How many PPV buys will the Mayweather vs. McGregor fight have? More than 5 million, or less than 5 million?
FRANK HYDEN, MMATorch Contributor
I’m going to go with over 5 million buys. As I say that, it sounds crazy, but McGregor has an extremely passionate fan base. Mayweather has an extremely passionate fan base of his own, and there’s the boxing vs. MMA appeal to this. Both sides want to show that they’re better, that their sport is best. I think there will be a tremendous amount of people buying this for the freak show aspect. The UFC doesn’t have any PPV’s close to this fight so we should see MMA fans willing to plop down the cash, and boxing fans have proven they’re willing to buy most of Mayweather’s fights. This is a fight between one of the biggest stars in boxing history and one of the biggest stars in MMA history. Logic tells me it does less buys, but I’m going with my gut here.
JOHN KIM, MMATorch Contributor
This fight definitely breaks the Mayweather/Pacquiao PPV record of 4.6 million buys. I see this fight doing between 5-6 million PPV buys. Mayweather has already proven that he can sell a fight. There’s also no doubting McGregor is a massive draw. In his last 4 fights, Conor has averaged 1.35 PPV buys.
MICHAEL GROCKE, MMATorch Contributor
I’m sensing a bit of burnout leading up to fight week, but I expect the hype will return the closer we get to the actual fight. I keep hearing people say that they are not buying the fight because of the circus-like aspect to it. Mayweather vs. Pacquiao did so well because we had two of the best boxers competing against each other to determine which man was the better BOXER. Everyone knows Floyd Mayweather is a better boxer than Conor McGregor, but is he a better fighter? For me, that’s where the intrigue lies. I think the same can be said for both casual and hardcore fans. What if McGregor pulls off the impossible? Do you really want to be the one person that didn’t see it? And heck, who doesn’t love a good freak show? So, for those reason I think the fight does more than five million buys.
ANDY MONSON, MMA Torch Contributor
I do not expect this PPV to pass 5 million. Boxing audiences may not be willing to spend the money on another Mayweather event, especially one where he is not fighting a………boxer. There may be an MMA/casual spectacle viewer audience base to round out those losses, but will it be enough to push the card over the fabled 5 million? I doubt it. In fact, I’m going to conservatively estimate 3.75. Mayweather and Pacquiao did the numbers it did because it truly felt like a historic cultural event. This feels like a circus.
ZACK HEYDORN, MMATorch Contributor
I’m going with less than 5 million buys, but it will end up breaking the record of 4.6 million buys set by Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao in 2015. First off, there is an astronomical amount of ways to consume and order the fight. Access is important and anyone on planet earth that wants to watch this thing will be able to. Second, this fight pits two of the best promotional athletes in the world against each other. McGregor and Mayweather talk well and sell even better. Finally, the fight is intriguing and people swarm over super fights due to the social nature of them. Family and friends getting together, bars hosting view parties, and the fight being a reason to go out will add to the allure and consumption.
JOHN HARRIS, MMATorch Contributor
I say less than 5 million PPV buys. I think this fight has much interest as any fight in boxing or MMA history, but illegal online streaming is bigger than ever. Showtime and the UFC will do what they can to slow it down but it’s just not possible. Tons of people with illegally stream through the Kodi app or other programs. You will also see people streaming it in poor quality through Facebook live or on Twitter. If this fight was happening ten years ago I would say yes, but in today’s world not a chance.
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