Dana White calls Jorge Masvidal a 'massive star' and credits him for huge PPV sales of UFC 251
When Dana White and the UFC announced their ideas for a fight island, many people were on the skeptical side of things. Fast forward to the events of UFC 251 and Dana White’s fight island looks like a real money-maker for the fight promotion.
According to reports on The Athletic, UFC 251 has grossed north of 1.3 million pay-per-view buys and was UFC’s most successful event since UFC 229: Nurmagomedov vs McGregor. Part of UFC’s success could be due to it being one of the few sporting programs, which have continued despite the ongoing pandemic.
"It was a very successful event and we're happy. This thing killed across the board and every week we could possibly kill it. It was awesome and the thing did really well."- Dana White on the huge success that was UFC 251.
UFC 251 saw welterweight champion Kamaru Usman put his title on the line against ‘BMF’ champion Jorge Masvidal in the main event of the card. Masvidal had replaced Gilbert Burns, who tested positive for COVID-19, on just six days’ notice and always had a tough prospect on his hands in the form of champ Usman.
Dana White attributed the success of the UFC event to a no. of things including Masvidal, Usman, and the fight island itself. Dana White had been speaking to the press ahead of UFC Fight Night: Kattar vs Ige.
“I said it to you guys the other night, when you put on a fight, a successful promotion of an event, it’s a big melting pot of different things. “’Fight Island’ was a massive star in this thing. Masvidal is a massive star. Obviously, Usman, the champion and a guy that we’re all start to realize is tough to beat and a great card underneath."- Dana White on the reason behind the massive success of UFC 251
Jorge Masvidal has become one of the most popular fighters in the UFC roster after a brilliant 2019 which saw him defeat Darren Till, Ben Askren, and Nate Diaz. His last fight at the Madison Square garden saw him become the first 'BMF' champion in the company's history at UFC 244.