Early Numbers Online Show UFC 242 To Be Massive Success
UFC 242 will be Khabib Nurmagomedov’s first fight since beating Conor McGregor in the UFC’s highest selling PPV of all time. According to early estimates, this event may not be too far behind that.
UFC 242 is set to take place this weekend, in Abu Dhabi. It will be headlined by a lightweight title unification bout, between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Dustin Poirier. Subsequently, it is one of the most highly-anticipated cards of the year.
Khabib has not fought since UFC 229, where he beat Conor McGregor in the biggest grudge match in UFC history. Following the victory, Khabib jumped the cage to attack Conor’s corner, resulting in a suspension that has kept him on the sidelines. Despite the crazy antics after the fight, the PPV sold a record-breaking 2.2 million buys, destroying the previous UFC record.
Leading up to UFC 242, there has been questions about if that success will translate to Khabib’s next fight. With the layoff, and the fact that it is not a McGregor fight, there was doubt about whether or not he could repeat the success. However, according to a report from Yahoo Sports, early indications are positive for the UFC.
According to the report, early internet traffic is on par with that of UFC 229. The “Free Fight” videos that the UFC posts to YouTube leading up to events are blowing up. At the time of publication, the six fights uploaded have a combined view count of just under 40 million. Of that number, over 32million come from the two fights involving Khabib.
It is more than just YouTube videos suggesting UFC 242 will be a success.
The report further explains that the social media traffic surrounding UFC 242 is also incredibly high. Those same fights have received over 40 million views on Facebook, and 14 million views on Instagram. Additionally, these numbers come with there still being 3 days before the UFC 242 card.
Reportedly this is the highest number of views out of any fights posted to the UFC’s social media. Moreover, the video of the bout between Khabib and McGregor is the fifth most viewed video the UFC has posted. All of this is to suggest that UFC 242 will be a massive success. The report shared this information from UFC President Dana White:
“White said company research estimates UFC 242 will be their second-largest event on YouTube, behind only UFC 229, which did 102 million views.”
All things considered, these numbers appear very promising. However it is important to note that actual UFC PPV numbers are kept confidential. Additionally, it has been made pretty clear that most things said by Dana White should be taken with a grain of salt. Another noteworthy factor to keep in mind, is the fact that UFC 242 has an early start time of 2pm ET for the main card. This could lessen the number of PPV buys.
No matter what, the UFC 242 main event is highly anticipated. Both of these fighters have strong fanbases, and will make for great action.
