Dana White: UFC 264 PPV trending at 2 million buys, breaking pre-sale records

Conor McGregor is the biggest business around in the mixed martial arts (MMA) world, and his attempt to rally from a knockout loss to Dustin Poirier certainly comes with a great deal of hype. As such, UFC 264, which is scheduled to go down tonight (Sat. July 10, 2021) from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, is going to receive far more attention than the average pay-per-view (PPV) event.

More attention typically means more PPV buys. Though the numbers are always murky until long after the event, UFC President, Dana White, spoke with TMZ and offered some early insight into just how many people are likely to tune in tonight.

“Conor’s been apart of some of the biggest things that have ever happened in combat sports, period,” White said. “Yeah, this one’s trending. First of all, most pre-buys that we’ve ever done. As we get closer to the fight, it keeps breaking the record for pre-buys.

“People are smart ... this thing’s looking like it’s going to do 2 million buys,” White continued. “If you know you’re going to be home on Saturday and you’re gonna watch the fight, don’t be one of those two million people trying to jump in at the same time. Streaming is still new, and we’re working out the kinks. ESPN has assured us that they’re ready to handle however many people buy it, but if you’re smart, buy it early!”

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TWO TITLES UP FOR GRABS! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) makes its highly anticipated return to Madison Square Garden in New York City on Sat., Nov. 11, 2023, with a re-worked pay-per-view (PPV) main card. In the ESPN+-streamed main event, former 205-pound roost-ruler, Jiri Prochazka, will lock horns with ex-Middleweight kingpin, Alex Pereira, for the promotion’s vacant Light Heavyweight title. In UFC 295’s co-main event, top-ranked Heavyweight contenders, Sergei Pavlovich (No. 2) and Tom Aspinall (No. 4), will collide for the interim strap after division champion, Jon Jones, was injured with a torn pectoral muscle and forced to withdraw (video).

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As White mentioned, McGregor has indeed been involved in some of the best-selling events in UFC history. For context, here’s the Top 5 biggest PPV events in UFC history (via Tapology), in which “The Notorious” is well-represented:

1. UFC 229: McGregor vs. Khabib with 2.4 million PPV buys
2. UFC 202: Diaz vs. McGregor 2 with 1.6 million PPV buys
3. UFC 257: Poirier vs. McGregor 2 with 1.6 million PPV buys
4. UFC 246: McGregor vs. Cerrone with 1.35 million PPV buys
5. UFC 196: McGregor vs. Diaz with 1.31 million PPV buys

Furthermore, it has to be mentioned that McGregor’s boxing battle with Floyd Mayweather generated an absolutely mind-boggling PPV buys. Win or lose, it would appear that McGregor’s status as PPV king remains carved in stone!

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 264 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard balance on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 264: “McGregor vs. Poirier 3” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.