night (Dec. 15, 2018) in Milwaukee in what marked the networks final UFC broadcast. https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2020/08/25/Media/UFC-Viewership.aspx. The UFC can have some outliers that smash records with some of the highest PPV buys in UFC history over a calendar year for the brand, particularly in 2009 and 2016. Accessed March 04, 2023. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1122523/ufc-interest/, Morning Consult. Something went wrong. 36 0 1 1 0 UFC 264: Poirier vs. McGregor 3 Jul. the I think this is mainly due to the growing local competitions in these areas (like One Championship), which breeds a large viewer base among the size of the population. It's been proclaimed the most exciting two minutes in sports. The problem with that comparison is the Super Bowl happens every year, while a fight like the McGregor / Mayweather event happens only a few times in a lifetime. The numbers below are the average viewership for the entire broadcast. While the UFC generates most of its revenue from Pay-Per-View buys on UFC fight nights and events, they are still producing a sports performance in a stadium almost every weekend. In terms of sponsorship revenue, the NFL averages more, but by how much is difficult to determine since the UFC is a private company, and their financial information is somewhat guarded.. Clicking on the following button will update the content below. Conor McGregor Reacts To Horrific Broken Ankle, Pic! interim Sports Wagering Supplier license, under license number SWS 066, issued by the West Virginia Lottery Fighter Suffers Brutal Eye Injury At UFC Vegas 32, Agony! The aforementioned NASCAR Cup Series race from Road America averaged a 1.15 rating and 1.93 million viewers on USA Network, down 9% in ratings and 11% in viewership versus last season's average for races on NBCSN (1.3, 2.2M). Lets take a look at some of the top geographies of UFC viewers worldwide. But even if there were as many UFC events as NFL games, each football game is played in a stadium that holds up to 100,000 fans while each UFC event typically holds between15,000-25,000 people, so the UFCs attendance totals would still be far behind. The Ultimate Fighting Championship generated an average of 447,000 pay-per-view buys in 2018, a 31.47% increase from 340,000 buys in 2017. Seven of those were held thus far in 2020, with four of them. World Cup 2022 predictions & knockout stage schedule. The prelims for the four pandemic-era PPVs (May 9, June 6, July 12, Aug. 15) averaged 1.173 million viewers across ESPN and ESPN+, up 30% from the PPV "preliminary card average" in '19. Learn more. The drastic growth of the company catapulted the UFC among the most valuable sports business brands worldwide. Below is an ongoing resource list of the viewership numbers for a television broadcast for WWE's Raw and SmackDown, NXT, IMPACT and AEW. Sign up for the When its all said and done, UFC 261 will likely go down as one of the biggest cards of the year for the promotion. The fight was worth the wait. NFL rookies do well they pull in an average of $480 thousand each season, which tends to increase each year by anywhere from $5 thousand to $10 thousand. The UFC isnt yet bigger than boxing in viewership or pay-per-view buys. Heres a list of the top 10 UFC events in order of live attendance: Compare these events to Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor for UFC 229. The biggest growth markets for the UFC up to 2016 were Russia, Spain, and Poland. While the average viewers fell short of four previous UFC on ESPN events, the broadcast performed well for a Friday night UFC broadcast. Despite the long absence, the PFL ultimately delivered mediocre numbers for the promotion with 156,000 viewers on average across the broadcast that aired on ESPN2 starting at 9 p.m. Currently, the average NFL team is valued at $2.5 billion and according to Forbes Magazine thats up 8% over last year, and more importantly, all but five of the NFL franchises are worth at least $2 billion. There are so many differences between the NFL and the UFC that it doesnt seem fair to compare the two on any level, but we will do our best to point out whenever a particular comparison does not apply or if certain data is not available. 49 print issues delivered to your home or office. UFC attorney Hunter Campbell denies reports that UFC 225 tanked at the pay-per-view (PPV) box office, but is unable to provide any proof to the contrary. Now that you know about PPV buys and viewing statistics for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, you might want to know what happens when UFC fighters miss weight or how the UFC is scored. For all the latest tips, predictions and special offers directly into your inbox once a week. While the UFC is a male-dominated sport, the gender diversity increases for females, with an estimated 10-25% female fanbase. Below youll find the list of sources used to write this article. It took home Fight of the Night honors. The best of the best: the portal for top lists & rankings: Strategy and business building for the data-driven economy: UFC: leading Pay-Per-View events as of August 2022, by buys, UFC: leading fighter earning totals as of April 2022, UFC: events with the highest live attendance as of August 2022, Most valuable sports business companies worldwide 2019, Most valuable sports business brands worldwide in 2019 (in million U.S. dollars), Number of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) events from 2012 to 2021, Number of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fights from 2012 to 2021, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) events with the highest live attendance as of August 2022, UFC: distribution of matches between 2013 and 2015, by card position, Distribution of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fights* between 2013 and 2015, by card position, UFC: distribution of match payouts between 2013 and 2015, by card position, Distribution of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) payouts* between 2013 and 2015, by card position, UFC: number of knockouts and submissions 2014-2020, Number of knockouts and submissions in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) from 2014 to 2020, UFC: number of submission finishes 1993-2017, by type, Number of submission finishes of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fights from 1993 to 2017, UFC: breakdown of submission finishes in 2017, by type, Distribution of submission finishes in Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fights in 2017, by type, UFC: shortest average fight time of fighters worldwide as of 2022, Shortest average fight time of fighters in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) worldwide as of 2022 (in seconds), UFC: longest average fight time of fighters worldwide as of 2022, Longest average fight time of fighters in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) worldwide as of 2022 (in seconds), UFC: most knockdowns landed by fighters worldwide as of March 2022, Most knockdowns landed by fighters in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) worldwide as of March 2022, UFC: most strikes landed by fighters worldwide as of March 2022, Most strikes landed by fighters in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) worldwide as of March 2022, UFC: most takedowns landed by fighters worldwide as of March 2022, Most takedowns landed by fighters in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) worldwide as of March 2022, Brand value of the sports company UFC from 2014 to 2017 (in billion U.S. dollars)*, Total revenue of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) from 2013 to 2015 (in million U.S. dollars), Revenue of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in 2015, by source (in million U.S. dollars), Distribution of content value of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in 2015, by type, UFC biggest growth markets: increase in total population interest 2014-2016, Share of increase in UFC total population interest in the biggest growth markets between 2014 and 2016, by country, UFC: reported average payout for fighters between 2013 and 2015, Reported* average payouts of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighters between 2013 and 2015, by quintile (in U.S. dollars), Highest total earnings* of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighters as of April 2022 (in million U.S. dollars), UFC227: fighter earning totals in August 2018, Fighter payouts of UFC 227 in August 2018 (in 1,000 U.S. dollars), UFC: events in 2014, by Pay-Per-View buyrate, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) events in 2014, by Pay-Per-View buyrate (in 1,000), UFC: events in 2015, by Pay-Per-View buyrate, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) events in 2015, by Pay-Per-View buyrate (in 1,000), UFC: events in 2016, by Pay-Per-View buyrate, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) events in 2016, by Pay-Per-View buyrate (in 1,000), Leading Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Pay-Per-View events as of August 2022, by number of buys (in millions), UFC: number of Pay-Per-Views sold 2001-2014, Number of Pay-Per-Views sold by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) from 2001 to 2014 (in 1,000), UFC: average price of Pay-Per-Views 2001-2014, Average price of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Pay-Per-Views from 2001 to 2014 (in U.S. dollars), UFC: average number of Pay-Per-View buys per event 2001-2018, Average number of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Pay-Per-View (PPV) buys per event from 2001 to 2018 (in 1,000s). During today's conversation IEG's Vice President of Strategy and Churchill Downs Vice President of Marketing, Brand and Partnerships Casey Ramage give us some insight on their analytical approach to sponsorship strategy. As the top driver of growth, Spain could soon become a destination that inspires more people to participate in MMA sports and watch competitions like the UFC. Reyes earned a Performance of the Night bonus for his stoppage win. Also, didn't factor in when prelims . If its not a winning bet, youll get up to 20 back as a FreeBet. By the end of 2017, there was no doubt NFL viewership was going down, but then in 2018 each of the three nationally televised game nights showed a nice increase. How much more revenue does the NFL take in than UFC? To use individual functions (e.g., mark statistics as favourites, set As with the other five American sports leagues weve compared to the NFL (NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS and NASCAR), UFC just cant measure up to the financial and popular success of professional football. The NFL overall ratings overshadow even the best UFC events. How many Americans viewed NFL games compared to UFC fights in 2018? All rights reserved.The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Leaders Group. That makes sense, given that there are more NFL regular-season games (256) than there are UFC events per year (39). NFL sponsorship revenue reached $1.32 billion in the 2017-18 season, with beer, trucks and fast food being among the largest spenders. So how do those NFL viewership numbers compare to UFC? Latest UFC rankings update following the UFC 277 pay-per-view (PPV) event on July 30 in Dallas, Texas, with Derrick Lewis falling out of the Top 5 at heavyweight. Oops. number 94414163), granted a vendor registration number VR007603-20-001 by the Michigan Gaming Control Board, sportsbooks. We are committed to If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. His love for MMA comes from The UFC can bring in millions of PPV buys on some of its top events through great global live streaming efforts. McGregor has spearheaded that boom, culminating in his boxing showdown with Mayweather for which he is the 5/1 underdog, but he is no lone wolf, with Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate also recent graduates to the million club. Only 187 fighters in the UFC are currently earning six-figure salaries. There really is no Super Bowl level fight in the UFC, but if you look at the McGregor vs. Mayweather fight that took place in 2017, it did come close at just under $600 million total revenue. Monday's Game 2 of the ALCS drew 1.88 million . BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - OCTOBER 18: (L-R), Dominick Reyes punches Chris Weidman in their light heavyweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at TD Garden on October 18, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. That event holds the record for the most significant Pay-Per-View buys (2.4 million buys). But it actually only reached 20,034 (its max capacity) in live attendance at the T-Mobile Arena in Nevada. UFC fighter Conor McGregor made between $85 million and $100 million for his big fight with Mayweather, but a typical UFC main event fight earns him a flat rate of about $3 million. According to one report, the stacked UFC 226 pay-per-view (PPV) event on Saturday July 7, 2018 lead by a heavyweight title fight between Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier, did just under 400,000 buys. Thats due, in part to the sudden attention to concussions and the resulting CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) made public in books like League of Denial and Brainwashed, as well as from the outrage created when NFL players began to protest racial inequality by taking a knee during the national anthem. PED Use In UFC Sanctions In 2022. The win moved Reyes record to 12-0 and put him in a prime position to face current UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones in his next title defense. Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you. The martial arts organization trailed footballs UEFA Champions League (#1), EPL (#2), and LaLiga (#3). In cumulative reach on global broadcast television last year, ONE ranked #4 behind the Tokyo 2020 Olympics (#1), UEFA EURO 2020 (#2), and UCL (#3), but ahead of F1 (#5), NFL (#7), NBA (#8), and UFC (#9). UFC Fight Night 138 ratings for the "Volkan vs. Smith" event on FOX Sports 1 returned record low numbers after going head-to-head with game four of the World Series. Super Bowl ad spending alone for in-game spots exceeded $382 million, which was the same as the previous season. Registration issued by the Sports Wagering Committee of the Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation. The UFC has "remained steady in its ratings among its base demographics," men 18-34 and men 18-49" Meanwhile, it has seen a "sharp demographic increase among older viewers (adults 35-54 and adults 55+), women and Hispanics" ( SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 8/24 ). They helped to bring those eyes to the UFC. The 2021 US Open in New York averaged 881,000 viewers in prime time, up 33% (from 662,000) over last year, and it was up 13% (from an average of 702,000 to 796,000) for the entire two weeks of telecasts. Conor McGregor Dustin Poirier 0 1 29 While UFC on ESPN 5s main- and co-main events delivered in terms of action, it appears that the event overall failed to deliver in terms of television ratings, attracting a record low for the franchise this past weekend in Newark. This past Friday saw the return of the PFL after the organization did not promote any cards during 2020 due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. UFC Fight Night 139 ratings show marked improvement on FOX Sports 1 for the Denver event led by "Korean Zombie" and featherweight foe Yair Rodriguez. Weidman, who was making his debut in the 205-pound weight division, fell to 1-5 dating back to December 2015 when Reyes knocked him out at the 1:43 mark of the first round. For UFC fights, the average ticket price is $360, with tickets ranging from $116 to $691. If you click a link on this page and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. The NFL is the most-watched and most lucrative professional sport in the U.S. with at least six other major sports barking at its heels. In the co-main event, Yair Rodriguez and Jeremy Stephens faced off in a grudge match. According to statistics from Team Marketing Report, the average cost of an NFL ticket was $92.98 last year, which was up 8.3 percent from the previous season. With no association to look after their interests, UFC fighters get no guaranteed increase in pay when the company takes in more revenue. UFC Fight Night 128 ratings and viewers for the "Barboza vs. Lee" mixed martial arts (MMA) event on FOX Sports 1 last Saturday night (April 21, 2018) in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Then, based on the best information that Google searches can find, we will look at the revenue, salaries, viewership, attendance and ratings of both sports in order to figure out how the two measure up against each other. A 4-year epidemiological analysis (2015-2019) of doping in the UFC found that 8.7% of athletes committed ARVS (anti-doping rule violations). The second biggest was in 2009, with an average of 617,000 PPV buys. Later in 2018, he would beat Conor McGregor for the biggest Pay-Per-View of all time. ET, the UFC aired prelims on ESPN as an inducement for fans to buy the pay-per-view. September 22, 2021. A BJJ aspirant, Check out below: No votes so far! That fight had 4.3 million pay-per-view buys in the United States, which, at @ $100 a pop, brought in about $430 million. Out of the whole world, five countries top the list of those most interested in mixed martial arts. Those outliers usually involve Conor McGregor. Such as in 2018, which included Khabib vs. McGregor (UFC 229), and in 2016 which included McGregor vs. Diaz (UFC 196). WATCH: 17-Year-Old Smilla Sundell Puts On an Emphatic Performance to Become the There are an estimated 550 million MMA fans globally, which is roughly 7% of the global population. They often spend their disposable income on entertainment like sports. Pay-Per-View Buys are often considered one of the most crucial viewership statistics for the success of mixed martial arts events, particularly the UFC, as most audiences watch the event by live streaming. newsletter, UFC 285 Jones vs. Gane Main Event T-Shirt, UFC 285 Shevchenko vs. Grasso Co-Main Event T-Shirt, UFC 285 final faceoffs: Jones has tense staredown with Gane, McGregor makes cameo, UFC 285 weigh-in results: Jon Jones records 248 pounds for heavyweight debut, Geoff Neal misses by 4 pounds, Jon Jones fires back at critics after debuting new heavyweight physique: Good thing its not a bodybuilding competition, Cody Garbrandt confesses his life was in shambles before flyweight debut: I wasnt in a good place. Richard has covered betting at Bleacher Report, Gambling.com, The Game Day, Forbes, and more. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date This text provides general information. 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While boxing insiders fret over where their next landscape changer will surface from, UFC is enjoying the most successful spell of its existence, pulling in over a million views five times in 2016 alone, an incredible rise for a company averaging around the 50,000 mark 15 years ago. the UFC inked a five-year $1.5 billion rights deal with . ET on ESPN 2, also ended up at No. By subscribing, you are agreeing to You need a Statista Account for unlimited access. As a Premium user you get access to the detailed source references and background information about this statistic. ET ended up with 951,000 viewers on average with a .36 rating in the coveted 18-49 year. Floyd Mayweather Jr may be the firm favourite to get the better of Conor McGregor in their August 26 boxing match but there is plenty of evidence to suggest UFC is winning the battle of the combat sports in the UFC vs boxing popularity stakes. Who is better preparing themselves for worldwide domination? The Brazilians have had a keen interest in mixed martial arts since the birth of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, as many grapplers often dabble in other striking sports to add to their experiences like Boxing or Muay Thai. The NFL made $14 billion off mostly national media deals, and they had to give half of that to the league, distributed to each of the 32 franchises. As soon as this statistic is updated, you will immediately be notified via e-mail. Approximately 17,253,425 people attended NFL games in 2017, while less than half a million UFC fans showed up to live events (452,743). [Online]. Please enter a valid email and try again. Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board as a gaming service provider, under certificate registration number The fight card was the third most popular sporting event on cable on Friday night, trailing the college football game between Syracuse and Pittsburgh on ESPN and the MLB playoff game between the Houston Astros and New York Yankees on FOX Sports 1. A UFC fighters pay depends on how many previous fights theyve had, how popular they are and how often they fight per year. That number was actually significantly higher than the year before, 2017, when the average salary for those championship fighters was $666,643. The UFC has produced 19 pay-per-view fight cards during its relationship with ESPN, which began 20 months ago in January 2019. Buys for pay-per-view shows by the UFC have grown considerably since its origins in the 90s. They then only increased their reach, bringing in over 4 million buys for 2006, and continued to rise to almost 9 million in 2010. If youre in a hurry, heres the bottom line about UFC viewership statistics in recent years: The Ultimate Fighting Championship generated an average of 447,000 pay-per-view buys in 2018, a 31.47% increase from 340,000 buys in 2017. Many kiwi flew over from New Zealand to attend the event. Lets look at some of the average pay-per-view buys per year to see which comes out on top. And unless the NFL destroys itself or its reputation, it looks like the league is in a position to rule the American sports roost for quite some time. Statista assumes no UFC 225 "Prelims" ratings on FOX Sports 1 returns just 667,000 viewers, marking the second-lowest viewership of the year behind UFC 224 in May. Already a subscriber? MLS vs Liga MX Format, Attendance, Salaries & Ratings, Super Bowl vs FIFA World Cup A Comparison of Championships, NFL Facebook: quarterly number of MAU (monthly active users) worldwide 2008-2022, Quarterly smartphone market share worldwide by vendor 2009-2022, Number of apps available in leading app stores Q3 2022. The UFC is not bigger than the NFL in terms of revenue or fanbase, although it is growing rapidly in both metrics. Earlier this year, Super Bowl LIII racked up 98.2 million viewers. UFC divides its fighters into nine weight classes, $30 million per season + $5 million in endorsements = $35 million, $3 million per fight, though McGregor made between $85 million and $100 million for boxing Mayweather, NBCs Sunday Night Football 18.175 million, No total available, but UFC on FOX: 1.828 million, ESPNs Monday Night Football 10.757 million, Thursday Night Football (NBC/CBS/NFL Network) 10.937 million, Highest viewed game drew 26.88 million viewers, Highest viewed UFC fight drew 4.3 million pay-per-views. Wenn Sie Ihre Auswahl anpassen mchten, klicken Sie auf Datenschutzeinstellungen verwalten. The NFL is a boys-only league, while the UFC also has a womens division. The contest was a rebooking of their September fight, which ended in 15 seconds after Stephens could not continue after Rodriguez poked him in the eye. What Happens If A UFC Fighter Misses Weight. The UFC also represents female fighters well, with womens UFC weight classes putting on many great fights. The UFC also has big fanbases in other countries like Russia, Canada, Brazil, the UK, Australia, Mexico, and China. It faced plenty of competition from other sports, but . Please create an employee account to be able to mark statistics as favorites. Click below to sign in. 1? In the dominant age group between 25 and 44, the 60% is split into about half each for 25 to 34-year-olds and 35 to 44-year-olds. The UFC boasts a diverse fanbase across the globe, with bursts in particular regions of the world that are otherwise dominated by other sports like soccer, basketball, ice hockey, and others.