Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor: Comparison of PPV sales between two of UFC's biggest superstars
Both Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor are names that have transcended the sport of MMA and the UFC. The two fighters are also capable of attracting large crowds and bringing lots of money to the organization. The Russian is now retired from fighting. However, McGregor is still actively competing in combat sports.
The biggest event in the history of the UFC was Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor at UFC 229 in 2018. The main event managed to pull in 2,400,000 pay-per-view buys, which reportedly brought in $180 million.
OHHHHH MY KHABIB DROPS MCGREGOR!!!!
#UFC229 https://t.co/4rBF7QbRey
However, the Irishman is no stranger to attracting large pay-per-view sales in the UFC. McGregor's rematch against Nate Diaz at UFC 202 pulled in 1,600,000 buys. His two fights with Dustin Poirier in 2021 both sold over 1,500,000 pay-per-views.
One of the lowest buyrates McGregor had was while headlining a UFC event back in 2015 against Chad Mendes. UFC 189 still managed to sell a respectable 825,000 pay-per-views, even though the figure is much lower than the record numbers the Irishman subsequently achieved.
#AndNew UFC interim featherweight champion of the world @TheNotoriousMMA! #UFC189 http://t.co/tTP2rhl3bM
Despite his dominance in the UFC, Khabib Nurmagomedov could never match Conor McGregor's numbers. Besides the Russian's fight against McGregor, Nurmagomedov's biggest pay-per-view success was at UFC 254 against Justin Gaethje. The event had a buyrate of 675,000, which is still a large number, but nowhere near the level the Irishman has sold.
UFC 223 was another standout event for 'The Eagle' when he faced Al Iaquinta in 2018. However, the numbers were once again low, with the card selling just 350,000 pay-per-views.
Perhaps the lower numbers are due to Nurmagomedov's dominance in the octagon. The Russian, a wrestling specialist who honed his skills in Dagestan, is arguably the greatest MMA grappler in history. However, this dominant style meant that he was almost always heavily favored to win, which might have hindered the pay-per-view sales.
[Note: Pay-per-view figures as per Tapology]
Watch Nurmagomedov in action here:
What is Khabib Nurmagomedov doing now?
Now that his fighting days are behind him, Khabib Nurmagomedov mainly focuses on his business and training the next generation of MMA fighters from Dagestan at the AKA Gym.
The Russian bought Gorilla Fighting Championship for $1million in 2020, which he later renamed the Eagle Fighting Championship. Since buying the MMA organization, the UFC Hall of Famer has signed some big names. Junior dos Santos, Kevin Lee, Diego Sanchez and Rashad Evans are just some of the fighters the organization now promotes.
As mentioned, Nurmagomedov also spends time training other MMA fighters. The former UFC champion can often be seen in the corners of various fighters, mainly from Dagestan and Russia, during UFC events.