UFC 329, headlined by Conor McGregor’s return after a five-year layoff, drew 15.9 million viewers in the U.S. and Latin America, Paramount announced on Thursday. The event was available exclusively on Paramount+.
The show set a new record for concurrent streams for a Paramount+ exclusive event, peaking at roughly 8.3 million viewers. Freedom 250, the UFC’s event on the South Lawn of the White House, peaked at 7.9 million, while UFC 324, the first card on the streaming service, topped out at 5.9 million.
While UFC 329 had the higher peak, it trailed Freedom 250 in total and average viewership. The White House event reached 17 million and had an average audience of 8.2 million across the two regions, compared to an average of 6.5 million for Saturday’s card.
The main event between Max Holloway and McGregor ended in 69 seconds after the latter injured his right knee in the opening moments of the fight. McGregor announced on Instagram that he will require surgery, but did not specify the details of his injury. The Irishman did say he intends to return for the final fight on his UFC contract.
Meanwhile, the former UFC champion’s loss was a massive win for sportsbooks. The main event was the most bet MMA bout in BetMGM history, with McGregor having the most bets and money behind him of any fighter. On DraftKings, 92% of the handle and 68% of bets were on McGregor to win.
Taking to social media on Thursday, McGregor called for the fight to be ruled a no contest, with all bets on it returned.
The fight card was record-setting for UFC, with president Dana White saying UFC 329—which took place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas—was the biggest gate in the fighting promotion’s history at $25 million. The event surpassed UFC 306, which took place at the Las Vegas Sphere and had a gate of $21.8 million.
A record for first-round finishes in an event was also set, with eight fighters ending their fights in the first five minutes. UFC guarantees all fighters who finish their opponents a bonus of at least $25,000, a change made in January after the fighting promotion began its seven-year, $7.7 billion deal with Paramount.
