7 Largest UFC Attendances in Canada

Canada has hosted several of the biggest and most thrilling PPV cards in UFC history, with former UFC welterweight and middleweight champion Georges St-Pierre headlining most of these events.

But what are the largest UFC attendances in Canada, which added excitement to the MMA odds boards? Check out the top seven list below, which was mostly headlined by St-Pierre and was almost held at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

Biggest UFC Canadian Crowds

1. UFC 129: St-Pierre vs. Shields – 55,724

When St-Pierre defended his UFC welterweight belt against Jake Shields on April 30, 2011, at UFC 129, a lot of Canadians showed their support for their MMA hero. They were able to set the record for the most number of attendees at 55,724.

The home fans never came home disappointed as St-Pierre secured a convincing unanimous decision nod from the judges to successfully fend off the challenge of Shields and continue his reign as the division’s undisputed king.

2. UFC 124: St-Pierre vs. Koscheck 2 – 23,152

Before the record-setting UFC 129 PPV card, St-Pierre also headlined the UFC 124 card on Dec. 10, 2010, against Josh Koscheck in their championship rematch at the Bell Centre in Montreal. 

The support for GSP was superb, as 23,152 fans watched him live, making it the second-largest UFC attendance in the Great White North. St-Pierre took home another masterful unanimous decision victory in front of his home crowd.

3. UFC 97: Redemption – 21,451

Former longtime UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva fought fellow Thales Leites on April 18, 2009, at UFC 97: Redemption for his fifth title defence in front of 21,451 fans at the Bell Centre. This number was enough to be the third-largest UFC attendance in Canada.

“The Spider” put up a striking masterclass to bag the unanimous decision win against his fellow Brazilian fighter. It was also Silva’s ninth straight victory inside the octagon since his promotional debut in October 2006.

4. UFC 83: Serra vs. St-Pierre 2 – 21,390

St-Pierre avenged his previous knockout loss to nemesis Matt Serra on April 18, 2009, with a second-round TKO finish at UFC 83 to get one back against him and even their head-to-head score.

What made this revenge victory even sweeter for St-Pierre is the fact that he did it in front of 21,390 fans at the Bell Centre in Montreal. This victory allowed GSP to unify the UFC welterweight title and kick-started his long reign.

5. UFC 158: St-Pierre vs. Diaz – 20,145

On March 16, 2013, Nick Diaz challenged St-Pierre for the UFC welterweight championship in the main event of UFC 158 at the Bell Centre with 20,145 fight fans in attendance. It was the Canadian superstar’s eighth title defence.

St-Pierre didn’t fall to any of Diaz’s antics and went on to pick up the convincing unanimous decision nod from the judges to further cement his legacy as one of the best fighters in UFC history.

6. UFC 315: Muhammad vs. Della Maddalena – 19,786

A new UFC welterweight king was crowned on May 10, 2025, at UFC 315, as Jack Della Maddalena dethroned Belal Muhammad and began a new era in the 170-pound weight class inside the Bell Centre.

Della Maddalena and Muhammad went back and forth for five gruelling rounds and delighted the 19,789 fans in attendance. JDM became just the third fighter from Australia to capture a UFC belt, as he joined Robert Whittaker and Alexander Volkanovski.

7. UFC 231: Holloway vs. Ortega – 19,039

The third title defence of Max Holloway’s UFC featherweight title was against Brian Ortega on Dec. 8, 2018, for the main event of UFC 231 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. “Blessed” produced a striking clinic against “T-City” to secure the fourth-round TKO finish.

Holloway busted Ortega’s face until the doctor stepped in to halt the match in his favour. The 19,039 fans in attendance were pleased to witness this incredible performance by the defending champion.