White: UFC 189 'tracking at over a million buys,' McGregor thinks 'biggest number ever'

Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor

UFC President Dana White rarely makes bold predictions for the organization’s pay-per-view events. However, next month’s UFC 189 is one of few exceptions.

White believes the July 11 event at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena, headlined by the highly anticipated featherweight championship bout between Jose Aldo (25-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC) and Conor McGregor (17-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC), will clear 1 million buys.

The company uses several metrics to predict the success of an event, and White said today on a Periscope Q&A session with fans that UFC 189 is “tracking at over a million buys.” He also said McGregor believes it will do far more.

“They’ll do over a million; it’s already tracking at over a million buys,” White said. “Conor thinks he’s going to do some – you know, the biggest number ever, but to be honest and realistic, I think it’s going to do over a million.”

UFC 189 is the cornerstone event of this year’s International Fight Week in Las Vegas. Along with Aldo vs. McGregor, the card also features a welterweight championship contest between Robbie Lawler (25-10 MMA, 10-4 UFC) and Rory MacDonald (18-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC).

International Fight Week will also feature The Ultimate Fighter 21 Finale, Invicta FC 13, a UFC Fan Expo and several other fan events.

The UFC does not publicly disclose final PPV figures. However, industry insiders occasionally report numbers gathered from sources. Just seven events in UFC history have reportedly cleared the 1 million buys benchmark.

UFC 100 in July 2009, headlined by a Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir heavyweight title rematch, is considered the highest selling PPV in UFC history with 1.6 million buys.

White believes UFC 189 will join the list of the most successful events the company has put on. He said the demand for tickets is just one reason why he’s come to that conclusion.

“There will be no tweeting tickets for McGregor vs. Aldo; there are no tickets,” White said. “That thing is sold out. (UFC CEO) Lorenzo (Fertitta) and I usually hold tickets back for people and comps and things like that – we sold all our comps. There’s nothing.”

For more on UFC 189, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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