Conor McGregor is undeniably one of the biggest draws in the UFC, but he claims to have been the No 1 attraction in 2020 – and has the numbers to prove it.
On Tuesday, the former two-division champion posted a copy of his bonus contract from the promotion, which appeared to show the pay-per-view buy rate for his clash with Donald Cerrone at UFC 246 in January - McGregor's sole appearance this year.
The event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, headlined by McGregor’s long-awaited comeback, seems to have pulled in more than 1.353 million buys. At the time, it was reported to have registered more than 1 million.
McGregor certainly delivered in the octagon in January, knocking out Cerrone in 40 seconds.
Writing on Twitter on Tuesday, McGregor said: “Congrats to the UFC on a well fought 2020! The only sporting company on the planet to come through the entire year. Incredible!
“I am honoured to secure their highest PPV of the year with McGregor vs. Cerrone. Congrats Donald and also on his double submission win last night.”
Since the UFC is a private company, the exact figures are not made public, although it appears UFC 246 has trumped, or certainly rivalled, UFC 251 in Abu Dhabi in July. That event, the first of the inaugural Fight Island, was said initially to have sold more than 1.3m pay-per-views as well.
Playing out at Flash Forum on Yas Island, UFC 251 featured three title fights, and was headlined by welterweight champion Kamaru Usman's successful defence against Jorge Masvidal.
On Tuesday, Masvidal’s manager Abraham Kawa disputed McGregor’s earlier claim, saying the July event actually surpassed the Irishman's reported numbers. However, he added that he would not be providing proof.
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Jorge Masvidal punches Kamaru Usman in their UFC 251 welterweight championship fight at Flash Forum on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC -
Jorge Masvidal punches Kamaru Usman in their UFC 251 welterweight championship fight at Flash Forum on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC -
Kamaru Usman takes down Jorge Masvidal. Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC -
Kamaru Usman of Nigeria and Jorge Masvidal talk after their UFC 251 welterweight championship fight. Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC -
Kamaru Usman kicks Jorge Masvidal. Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC -
Jorge Masvidal punches Kamaru Usman. Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC -
Kamaru Usman of Nigeria celebrates after his victory over Jorge Masvidal. Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
“I don’t think Jorge would like that,” Kawa tweeted. “We don’t dim another man’s light to make ourselves shine brighter. He knows as we do.”
No matter who came out on top, McGregor is sure to once again display his star pull next month, when he headlines the first numbered event of the year, at UFC 257.
The former featherweight and lightweight champion, 32, takes on Dustin Poirier in a rematch of their 2014 bout, with the fight expected to be staged in Abu Dhabi.
