Report: UFC 257 Sells 1.6 Million Pay-Per-View Buys

Conor McGregor’s return to action brought yet another pay-per-view bonanza for the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

According to a report from the Sports Business Journal, UFC 257 sold 1.2 million pay-per-view buys in the United States and another 400,000 internationally. The UFC does not officially release pay-per-view buy rates.

UFC 257 took place at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Jan. 23 and saw Dustin Poirier knock out McGregor in the second-round of the evening’s lightweight main event. It was a rematch of a 2014 bout won by McGregor via first-round TKO. The pay-per-view aired via ESPN+ in the United States. ESPN will reportedly issue partial refunds to those who experienced streaming problems after purchasing the event.

When final figures are compiled, UFC 257 could end up as the promotion’s No. 2 selling event of all time. McGregor’s fourth-round submission loss to Khabib Nurmagomeodv, which drew a reported 2.4 million buys in October 2018, is No. 1, while the Irish star’s majority decision win in a rematch with Nate Diaz at UFC 202 sold approximately 1.6 million pay-per-views. All told, McGregor is responsible for the five top-selling UFC cards ever.