Reported PPV buys are in for UFC 262.
Last weekend, UFC 262 generated an estimate of over 300,000 buys according to Sports Business Journal. The numbers generated were from the U.S. only, not counting PPV numbers from overseas.
UFC 262 was headlined by Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler, the former of whom became UFC lightweight champion. Both had never headlined a PPV before and are not massive crossover superstars like a Conor McGregor or an Israel Adesanya. Considering the lack of superstar athletes competing at UFC 262, 300,000 PPV buys can be seen as a relative success.
Furthermore, UFC 262 lost one of its main attractions when Nate Diaz pulled out of his scheduled fight against Leon Edwards. Diaz would have certainly driven the PPV numbers up considering he is a fan favorite amongst the MMA community.
UFC 263 on June 12th will be headlined by Adesanya vs. Marvin Vettori. Given Adesanya’s last two PPV exceeded 700,000 buys, PPV buyrate is expected to be high for this card. On the co-main, Deiveson Figueiredo will be defending his flyweight title in a rematch against Brandon Moreno. Additionally, Diaz will be making his long-awaited return against Leon Edwards which will certainly be one of the most popular attractions on the card.
What are your thoughts on the PPV numbers for UFC 262?