UFC President Dana White was apparently not joking when he said before UFC 251 that the event was trending to bring out big numbers.
According to a report by The Athletic, Saturday’s event led by UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and fan favorite Jorge Masvidal racked up roughly 1.3 million pay-per-event purchases.
Shortly after it surfaced, Masvidal (35-14 MMA, 12-7 UFC) took to Twitter to acknowledge the news and thank his fans (and enemies) for their support.
“The overwhelming amount of support I have received before, during, and after this trip has been humiliating,” Masvidal wrote. “I still have many goals to accomplish. All of you tuned in to see me win, thanks. Those who tuned in to see me lose, thanks.
The estimated 1.3 million purchases is the most the promotion has earned 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 spearheaded by the infamous grudge match between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor.
Three title fights were held on Saturday: Usman against Masvidal, Alexander Volkanovksi against Max Holloway and Petr Yan against José Aldo. Masvidal lost a unanimous five-round decision after taking the fight just six days in advance.
UFC 251 took place at the Flash Forum on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. It aired on pay-per-view after the preliminaries on ESPN / ESPN + and the preliminary preliminaries on UFC Fight Pass.
.
