As UFC fans, we can watch an epic number of fights throughout the year, but there’s always those special bouts that have unrivaled attention, hype, and build up. These often spike the UFC betting arena. The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has solidified its position as the premier organization in the world of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), competing with major sports leagues for massive deals and sponsorships.
A key driver of the UFC's financial success is its ability to generate significant revenue through Pay-Per-View (PPV) events. The global appeal of the UFC is underscored by its top PPV buys, which have consistently featured fighters with massive fanbases and high-profile rivalries. The organization's strategic promotion of these epic battles has been instrumental in sustaining its growth and profitability.
A multi-billion dollar merger with the WWE puts them in competition with the NFL for massive deals. Dana White announced that the UFC had signed a $7.7 billion deal with Paramount, pushing their content away from PPV for the first time since the company’s inception. This means that the company will abandon the PPV format at the end of 2025, after years of dropping buy rates following the exits of Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey in the last few years.
One positive of the move is that we can definitively rank the most-bought events in UFC history, which only proves how popular McGregor was during his peak years spent in the UFC, making him the biggest draw they’ve ever had.
Conor McGregor, one of the biggest draws in UFC history.
Of the top ten most-bought PPVs in UFC history, McGregor was the headline act in eight of them, cementing him as the promotion’s biggest draw ever. McGregor was a part of eight of the most-watched UFC fights, including the top seven.
10 Fastest Finishes in UFC History 🏆
Factors Influencing PPV Success
The most significant factor in a fight's commercial success is the presence of a star fighter who can command a large audience.
- Star Power and Rivalries: The most successful PPVs are headlined by fighters with massive global followings. Conor McGregor's name alone has consistently guaranteed a large audience, with his fights accounting for eight of the top ten PPV buys.
- Unpredictability and Upsets: Fights that feature unexpected outcomes or dramatic finishes tend to generate significant buzz.
- Strategic Marketing: The UFC's marketing campaigns are crucial in building hype and driving sales. The promotional slogan "The World is Watching" for UFC 229 effectively capitalized on the global attention surrounding the McGregor vs.
- High Stakes and Significance: Fights that determine championship titles or feature long-awaited rematches are particularly popular.
Top 10 Most-Watched UFC Events By PPV Buys
The following table lists the ten most-watched UFC events in history, measured by the number of PPV buys.
| Rank | Event | Main Event | Date | PPV Buys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UFC 229 | Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor | October 6, 2018 | 2.4 million |
| 2 | UFC 202 | Nate Diaz vs. Conor McGregor II | August 20, 2016 | 1.6 million |
| 3 | UFC 257 | Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor 2 | January 23, 2021 | 1.6 million |
| 4 | UFC 264 | Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor 3 | July 10, 2021 | 1.5 million |
| 5 | UFC 246 | Conor McGregor vs. Donald Cerrone | January 18, 2020 | 1.35 million |
| 6 | UFC 196 | Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz | March 5, 2016 | 1.32 million |
| 7 | UFC 205 | Eddie Alvarez vs. Conor McGregor | November 12, 2016 | 1.3 million |
| 8 | UFC 251 | Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal | July 11, 2020 | 1.3 million |
| 9 | UFC 100 | Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir II | July 11, 2009 | 1.3 million |
| 10 | UFC 194 | Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor | December 12, 2015 | 1.2 million |
Top 10 Most-Watched UFC Events by PPV Buys from 2006 to 2021.
A Look at Some Key Events
- UFC 229 - Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor
The superfight between McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov has the highest buy rate of any PPV in UFC history, a record which will now never be broken. The most-watched UFC fight ever was at UFC 229, which earned 2.4 million PPV buys. Two years after he became a double champion by beating Alvarez, McGregor shook off the ring rust against one of the most dangerous fighters in the world in Khabib.
Everyone wanted to see McGregor take on The Eagle and knock him off his perch and they got that chance at UFC 229. There was no love lost between the two fighters, and the tension between them leading up to the fight pulled in record viewership numbers for the UFC. 2.4 million people paid to see McGregor tap out to a neck crank, cementing Khabib as a dominant champion in the biggest event the company ever put on. This fight had it all and it saw Khabib lose his first ever round as a UFC fighter. The five-round slugfest featured 330 significant strikes between the two.
- UFC 257 - Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor 2
The long-awaited rematch between McGregor and Dustin Poirier was one of the most hyped UFC fights of all time. Dustin Poirer and Conor McGregor fought in the second of their three fights at UFC 257. Notorious knocked out “Diamond” en route to Featherweight gold in 2014, with the UFC legend earning a rematch seven years later after McGregor’s win over Cerrone.
In what was a huge shock, McGregor was rocked by Poirier, who took him to the ground and forced the referee to end the fight, earning a TKO victory on the night, in front of 1.6 million viewers at home.
- UFC 202 - Nate Diaz vs. Conor McGregor 2
The rematch between McGregor and Diaz had even more hype than the first fight, with UFC 202 earning an extra 300,000 buys to see Notorious enact his revenge. Until Nate Diaz got that shock submission on McGregor, he was unbeaten in the octagon. This meant that the hype and stakes for Diaz vs. McGregor Mark II was high and it drew in a PPV crowd of over 1.6 million. Just months after the initial bout, McGregor fought a more controlled fight, not letting himself be taken down and choked out again.
This fight went the distance, with McGregor doing enough to win by unanimous decision to even the score 1-1 against Diaz in Las Vegas.
- UFC 264 - Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor 3
The third and final fight of the McGregor vs Dustin Poirier trilogy wasn’t the most bought of the three, but it still helped secure the Irishman’s dominance as the biggest draw in the UFC. UFC 264 played host to their final encounter, with over 1.5 million fans tuning in for the event.
The fight didn’t go as planned, as McGregor suffered a broken leg when he stepped back awkwardly in the first round. He was forced out of the fight due to a doctor’s stoppage in what was his last fight ever, as of August 2025.
- UFC 246 - Donald Cerrone vs. Conor McGregor
1.35 million fight fans tuned in to see McGregor’s final win in the UFC back in January 2020. Everyone wanted to see McGregor fight again after getting battered by Khabib over a year ago, and they would get the chance at UFC 246. This was McGregor’s comeback fight against The Cowboy.
The Irishman bounced back from his defeat to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 in a big way, earning a TKO victory over Donald Cerrone in just 40 seconds. Even at the end of his career, McGregor proved to be a massive draw whenever he set foot in the octagon.
- UFC 196 - Nate Diaz vs. Conor McGregor
The first clash between Nate Diaz and McGregor attracted over 1.3 million buys, although not many of them expected to see the main event they did. Diaz was bused in at short notice after Rafael dos Anjos pulled out due to a broken foot, giving the Ultimate Fighter winner a shot at McGregor by jumping a weight up to Welterweight.
“I’m not surprised” - the famous words I remember Diaz uttering after he had just shocked the world by submitting McGregor in an intense two-round fight. The build up and trash talk before this bout were classic and only added to the tension and PPV hype, but the fight itself was something else. McGregor was undefeated in the UFC and seemed virtually unstoppable.
- UFC 205 - Eddie Alvarez vs. Conor McGregor
1.3 million people tuned in to see McGregor become the first double champion in UFC history at UFC 205. Yes, McGregor again - get used to it! This time, the event was significant because the state of New York had just lifted its ban on pro MMA so it was the first fight to be held here for years.
The “Notorious” fighter battled Eddie Alvarez in New York for the UFC Welterweight title, walking into the arena already as the Featherweight champion in a historic meeting. McGregor knocked out Alvarez in the second round to become the “Champ Champ”, hoisting both title belts aloft with pride in an achievement that may never be repeated in the octagon.
- UFC 251 - Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal
The final event on this list of the UFC’s biggest PPV buys that does not include McGregor was UFC 251. This one I wasn’t as familiar with and many say that it’s popularity was due to circumstance. UFC 251 came at a time when sports were generally halted due to the global pandemic, so many people tuned in because they had no alternative!
It featured a packed card, with the company looking to get back to business after the whole world struggled during the pandemic in the summer of 2020. The Abu Dhabi event was the main event by Kamaru Usman vs Jorge Masvidal for the Welterweight belt, while Alexander Volkanovski vs Max Holloway and Petr Yan vs Jose Aldo saw a packed top of the card with three title fights.
- UFC 100 - Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir
As one of the UFC’s biggest draws during his time in the UFC, it is a shock to see Brock Lesnar only featured once on this list. I actually knew Lesnar more for his WWE talents but I came to see his UFC skill after he put an end to his rivalry with Frank Mir III at UFC 100. While Lesnar is second behind McGregor for the most PPV main events with over 1 million buys, his only inclusion in the top ten PPV buys of all time is for his rematch against Frank Mir at UFC 100.
The whole card was packed with epic fights, but the headline was Lesnar defending his title against (at the time) the only man who’d beat him. “The Beast” defended his UFC Heavyweight belt against Mir, finishing him via TKO with some brutal punches to the head to defend his belt and unify the undisputed title in one fell swoop.
- UFC 194 - Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor
The tenth-best-selling PPV event in UFC history had one of the most spectacular main event finishes in the promotion’s history. I remember the build up and stakes of this fight - on one side you had an older Aldo who was unbeaten in like 10 years, while on the other side you’d got this brash trash-talking Irishman looking to make a name for himself. UFC 194 sold 1.2 million buys to fans desperate to see McGregor’s ascension to the top dog in the Featherweight division, as he took on a Jose Aldo who had not been beaten for a decade in the octagon.
They were treated to a spectacular knockout, where a brutal left hand after 13 seconds knocked the Brazilian out cold and anointed the Irishman as the UFC Featherweight champion.