It looks like Conor McGregor’s return did the blockbuster business many predicted.
According to a Monday report in the Sports Business Journal (subscription required), ESPN+ recorded 1.2 million pay-per-view buys for UFC 257 in Abu Dhabi, which was headlined by Dustin Poirier’s second-round TKO victory over McGregor in a lightweight rematch. Another 400,000 international buys put the mark at 1.6 million.
MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn reported one day earlier that 1.6 million was the floor for buys.
Per sources, early #UFC257 numbers are trending at a minimum of 1.6 million buys on ESPN+ pay-per-view. 📈
— Mike Bohn (@MikeBohnMMA) January 24, 2021
The UFC is not a publicly traded company and does not disclose financials. The early reporting on pay-per-view buys does not mention whether the company had to issue a significant number of refunds after reports of widespread problems accessing the live stream by viewers who had purchased the event.
Either way, if the 1.6 million buys figure stands, this would make UFC 257 one of the most top events in company history. UFC 229, featuring Khabib Numagomedov’s win over Conor McGregor, did a reported 2.4 million buys, while UFC 202, with McGregor’s majority decision win over Nate Diaz, was good for a reported 1.65 million purchases.
