UFC's Debut Fight Island PPV Draws Impressive 1.3 Million Buys

The 1.3 million PPV buys for UFC 251 on Saturday includes nearly 900,000 for ESPN+ aloneGETTY IMAGES

UFC 251 on Saturday night logged 1.3 million PPV buys for the promotion’s first event from its hyped Fight Island off the coast of Abu Dhabi, according to sources. That includes close to 900,000 for ESPN+ alone. That figure is ESPN+’s biggest UFC PPV number and the highest UFC PPV since UFC 229 in October '18, which was headlined by Khabib Nurmagomedov-Conor McGregor (John Ourand, SBJ Media). THE ATHLETIC’s Mike Coppinger noted UFC "has hit the 1.3 million mark five other times," though Saturday's headlining Kamaru Usman-Jorge Masvidal fight had just one week of promotion. UFC 229 "holds the UFC record for PPV buys with 2.4 million" (THEATHLETIC.com, 7/13).