The UFC’s global reach has been expanding for decades, but has reached a new level in recent years.
A multi-billion dollar merger with the WWE puts them in competition with the NFL for massive deals. Add to that securing their largest sponsorship deal ever and the UFC sits as the undisputed premier MMA organization.
A key ingredient to their sustained success has been promoting epic battles between top fighters, earning millions of pay-per-view buys and revenue.
Fighters with loyal fanbases and engaging, unpredictable bouts make up the short list of the most-watched UFC fights ever.
One man stands above all others in earning the most-watched UFC fights: Conor McGregor.
McGregor was a part of eight of the most-watched UFC fights, including the top seven. His fights have earned a combined 12.27 million PPV buys.
McGregor’s trash-talking, charismatic nature has made him must-watch TV since his UFC debut in 2013.
The most-watched UFC fight ever was at UFC 229, which earned 2.4 million PPV buys. UFC’s Fight of the Night featured bitter rivals Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov.
There was no love lost between the two fighters, and the tension between them leading up to the fight pulled in record viewership numbers for the UFC. With a marketing slogan of “The World is Watching”, UFC 229 delivered on the hype to millions worldwide.
It’s the only UFC fight to date with over two million PPV buys.
Two other fights featuring McGregor earned 1.6 million PPV buys to tie at second on the list: UFC 202 and UFC 257.
Nate Diaz and McGregor met in a rematch at UFC 202 on August 20, 2016. This was after Diaz upset the previously undefeated McGregor earlier that year.
The five-round slugfest featured 330 significant strikes between the two. McGregor avenged his loss in the first fight with a decision win.
Dustin Poirer and Conor McGregor fought in the second of their three fights at UFC 257. McGregor had gotten the best of Poirier in their first matchup in 2014 with a knockout win.
Poirier took advantage of more fight experience than McGregor in between their last fight and scored a revenge knockout of him in the second round.
Ranking The Most Watched UFC Fights
Here is the list of the top 10 most-watched UFC fights based on reported pay-per-view buys in the United States. The list was compiled using historical data from Statista, Tapology, and GiveMeSport.
- Updated: July 11, 2024
| Ranking | Date | Matchup | Result | Reported U.S. PPV Buys |
| 1 | October 6, 2018 | UFC 229: Nurmagomedov vs. McGregor | Nurmagomedov (Submission) | 2.4 million |
| T-2 | August 20, 2016 | UFC 202: Diaz vs. McGregor II | McGregor (Decision) | 1.6 million |
| T-2 | January 23, 2021 | UFC 257: McGregor v Poirier 2 | Poirer (KO) | 1.6 million |
| 4 | July 10, 2021 | UFC 264: Poirier v McGregor 3 | Poirer (TKO) | 1.5 million |
| 5 | January 18, 2020 | UFC 246: McGregor vs. Cerrone | McGregor (KO) | 1.35 million |
| 6 | March 5, 2016 | UFC 196: McGregor vs. Diaz | Diaz (Submission) | 1.32 million |
| T-7 | November 12, 2016 | UFC 205: Alvarez vs. McGregor | McGregor (KO) | 1.3 million |
| T-7 | July 11, 2020 | UFC 251: Usman vs. Masvidal | Usman (Decision) | 1.3 million |
| T-7 | July 11, 2009 | UFC 100: Lesnar vs. Mir II | Lesnar (TKO) | 1.3 million |
| 10 | December 12, 2015 | UFC 194: Aldo vs. McGregor | McGregor (KO) | 1.2 million |
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