Midnight Mania! First Report: UFC 246 Sold ‘Equivalent’ to 2 Million PPV Buys

Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images

Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight!

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Earlier in the year, UFC moved their pay-per-view (PPV) product exclusively behind the paywall that is ESPN+. Since ESPN+ is pretty much essential to being a UFC fan at this point in time, this did not affect dedicated fans who make it a point to watch every fight anyway. However, for those more casual fans who prefer to pick and choose which events to buy, this was a definite hassle and additional expense — the move even sank the buy count for UFC 236, a great card that apparently no one watched.

Another consequence of that move is that the world of estimating PPV buys has grown even murkier. Previous to switch, UFC guarded its numbers like a hyena over a half-eaten carcass, forcing the world to rely on reports and estimates. Dave Meltzer, the man referenced in the featured tweet, is among the best sources, an industry veteran who has connections and methodology to get us in the correct ballpark for buy estimates.

Per the report linked above, UFC 246 sold the “equivalent” to 2,000,000 PPV buys, which would make it the second biggest selling event in UFC history next to UFC 229, the event where Conor McGregor fought Khabib Nurmagomedov. What the whole equivalent part means exactly is anyone’s guess — just remember the numbers are never exact either way.

Regardless of the specifics, McGregor’s star continues to shine, and its hard to imagine a 40-second knockout win over Cerrone will do anything but amplify his next bout.

Insomnia

Some post-UFC 246 McGregor Madness!

Johnny Walker has begun his training at Tristar. It’s an interesting move for him — they’re obvious a great team, but I don’t know how well their calculated approach and his general wildness will mix.

Henry Cejudo opened as a fairly minor favorite at -171 to Jose Aldo’s +138. I expect that gap to grow …

Mike Perry in a gi is kind of funny, and also he’s a purple belt — who knew?

This is a new level of unnecessary.

Sara McMann returns this week!

Slips, rips, and KO clips

This was one of the best knockouts of 2019.

There are a lot of really bad spots to be in on the ground in MMA. Trapped in a triangle and eating elbows, while less common, is definitely one of the least pleasant.

This man got Stefan Struve’d!

Random Land

Beautiful things can come from weird places.

Midnight Music: I listened to Algiers’ new release There Is No Year. It’s not quite as bombastic or instantly catchy as their previous album, but still, there isn’t really anyone else out there combining post-punk and noise with gospel and soul in such an interesting and effective way.

Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.