A Look Back At UFC 229: The Most Bought MMA PPV In History

It’s been over five years since this historical event happened. That event was the UFC 229 PPV, the most-bought MMA PPV in history. UFC 229 was the most bought MMA PPV because the main event was Conor McGregor challenging UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov for the belt.

There’s no denying that Conor McGregor is the biggest box-office draw in MMA history. Aside from being a multi-weight UFC Champion, Conor McGregor is a bonified megastar, one of the most well-known athletes in the world. And even though he’s not immune from controversy, Conor McGregor always gets fans interested in his fights, whether people support or root against him.

With that said, part of the controversial nature of Conor McGregor’s personality was what made his match with UFC Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov more of an attraction, as the two had arguably one of the most heated rivalries in UFC history. A rivalry that became increasingly personal as time went by, especially after the bus attack at the UFC 223 media day, along with the star power of both fighters, one could’ve already expected that the Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov match at the UFC 229 PPV was most likely to set a PPV record of most bought MMA event in history.

At the UFC 229 PPV, Khabib Nurmagomedov successfully defended his UFC Championship by getting the dominant win over Conor McGregor via submission in the fourth round. However, perhaps the event was mostly known for the post-fight melee that occurred where Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmogomedov’s teams got involved against each other, as the bad blood between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmogomedov reached its boiling point that night.

The UFC 229 PPV was historic for many reasons, especially after it helped launch Khabib Nurmogomedov to new stardom after his win over Conor McGregor. And despite the consequences the UFC endured because of the post-fight melee, the UFC 229 PPV earned a whopping 2.4 million buys on PPV, as no other MMA PPV has come close to hitting that number.