UFC president Dana White seemingly let slip that the super fight between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor did a record 6.5 million pay-per-view buys.
If that number is correct, it would smash the PPV record set by Mayweather’s 2015 fight with Manny Pacquiao. That fight garnered 4.6 million buys in North America with a worldwide total close to 5.5 million.
White casually made the claim about Mayweather-McGregor during a conversation with Urijah Faber and Snoop Dogg, which was captured on Instagram by FanSided.com’s Mike Dyce. Faber and Snoop Dogg are two of the commentators for “Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series,” the UFC’s reality TV show that features up-and-coming fighters battling it out for a shot at a UFC contract. The show is filmed at the UFC’s gym in Las Vegas and is streamed online on UFC Fight Pass.
While there is no reason to believe White was lying in the off-the-cuff clip, there is also no way to verify if he is telling the truth because official PPV numbers have yet to be released.
Mayweather-McGregor was marketed as the biggest fight in boxing history on the assumption it would break all sorts of PPV records. The expectation was warranted because both fighters are huge draws in their respective sports. Mayweather participated in the three biggest PPV fights in history: 2015’s fight with Pacquiao (4.6 million buys), 2007’s fight with Oscar De La Hoya (2.4 million buys) and 2013’s fight with Canelo Alvarez (2.2 million buys).
Mayweather, meanwhile, is the biggest draw in UFC history and headlined the promotion’s three largest PPV events. UFC 202, where he fought Nate Diaz for the second time, did 1.65 million buys, UFC 196, where he fought Diaz for the first time, did 1.5 million buys, and UFC 205, where he fought Eddie Alvarez in Madison Square Garden, did 1.3 million buys.
Fighters, fans, and promoters obsess over pay-per-view numbers because it is the largest chunk of the fight’s overall purse. Normally, PPV providers and promotions split the money 50-50, although the Mayweather-McGregor fight was reportedly to be split 70-30 in the promoter’s favor, according to MMAFighting.com.
In total, Mayweather-McGregor could do upwards of $700 million in business when PPV, sponsorship and the live gate are added together.