Report: UFC 251 brings in 1.3M PPV buys, one of the most in the sport's history

Over a million people paid to watch Kamaru Usman defeat Jorge Masvidal at UFC 251, according to The Athletic.

To be exact, 1.3 million people purchased the event on pay-per-view. That’s among the highest in the sport’s history. UFC has generated over 1.3 million buys just five times, the most recent coming in 2018, when Khabib Nurmagomedov defeated Conor McGregor at UFC 229. That event brought in a record 2.4 million buys.

Shortly after the report came out, Masvidal took to Twitter to thank fans (and haters) for the support:

Fans not only got to see Usman handily take down Masvidal, but also saw Alexander Volkanovski take home a controversial win over Max Holloway. The event — which was held on Dana White’s “Fight Island” — likely benefitted from being one of the only professional sports on television in the United States amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The 33-year-old Usman — who has gone 17-1 in UFC — could remain a big draw for the sport, especially if his next fight comes against Gilbert Burns.

Usman and Burns were originally scheduled for UFC 251, but Burns had to pull out of the fight after testing positive for coronavirus. White said Burns was the top contender to take on Usman whenever both fighters are ready.

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