White said UFC 249 PPV sales in Canada and Australia were both double their usual levelGETTY IMAGES
Saturday's UFC 249 PPV on ESPN+ drew more than 700,000 buys, according to sources. That signifies a really good number for any card not featuring Conor McGregor (John Ourand, SBJ Media). YAHOO SPORTS' Kevin Iole notes UFC President Dana White "would not confirm Ourand's number, but expressed satisfaction." White yesterday said, "We absolutely destroyed it. It was a home run by every measure." White before the card in Jacksonville said that sales in Canada and Australia were "both at double their usual level and that U.S. sales were trending well above average." He also said that UFC 249 was "selling better than anything in the last several months other than Conor McGregor's return to action at UFC 246 in January," which did just over one million buys. White added that FightPass' sales were "well above average, but he did not indicate a number." Iole notes none of the fighters on the UFC 249 card have "established reputations as pay-per-view draws, so the sales figure shows that the UFC was able to pique sports fans' curiosity" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 5/12).
