Dana White Says UFC 229 Fell Short of 3 Million PPV Buys, But Did ‘Way Over’ 2 Million

UFC 229 didn’t hit 3 million pay-per-view buys, but it still did pretty well, according to Dana White.

Just a few days before the blockbuster card headlined by Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor, the UFC boss claimed the event was "trending close” to 3 million buys. Apparently UFC 229 did not reach that figure, but it was nonetheless a record-breaking card.

“The pay-per-view numbers are starting to roll in, so I’m in a much better mood than I was on Saturday,” White told TMZ Sports. “We didn’t do 3 million. But it’s so hard to crack 2 million in [combat sports]. Even [Mike] Tyson-[Evander] Holyfield was at like 1.995 [million]. Things like that didn’t crack 2 million. We’re way over 2 million, so I’m happy.”

If true, that would make it the biggest pay-per-view in company history. The Las Vegas-based promotion doesn’t release buy rates, but UFC 202 in August 2016 — headlined by a rematch between McGregor and Nate Diaz — was the previous best with a projected 1.6 million buys.

UFC 229 took place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Oct. 6 and saw Nurmagomedov submit McGregor in the fourth round to retain his lightweight crown. However, the post-fight brawl that ensued between the fighters and their teams has dominated headlines since the bout.