UFC 229: Khabib vs. McGregor Shatters Pay-Per-View Record
UFC 229: Khabib vs. McGregor has shattered all previous UFC pay-per-view records.
Early industry reports are that UFC 229 is expected to close at around 2.4 million pay-per-view buys, which easily eclipses any other event in UFC history, according to industry insider Dave Meltzer. The next closest event was UFC 202: Diaz vs. McGregor 2, which accounted for 1.6 million pay-per-view buys.
That means that McGregor is now accountable for the top three pay-per-view in UFC history. The third being his first fight with Nate Diaz, which took place at UFC 196.
What may be even more important to UFC officials than simply setting a new high mark for overall buys, is that Meltzer said about 20 percent of the UFC 229 purchases were made via online options, whereas a couple of years ago that percentage was more like 5 percent.
With traditional pay-per-view via cable and satellite television, the UFC receives about 50 to 60 percent of the purchase price, depending upon its contract. With online sales, the UFC keeps a much heftier percentage of the revenue. If that trend continues as expected, pay-per-views will become a more and more lucrative avenue for the UFC.
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UFC president Dana White had said in the lead-up to UFC 229 that trending indicated the event might be able to surpass the 3 million mark. That didn't happen, but reaching 2.4 million buys would surely still be considered a major success.
