Report – UFC 259 Scores 800,000 PPV Buys Globally

Last weekend’s UFC 259 pay-per-view event, which featured a fifteen-fight card, including a tripleheader of undisputed championship fights, has reportedly garnered a total buy-rate of 800,000 purchases globally. 

Stacked from top to bottom with talent, UFC 259 was billed by many in the community as a possible Event of the Year contender when 2021 eventually draws to a close. 

Opening our triple-threat of title fights, a bantamweight affair between Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling ended in controversial circumstances, and a championship changing hands after Yan landed an illegal knee to a grounded Sterling in the fourth round, resulting in an eventual disqualification loss.

In our co-main event, two-weight world champion, Amanda Nunes managed her second successful defence of the featherweight championship via a dominant opening round submission of former Invicta FC 145-pound titleholder, Megan Anderson. Stunning the Australian on the feet, Nunes eventually took Anderson down, before locking up a taut triangle armbar for the victory. The defeat marked Anderson’s last fight on her Octagon deal, and she’s now expected to test free agency.

Rounding out our trio of title fights and taking main event honours, Jan Blachowicz knocked back current middleweight titleholder, Israel Adesanya — preventing the City Kickboxing mainstay from becoming a two-weight world champion held simultaneously. 

Utilising his grappling and offensive wrestling in the fourth and fifth rounds, Blachowicz twice forced Adesanya to the canvas, on his way to a deserved unanimous decision victory.

According to a report from John Ourand from Sports Business Journal — UFC 259 amassed 600,000 pay-per-view purchases in the domestic United States market via ESPN+, as well as a further 200,000 buys globally — resulting in an 800,000 buy-rate.

Coming as the promotion’s third pay-per-view event of the year, the showcase fell considerably wide of UFC 257 in January, which scored a whopping 1.6 million pay-per-view purchases, as former interim lightweight champion, Dustin Poirier stopped former two-weight world champion, Conor McGregor with strikes in a rematch. That card came as the second highest-selling event in promotional history, behind UFC 229: Khabib vs. McGregor which turned over a staggering 2.4 million purchases.