If proof were needed that Conor McGregor remains the biggest draw in UFC, then it arrived late on Monday – from the man himself.
The Irishman, a former two-division champion, posted on social media evidence of the total pay-per-view buys for his rematch against Dustin Poirier at UFC 257 in Abu Dhabi in January, with the document reporting the event racked up more than 1.5 million buys.
With that figure in mind — 1,504,737 to be exact — McGregor has been part of every one of the top five highest-selling pay-per-views in UFC history (and eight of the top 10). For instance, his trilogy fight with Poirier, at UFC 264 in July, is estimated to have sold around 1.8m.
The former featherweight and lightweight champion, who earlier this year was named by Forbes as the highest-earning athlete in sport, is currently recovering from a broken leg sustained in that summer defeat to Poirier in Las Vegas.
Top 5 UFC pay-per-view sales all-time (reported)
1) 2.4m: McGregor v Khabib Nurmagomedov, UFC 229, T-Mobile Arena, October 2018.
Nurmagomedov wins via fourth-round submission.
2) 1.8m: McGregor v Dustin Poirier, UFC 264, T-Mobile Arena, July 2021.
Poirier wins via first-round TKO (doctor stoppage).
3) 1.6m: McGregor v Nate Diaz, UFC 202, T-Mobile Arena, August 2016.
McGregor wins via majority decision.
4) 1.5m: McGregor v Dustin Poirier, UFC257, Etihad Arena, January 2021.
Poirier wins via second-round TKO.
5) 1.35m: McGregor v Donald Cerrone, UFC 246, T-Mobile Arena, January 2019
McGregor wins via first-round TKO (40 seconds).
