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Conor McGregor is the biggest draw in MMA history and it's not even close. His last fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov was the highest-purchased PPV of all time - doing a stunning estimate of 2.5 million buys.
Many felt that there would be less hype surrounding his return fight against Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone. Though it was still a return for the Irishman after 15 months, not many gave Cerrone a chance and some also felt that the level of promotion wasn't as heavy as before (which is untrue, given ESPN's relentless promotion of the PPV).
However, new reports have come out and Marc Raimondi revealed a report from Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter which stated that the buy rate for the PPV is the equivalent of 2 million buys in the old system.
“On Wrestling Observer Radio, @davemeltzerWON said metrics were indicating UFC 246 did the equivalent of what 2 million PPV buys would have been under the old, pre-ESPN+ system.”
If you're not aware, to purchase UFC PPVs, you need to be subscribed to ESPN+. The subscription costs $4.99 a month and UFC PPVs normally cost an estimated $59.99 on top of that.
While it seems like a steep price, it isn't all too bad as ESPN has reportedly covered the cost of a set number of buys per event. So if Conor McGregor was able to get the equivalent of 2 million in the old system, then it's already more than his fight against Nate Diaz at UFC 202, which means that his star power has only grown in size.
There's no doubt that his next opponent will see UFC surpass the equivalent of 2 million figure - as the prospective challengers are far more interesting. Dana White wants to see him face Khabib Nurmagomedov in a rematch, or potentially challenge Tony Ferguson for the Lightweight title if the latter is to win on April 18th at UFC 249.
Jorge Masvidal is another name on the list, but it isn't clear right now who his next opponent will be. He's expected to be on standby for UFC 249 as a replacement should Khabib Nurmagomedov or Tony Ferguson pull out.
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