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UFC 225 didn’t do quite as dismal box office numbers as originally thought; instead of less than 150,000 pay-per-view (PPV) buys, MMAFighting.com reports that the event did 250,000 buys, including both digital and cable purchases.
The main event was a scintillating “Fight of the Year“ candidate between Robert Whittaker and Yoel Romero. Last minute hijinks, with Romero missing weight by four ounces or so, may have affected how viewers perceived the stakes of the event. The card also featured former bantamweight champion Holly Holm, former heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski, and former lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos in an interim welterweight title bout. Notably, this was former professional wrestler CM Punk’s second attempt at MMA; he suffered his second loss in as many fights. His first attempt, at UFC 203, did significantly better at 450,000 buys, with Punk contributing probably 150,000 of those buys. It seems the aura of mystery around Punk has dissipated, and with it any crossover appeal he possessed.
Compared to original reports, this is good news, if not great news; it puts this event roughly in the same realm as UFC 222 with Cris Cyborg vs. Yana Kunitskaya, ahead of events like UFC 221 with Romero knocking out Luke Rockhold, or UFC 224 with Nunes defendering her title against Raquel Pennington, and behind UFC 220, which featured both Daniel Cormier and Stipe Miocic, and the cursed UFC 223, with Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Al Iaquinta. This summer’s crossover blockbuster, the extremely stacked UFC 226, will likely smash these numbers as well.
It seems the adamant UFC lawyer insisting early reports were ‘fake news’ was right this time.
Insomnia
I’m a little mad they look alike
Remember that bullied kid who turned out to be racist? This is him now. Feel old yet? pic.twitter.com/NCpzb49ghj
— Drunk Ass Uncle Bobby (@fookalo) June 19, 2018
Just deadly anti-jiu-jitsu here:
Derrick Lewis posted this and … yeah … someone come get your dad.
Brazilian MMA stars trying to remember Brazilian soccer trivia is somehow very entertaining.
Chad Mendes working on that explosiveness ahead of his summer return against Myles Jury.
I’m actually looking forward to Demetrious Johnson vs. Henry Cejudo 2, thank you very much.
Eddie Alvarez vs. Dustin Poirier 2 is the sequel of the summer, though
Take It In Blood pic.twitter.com/wWEmBiPoNN
— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) June 18, 2018
Outstanding promo for Alvarez/Poirier 2 by KangFilms https://t.co/aS2VgURG93
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) June 18, 2018
Ronda Rousey will eventually win it all
Ronda rousey only one fight away from the elusive triple crown, uFc world champion, Olympic judo world champion, wWe world champion
Very historic, only time in history, ever.— superCalo (@superCalo) June 19, 2018
Al Iaquinta Realty is one of the better parody accounts out there
That’s … a pretty intense kick to be thrown in training!
This isn’t racially coded at all
No can defend
When “keep your hands up” is life
This weekend in combat sports
Live Combat Sport Schedule: 6/19 – 6/24
Full schedule: https://t.co/lQsVAHkDGK pic.twitter.com/pNiDFB6oGQ
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) June 19, 2018
Slips, Rips, and KO Clips
This elbow battle had a clear winner
Boxing has been great for a long time
A 16-year-old Mike Tyson had some slippery head movement
Quick Hits
- Your laugh-out-loud moment of the day: A manager is claiming McGregor won’t get a title shot because he’s “2-2” in his last four fights.
- When Brendan Schaub calls you “cringeworthy” you might need to re-evaluate things
- I fully agree with Curtis Blaydes’ Cormier vs. Miocic take– and I can’t wait to see him fight the winner
Podcasts and Video
Firaz Zahabi joined Joe Rogan
Daniel Cormier vs. Frank Mir was not a depressing fight at all, I don’t know what this podcast is talking about
Wait… LESS stacked cards?
Stay woke, Maniacs! Follow me on Twitter and Facebook @Vorpality