The UFC has been running massive pay-per-view events for well over 20 years, but the company’s run on the platform has come to an end as all shows will move to the Paramount+ streaming service in January 2026, following UFC 323 on the 6th of December 2025.

With buy rates consistently falling over the past few years as fans move away from legacy media, it’s easy to see why the UFC opted to accept a bumper $7.7 billion deal with the streaming giant. It should be noted that the deal currently only applies in the USA and other select international territories, although it is widely expected that it will be adopted worldwide as and when existing broadcasting arrangements lapse.

The role that pay-per-view played in helping the UFC to rise to the global phenomenon it is today. Despite being formed in 1993, it took the promotion 12 years to secure a major TV deal. For many of those early years, pay-per-view was the only way that many fans could consume the action inside the Octagon.

When the UFC did eventually strike it big, thanks in part to the success of The Ultimate Fighter reality TV show, pay-per-view buys really helped to boost the promotion’s bottom line.

With the pay-per-view era now over, there is no better time to take a look back at the biggest-earning PPV events in history. The buyrate for UFC 323 has not yet been made public, but given the decline of the format and the decline in pay-per-view numbers in general, there is no realistic chance that the show will rank among the most purchased in history.

A number of huge names have headlined these shows, with Conor McGregor, Brock Lesnar, Jorge Masvidal and more featuring heavily in the top 10 of the company’s most-successful PPV events. Figures have been taken as per Business Insider and Tapology – correct as of December 2025. 2024

Here’s the full list of the top 10 biggest UFC pay-per-view events of all time, ranked according to their pay-per-view buys and revenue with the latter not relevant to inflation.

10

UFC 194: Aldo vs. McGregor

1,200,000 PPV Buys – $80 million

‘The Notorious’ marks his first of many in the top ten of the rankings, this time having taken on Jose Aldo in the main event of UFC 194 to determine the undisputed Featherweight Champion of the world. What was to follow was absolutely stunning, with McGregor putting his name down in the record books after just seconds of the first bell sounding.

McGregor scored an absolutely incredible quickfire finish in just 13 seconds of the opening round, leaving the Brazilian legend flat on his back as he climbed the cage and celebrated his title win. His meteoric rise had finally been completed, and he was at the pinnacle of his stardom, which continued to climb after this victory.

9

UFC 251: Usman vs. Masvidal

1,300,000 PPV Buys – $90 million

Kamaru Usman and Masvidal first met in a huge clash at UFC 251 in the first of two huge events between the pair, which showed Gamebred’s growing pay-per-view draw. The Nigerian had shown his dominance at welterweight throughout his career, and closed the show with a huge barrage of shots in the second round to prevent Masvidal from gaining the title.

Both fighters have shown throughout their careers that they have some huge pay-per-view potential, and the event was a roaring success which saw fans immediately clamour for a repeat of the clash. The second fight did not attract quite as big of an audience given the one-sided nature of the opening meeting, and it was Usman again who prevailed.

8

UFC 205: Alvarez vs. McGregor

1,300,000 PPV Buys – $83 million

Get used to seeing McGregor appear on this list, he’ll be here quite a bit. UFC 205 saw Notorious take on Eddie Alvarez to determine the undisputed Lightweight Champion of the world. This was the most historic moment in the history of the Irishman who was seeking the chance to become the first fighter to hold two belts simultaneously in different weight classes.

And once again, he delivered to complete his meteoric rise to the top, stopping his rival in the second round before parading around the ring with his two belts. Some iconic pictures were taken of the new two-division king on top of the cage and on top of the world, before he declared himself the ‘double champ’ in front of a huge audience.

7

UFC 246: McGregor vs. Cerrone

1,353,429 PPV Buys – $90 million

McGregor made a comeback for the first time after a loss to Nurmagomedov, which raised anticipation levels higher than ever. He had just boxed Floyd Mayweather in a huge event, but that did not stop him rampaging to a sensational first-round win over UFC veteran Cerrone to leave his name on the tip of fans’ tongues again.

The Irishman has faced a huge volume of criticism for accepting his one-off move away from MMA, but he was hoping to launch a fresh title challenge after defeat to rival Khabib Nurmagomedov. Cerrone proved no opposition to his whirlwind offence and folded inside a minute. It remains McGregor’s last win inside the Octagon.

6

UFC 196: McGregor vs. Diaz

1,500,000 PPV Buys – $80 million

UFC 196 saw McGregor move up to welterweight to take on Nate Diaz just months after his massive bout against Aldo. The company was on an incredible hot streak at this time, helped by the popularity of the Irish fighter, and it was a tough day for ‘The Notorious’ who found himself on the losing side of history for the first time.

Diaz picked up a win by submission in the second round which left fans in the Las Vegas venue stunned, but the names of both men were immediately on the lips of fans who would be left eager to see a second and third meeting. The pair raked in huge revenue numbers, and it is no wonder given their reputations in the sport to date.

5

UFC 100: Lesnar vs. Mir II

1,600,000 PPV Buys – $82 million

UFC 100 saw Brock Lesnar in the main event take on Frank Mir to try and avenge his loss in his first-ever UFC outing. The pay-per-view star who continued to deliver throughout his career, and he certainly did so again, securing his redemption with a second-round KO win in the most-watched event at the time in the promotion’s history before the arrival of McGregor.

Lesnar was a huge star when he arrived in the UFC and his epic rivalry with Mir drew new attention to the heavyweight division at a time when it was thriving at huge potential. The second fight generated huge publicity and even more than their first clash, given many were extremely interested to see whether ‘The Next Big Thing’ could get his revenge, and the win did eventually mark one of the best of his career.

4

UFC 257: McGregor v Poirier 2

1,600,000 PPV Buys – $100 million

McGregor renewed his rivalry with ‘The Diamond’ as he looked to settle their feud for good by following on from his first win. However, it ended very differently to how he intended, with the huge event ending in disaster for ‘The Notorious’ who was stopped by the rugged American in the second round.

He vowed to get immediate revenge with the knowledge that any event against Dustin Poirier would once again have huge success in terms of gate and pay-per-view numbers and revenue. His returns for the UFC are unmatched and this continued despite his form taking a dip within this difficult trilogy for the ex-champion.

3

UFC 202: Diaz vs. McGregor II

1,650,000 PPV Buys- $90 million

One of the biggest rematches in company history again saw McGregor headline a massive PPV buyrate. The huge event was highly anticipated given McGregor had suffered a shock defeat in their first meeting, but he was able to recover in sensational style to return to winning ways with a comfortable points win over his bitter rival. It was expected a third meeting would be set up, which could still happen providing Diaz is able to negotiate a return to the UFC after leaving to pursue a professional boxing career.

2

UFC 264: Poirier v McGregor 3

1,800,000 PPV Buys – $120 million

McGregor’s third outing with Poirier was to end in utter disaster given the hype surrounding the event, after the former double champion’s bright performance in their rematch. It was a do-or-die moment in the Irishman’s career, and it once again started brightly before he fell backwards and broke his leg in devastating fashion.

The fight was stopped and McGregor now faces a huge rebuild in the present day, either in boxing or the UFC, having since spent two years out of action after the injury took place. Poirier and his rival still have a great deal of bad blood to resolve, and it remains to be seen if a fourth fight could be on the cards towards the back end of both fighters’ careers.

1

UFC 229: Nurmagomedov vs. McGregor: 2,400,000 PPV Buys – $180 million

And finally, the biggest PPV event in UFC history saw Khabib Nurmagomedov defend his UFC Lightweight Championship against McGregor. It’s going to be a long time, if ever, before we see an event top this massive card which was headlined by arguably the most iconic rivalry in the promotion’s history.

McGregor put up a brave battle against his undefeated rival in a bitter feud, which had escalated more and more for each growing month, but he was submitted by the Russian’s elite wrestling skills. The event’s huge success was seemingly dulled by the fact we never saw a sequel given the unsavoury brawl between the teams at the final bell. Nurmagomedov later retired and McGregor never did have an opportunity at redemption against the Russian.

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