom have headlined past Miami events, contributed significantly to poor ticket sales. High ticket prices also played a role.
UFC’s low attendance unsurprisingly attracted attention from its own stars. Former MMA star Henry Cejudo addressed the drawback during a recent podcast appearance.
During his appearance on the Pound 4 Pound podcast, the Olympic gold medalist expressed his frustration at the disappointing ticket sales despite a strong fight card.
"I will say this, bro, the arena wasn't sold out. I want to say there were about 6,000 tickets that were unsold at this event because of the way that people actually saw this card," he said.
Donald Trump at UFC 327 with Dana White SOURCE: X/@LEADINGREPORT
It’s quite clear that UFC has found a favorite stoppage in Miami in recent years. However, Saturday's poor numbers suggest a decline in popularity.
Irish Star reported that UFC “brought in less than half the gate that the event headlined by Sean O'Malley's win over Marlon Vera did in 2024.”
Fans took to social media to express their frustration. Many Americans were not pleased with the President attending the event when he had much bigger issues to take care of.
One X user pointed out, “This is not a flex. Most Americans are worried about gas prices. How does the president have time for this when we are trying to negotiate with Iran right now?”
One attendee posted a video of the arena and said, “UFC 327 is completely empty. UFC leaned some hard into right wing grifting & rewarding WWE antics over actual skill & tonight is the payoff . Nobody even knows this event is happening & the arena is completely empty because they couldn't sell tickets.”