UFC
263 did approximately 600,000 pay-per-view buys, according to a
report from the
Sports Business Journal.
That figure includes 500,000 buys domestically through ESPN+ and
another 100,000 internationally. Those figures are based on
industry estimates, because the Las Vegas-based promotion does not
release official buy rates.
UFC 263 took place at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Ariz., on June
12 and saw Israel
Adesanya retain his middleweight crown with a unanimous verdict
over Marvin
Vettori in the evening’s headliner. In the co-main event,
Brandon
Moreno claimed the 125-pound belt with a third-round submission
of Deiveson
Figueiredo. The card also featured the return of Nate Diaz, who
lost a five-round verdict to Leon
Edwards in a non-title, welterweight affair.
That represents a significant increase from UFC 262, which was
headlined by a lightweight title tilt between Charles
Oliveira and Michael
Chandler and drew around 300,000 buys on May 15.
Adesanya has
proven to be a solid draw: UFC 259, which was topped by his bid
to become a two-division champion against Jan
Blachowicz, reportedly sold 800,000 buys, while UFC 253, which
saw him successfully defend the 185-pound belt against Paulo
Costa, sold approximately 700,000 buys.
UFC 257, which was headlined by the rematch between Dustin
Poirier and Conor
McGregor, is the top-selling event of 2021 with a reported 1.6
million buys. The trilogy between the two men is scheduled for UFC
264 on July 10 and will likely approach or surpass the 1 million
mark.