UFC president Dana White apparently wasn’t kidding when he said prior to UFC 251 that the event was trending to draw major numbers.
According to a report by The Athletic, Saturday’s event headlined by UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and fan-favorite Jorge Masvidal raked in approximately 1.3 million pay-per-view buys.
Shortly after it surfaced, Masvidal (35-14 MMA, 12-7 UFC) took to Twitter to acknowledge the news and thank his fans (and haters) for their support.
“The overwhelming amount of support I have received before, during, and after this journey has been humbling,” Masvidal wrote. “Still got a lot of goals to meet. All of you that tuned in to see me win, thank you. Those that tuned in to see me lose, thank you.”
The estimated 1.3 million buys is the most the promotion has drawn for a single event since UFC 229 in October 2018, which holds the promotion’s record at an estimated 2.4 million. That event was headlined by the infamous grudge match between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor.
Three title fights were on Saturday’s billing: Usman vs. Masvidal, Alexander Volkanovksi vs. Max Holloway, and Petr Yan vs. Jose Aldo. Masvidal lost a five-round unanimous decision after taking the fight on just six days’ notice.
UFC 251 took place at Flash Forum at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. It aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN/ESPN+ and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass.
