If UFC 261 felt like a giant occasion, it’s as a result of it was.
Mainstream consideration for the occasion was off the hook. Web site visitors was additionally huge. We’re speaking McGregor combat huge. And now the UFC has let slip the numbers the occasion did on ESPN+, and so they’re fairly huge.
Based on the Sports Business Journal (the gold commonplace nowadays for in-the-know PPV numbers), UFC 261 offered at the very least 700,000 buys domestically in the US. That’s fairly rattling spectacular given the truth that ESPN+ is now the unique vendor of UFC pay-per-views within the States. Individuals who wish to purchase a UFC pay-per-view nowadays must pay for ESPN+ earlier than paying for the UFC PPV. That’s two gates, and the numbers for UFC 261 present you why ESPN is so scorching on blended martial arts.
Now let’s not blow issues by way of the roof. The UFC’s greatest occasions break 1 million nowadays. The primary Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal occasion at UFC 251 offered 900,000 PPVs off the energy of the Battle Island debut and every little thing else on the earth being shut down by COVID-19. And we think about Conor McGregor is completely satisfied understanding he’s nonetheless round 500,000 buys above the subsequent greatest superstarts within the UFC.
Now earlier than we point out the truth that final weekend’s Triller occasion that includes Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren offered a reported 1.three million PPV buys, we should always say that UFC president Dana White has thrown some critical shade at that quantity.
“They mentioned they did two million pay-per-views, too,” White mentioned in the course of the UFC 261 post-event press convention. “I don’t consider something they are saying, that’s a f—king circus. None of that’s actual. You suppose any of that s—t that’s happening over there may be actual? Come on man.”
Regardless, we’re certain everybody on the UFC facet is fairly pleased with the home numbers for UFC 261, and we wouldn’t be stunned if worldwide buys push the occasion up near one million.