Estimates for the UFC 226 buyrate are in.
Dave Meltzer of MMAFighting.com has revealed that the event looks to have brought in around 380,000 pay-per-view buys. UFC 226 was supposed to feature two title bouts. The featherweight championship bout between Max Holloway and Brian Ortega was scrapped when Holloway was pulled due to concussion-like symptoms. The main event saw Daniel Cormier capture the UFC heavyweight title from Stipe Miocic via first-round knockout.
The Aftermath
After Cormier’s victory to seal his status as a two-division champion, he called out Brock Lesnar. “The Beast Incarnate” hopped inside the Octagon and shoved Cormier. The two are expected to clash early 2019.
Many wondered what Lesnar’s status would be after failing a UFC 200 drug test. Lesnar was suspended by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), but his suspension time froze due to opting out of the testing pool. Lesnar reentered before UFC 226 and will be eligible to compete in Jan. 2019.
UFC 226 Buyrate Reception
Meltzer notes that while the numbers surpassed UFC 220’s for the best buyrate of 2018, it’s still viewed as a letdown given what was at stake. Get the lowdown below:
“It would put the July 7 show in line with January’s UFC 220 for the biggest number so far this year. On one hand, the number feels disappointing. You had a rare champion vs. champion battle in the two heaviest weight classes, and a great story with Daniel Cormier’s quest to become a genuine legend of the sport.”
To compare, UFC 220 back in January is estimated at 350,000 buys. That card was also headlined by Stipe Miocic, who defeated Francis Ngannou on that night. Daniel Cormier was in the co-main event, successfully defending his light heavyweight title against Volkan Oezdemir.
Do you think the estimate number for the UFC 226 buyrate is disappointing?
