Former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor has revealed that his fight against Donald Cerrone at UFC 246 earlier this year in January was the highest-selling Pay-per-view event of 2020.
Earlier reports had indicated that UFC 246 sold around 1 Million PPV on ESPN+. It also made UFC 246 the first-ever event to hit a Million Pay-per-view buys on an OTT platform.
Conor McGregor took to Twitter to release how much PPV, UFC 246 actually sold on ESPN+. It apparently sold more than what the UFC had projected, given the fact that Conor McGregor was fighting Donald Cerrone, who was on a three-fight losing streak.
Conor dismantled Cowboy in just 40-seconds after a year-long layoff.
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. #No1 pic.twitter.com/Xvh76Gki3U— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) December 21, 2020
“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. #No1.” Conor McGregor wrote on twitter.
100% offence. 100% defence.
Highest PPV. Highest gate.
Fastest Main Event KO of the year.
2020. 40 seconds.
Roll on 2021! #McGregorSportsAndEntertainment pic.twitter.com/C0ueay2R7p— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) December 21, 2020
“100% offence. 100% defence. Highest PPV. Highest gate. Fastest Main Event KO of the year. 2020. 40 seconds. Roll on 2021!,” McGregor tweeted.
Most selling PPV event of 2020:
- UFC 246: Conor McGregor vs. Donald Cerrone – 1.35 million
2. UFC 251: Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal – 1.3 million
3. UFC 253: Israel Adesnaya vs. Paulo Costa – 700,000
3. UFC 249: Tony Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje – 700,000
5. UFC 254: Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Justin Gaethje – 675,000
McGregor will return back to the Octagon exactly a month from now to take on Dustin Poirier in a rematch at UFC 257, which is apparently taking place in Fight Island, Abu Dhabi.
Dustin Poirier on his fight with Conor McGregor
“He was obviously a great fighter in finishing a bunch of guys before me in his UFC career, but at this point, we’re both so much more established and have so much more experience, just more mature fighters, and I think you get a completely different fight here,” Poirier told MMA Junkie.
“I was emotional in the first one. I wanted to hurt the guy. This time I just want to outsmart him, just want to beat him. This is a business. This isn’t any ill will towards the guy,” he added before explaining how much he’s grown and matured both as a person and a fighter since their initial meeting.
“When I was younger, I used to fight with a lot of emotion. This isn’t the same thing for me. This isn’t about getting even for me. This isn’t like a revenge type of thing for me. This is about moving my career forward, about putting my family in a better spot. It’s not trying to get back a guy who got me. This is just business.”