UFC PPV numbers have risen considerably over the years. 2014 is a perfect example of this as at a quick glance, you might think UFC was dying a fast death on PPV given that the average number of buys was 200-300K less than in any year since 2005.Using the rolling average, the number is relatively the same as it was in every other year between 2011 and 2015, although it was on a slight decline. * Another fighter who pullied impressive number for the amount of events fought. Tate and Holm have been on two shows each and Diaz just one, but all 3 names would be at the top of this list if their numbers were included. That slight decline does seem to be turning around. Randy Couture • Biggest Match: vs. Brock Lesnar at UFC 91 (1,010,000 buys) Making his UFC debut in 1997, Randy Couture is one of the most well travelled of the UFC's star players. When Muhammad Ali was in his prime, it was frequently said his was the most recognizable face in the world.So let’s take a crack at this, starting with my honorable mentions and then going backward from 10 through one. And few sold as well as on PPV as she did. A big part of that is the emergence of Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey, but what the rolling averages show is that the base is up as well from recent year. From Ultimate Ultimate 1995 to UFC 20, matches were set to a time limit (between 12 to 30 minutes), with judges scoring the match. ... -UFC 189: McGregor vs Mendes - 825k-UFC 194: McGregor vs Aldo - 1.025 mil ... Or some argue Ronda or Lesnar were the biggest stars. If it wasn't for his average number of PPV's being 500k - 1 mil lower to McGregor's, he would be N.1.Lesnar takes third. We've seen many great fights on PPV, but the truth is that there are only a few real box office draws. The problem is that there are many different ways to look at tackling the answer. The UFC is experiencing some growing pains. Randy Couture • Biggest Match: vs. Brock Lesnar at UFC 91 (1,010,000 buys) Making his UFC … Nice man did you put that together or CandP from somewhereHey great list! If people pay to see you compete in big numbers, it says a lot.Fighters who cross into the mainstream, who are recognized by people who don’t necessarily identify as MMA fans, clearly are stars.
From The Ultimate Fighting Championship in November 1993 to UFC 7, all matches ended in a draw or a finish. What was Demetrius Johnson or Amanda Nunes? That’s a testament to how big of a star McGregor has become, and he’s not nearly done yet.Jacob Blake shooting and America's anguished racial reckoning The names at the bottom are for the most part who you’d expect them to be. He’s a massive crossover star and is recognized well beyond the Octagon.His popularity helped turn Nurmagomedov and Diaz into mega-stars, as well. To sell PPV’s you need star power – These ladies could be mega-stars. She was a phenomenon who starred in movies, appeared on major magazine covers, wrote a best-selling book and had several PPVs do in excess of 1 million.Her career was relatively short, though she remains a mega-personality even now.Lesnar is clearly more known for his WWE success than he is for his MMA career, but he was a huge star in the UFC and is one of the biggest PPV sellers ever. Honorable mention: Vitor Belfort, Michael Bisping, Daniel Cormier, Randy Couture, Nick Diaz, Fedor Emelianenko, Matt Hughes, Kazushi Sakuraba, Anderson Silva, Wanderlei Silva and Chael Sonnen.The former UFC lightweight and welterweight champion was one of the big names of the first decade of this century. In some ways, that’s even more impressive than what Lesnar did and this list shows that. 10. Between Dana talking about Khabib and Conor being the biggest draws and Jorge Masvidal talking himself up to be one of the biggest draws in UFC, there's been a lot of chatter about who is the biggest draw, who is second biggest, 3rd 4th etc. Again, that’s a small sample size but the potential is there for one, two or all three of these names to become a really special draw that could take the place of a potentially departing Rousey.And, of course, you have Weidman, who is near the top of this list but is probably best used in a supporting role. I used five main criteria when making the judgment:PPV appeal since MMA has been a pay-per-view business for much of its existence.Mainstream appeal. It’s very difficult to define what makes a fighter a star, but one thing is certain, you know it when you see one.Winning is a big part of it, but some fighters remain massively popular despite a string of defeats. Names at the bottom of the top 20 such as Diego Sanchez and Andrei Arlovski could potentially also be used even lower on the card for a big show in an attempt to boost those shows a bit. Brock Lesnar emerged from a time in which heavyweights were already drawing big. Had and still has a lot of potential to draw big numbers. UFC will return to Las Vegas but boss Dana White said we might see more of Fight Island in the future, while the world continues to contain the pandemic. Or some argue Ronda or Lesnar were the biggest stars. Dead last lol?I’ve read a couple times people claiming GSP or Silva were never draws. Then there’s the case of those like former Pride fighter I took a stab at identifying the Top 10 biggest stars in MMA history, with a few I’ve added as honorable mention, who need to be considered.
And it gives pause to the idea that he may be the biggest challenger to Jon Jones, should he defeat Cormier.You'll notice there are several light heavyweights on this list which may help explain why Jones hasn’t been as big a draw as people thought he should be. 10. During his 39 fight career he has 33 wins and six losses. So which fighters have proven to be the UFC's biggest draws? Mixed martial arts is a business, and the UFC, specifically, is based primarily on the pay-per-view (PPV) model, meaning that the promotion’s biggest shows and biggest …
It’s easier with mixed martial arts, because it essentially began as a sport in 1993 with the founding of the UFC and so it has all happened in the modern era.It’s not all about pay-per-view and ticket sales, although that’s a huge part of what makes someone a star.
Recently there's been talks about the biggest draws in UFC. Bader being right behind is probably no surprise either.