The UFC returned to T-Mobile Arena with a strong card and good results at the box office.
UFC 235: Jones vs. Smith drew 14,790 fans for a gate of $4,035,156.50. The event was headlined by two title fights including Jon Jones defending his UFC Light Heavyweight Title against Anthony Smith. A Welterweight Title clash between Kamaru Usman and Tyron Woodley occupied the co-main event spot.
The last time UFC was inside T-Mobile was October 2018 for the big UFC 229 showdown between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov. That event drew 20,034 fans for a gate of $17.2 million, setting the record for the highest ever mixed martial arts attendance and live gate in Nevada. A more fair comparison might be UFC 226 headlined by Daniel Cormier vs. Stipe Miocic in a Champion vs. Champion showdown. That event drew 17,464 fans for a gate of $5.6 million.
Jones' last fight -- UFC 232 in California -- drew 15,862 for a gate of $2.06 million. UFC 232 was scheduled to be held in Vegas, but was moved to California the week of the event due to an abnormal drug test from Jones.
As far as bonuses go, Pedro Munhoz and Cody Garbrant took home Fight of the Night honors for their bantamweight throwdown. The fight was memorable for the closing sequence, which saw both men stand in the center and trade before one finally fell. Garbrandt ended up being on the receiving end of his third straight KO loss. This is Munhoz' first Fight of the Night honor. Garbrandt previously won Fight of the Night at UFC 207 against Dominick Cruz.
Performance of the Night bonuses went to Johnny Walker and Diego Sanchez. Walker made short work of Misha Cirkunov, crushing him with a knee just 36 seconds into the fight. Meanwhile, Sanchez turned back the clock and turned in a dominant performance against Mickey Gall, stopping him late in the second round with strikes. Walker has now won a Performance of the Night bonus in all three of his UFC fights. Surprisingly, this is Sanchez' first Performance of the Night bonus in his UFC career.
Attendance - 14,790
Gate - $4.03 million
Fight of Night ($50,000 each) - Pedro Munhoz vs. Cody Garbrandt
Performances of the Night ($50,000 each) - Johnny Walker and Diego Sanches
If you missed anything from UFC 235, check out Fightful's full coverage.
