The UFC’s blockbuster $7.7 billion deal to move all events to Paramount+ in 2026 marks the end of the sport’s pay-per-view era, which has shaped the promotion for three decades. While fans and fighters adjust to the new reality, one man couldn’t resist taking the opportunity to remind the world who owned the PPV game: Conor McGregor.
The Irish superstar, who has headlined all five of the UFC’s most-bought events, took to Instagram to bid farewell to the format that helped him become one of the sport’s richest athletes. “Goodbye UFC PPV! Proud to serve as King ,” McGregor wrote alongside a graphic of his record-breaking numbers.
The image listed UFC 229 (2.4 million buys), UFC 264 (1.8 million), UFC 257 (1.6 million), UFC 202 (1.6 million), and UFC 246 (1.3 million), all of which featured ‘The Notorious’ as the main event. If that wasn’t enough, his Instagram story emphasized his dominance in the pay-per-view era: “8 straight million buy PPVs. 13,342,000 total buys.”
That streak includes every UFC fight he’s fought since his 2015 title fight with Jose Aldo, and it would be nine if his 2017 boxing superfight with Floyd Mayweather was counted, which was the second-highest-selling combat sports event of all time with 4.3 million buys. Even in the years after his peak, Conor McGregor’s reputation alone was enough to propel events into the seven-figure range.
The Irishman’s pay-per-view success has few parallels in combat sports. During his rise, opponents such as Eddie Alvarez, Nate Diaz, and Dustin Poirier, all recognized fighters, became million-dollar draws when paired with him. His 2018 bout against Khabib Nurmagomedov is the UFC’s all-time best-seller, and despite injury layoffs and high-profile scandals, his fights against Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone and Poirier in 2020-21 continued the streak.
No other fighter has been able to combine mainstream fame, in-cage drama, and worldwide fan engagement quite like ‘The Notorious.’ With the pay-per-view era of UFC history coming to a close, McGregor’s record appears untouchable for the foreseeable future. However, there is a glimmer of hope for future fighters, as Dana White has dropped a massive update on the status of PPVs in the promotion.
Fighters can still go for Conor McGregor’s record as Dana White declares PPVs “not dead”
With the pay-per-view era clearly coming to an end, many expected Conor McGregor’s record to become untouchable simply because the format was fading away. However, UFC CEO Dana White isn’t ready to abandon PPVs just yet. While the new $7.7 billion Paramount+ deal moves the majority of UFC events behind a streaming paywall, the head honcho of the promotion has hinted that the pay-per-view concept may make a surprise return.
In a recent interview, White said something that fans and fighters should not overlook: “Anything is possible. And you could do a one-off pay-per-view. I am going to be on pay-per-view this Saturday. Pay-per-view is not dead.” This suggests that, while the UFC is transitioning to a streaming model, the option of staging big PPV events is not entirely off the table.
This opens the option for future fighters to challenge the Irishman’s historic buy numbers, particularly if the UFC plans to hold special events outside of the Paramount+ subscription package. It is worth noting that this statement by Dana White is in stark contrast to TKO executives Ari Emanuel and Mark Shapiro, who declared pay-per-view “a thing of the past” and “an outdated, antiquated model” just hours before White’s declaration.
The new deal calls for 43 UFC events per year, including 30 Fight Nights and 13 numbered events, all of which will be broadcast predominantly on Paramount+ with some simulcast on CBS. So, although the streaming era takes center stage, White’s words keep alive the possibility that the iconic PPV model may return, providing a ray of hope to fighters hoping to break McGregor’s massive record.
The post Conor McGregor Reacts to $7.7B Paramount Deal, Reminds Dana White of 13M UFC PPV Record appeared first on EssentiallySports.
