Netflix may have just changed the future of combat sports broadcasting forever. The streaming giant’s first major MMA event, headlined by Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano, officially became the most-watched MMA event in United States history. Can the UFC rival these numbers?
17 Million Viewers Worldwide
According to Netflix, the card peaked at nearly 17 million concurrent viewers worldwide. The entire triple-header averaged 12.4 million viewers globally. In the United States alone, the broadcast averaged 9.3 million viewers and peaked at 11.6 million.
That is massive compared to the record previously held by UFC on FOX 1 in 2011, headlined by Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos. That event peaked at 8.8 million viewers. That was on free to watch tv.
If we look at Pay Per Views, UFC 229 featuring Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor remains the highest-selling PPV in UFC history with 2.4 million buys.
So, Netflix beat the UFC in both categories. But is this a fair comparison?
Netflix vs. Paramount: A New Streaming War Begins?
Let’s face it, everybody has Netflix. And the streaming model changes the equation completely. First of all, unlike in the biggest UFC events of the past, there is no $80 PPV fee. A $20 monthly fee will get you access to all of Netflix’ content in the US.
The barrier to entry is dramatically lower, and the audience numbers reflect it. With their millions of subscriptions, in the US and worldwide, we should not be surprised at these numbers.
That creates an interesting rivalry with the UFC’s current move toward streaming through Paramount+.
The UFC recently shifted away from the traditional PPV structure and bundled numbered events into a subscription-based model. Early returns were already considered strong, with the UFC’s Paramount+ debut reportedly averaging around 5 million viewers domestically.
Still, Netflix’s Rousey vs. Carano event nearly doubled those numbers globally.
Can the Best UFC Events Rival MVP Viewership?
Looking ahead, the UFC now has enormous pressure to respond with blockbuster events of its own. Two cards already stand out as potential streaming juggernauts.
The first is the UFC Freedom card at the White House. This unique event will see the best of the best at the UFC roster, including top stars Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje in the main event and Alex Pereira vs. Ciryl Gane in the co-main.
The second is UFC 329, headlined by Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway. If any fighter has name recognition among casual fans, it is Conor McGregor. And if Netflix’s Rousey vs. Carano numbers proved anything, it is that mainstream audiences still show up in massive numbers for crossover stars.
Netflix is Just a Bigger Platform
In my opinion, the only thing holding the UFC and Paramount+ back from gaining Netflix’ numbers is the platform itself.
Netflix has 325 million paid subscribers globally, and approximately 66.7 million in the US. Netflix has global reach, mainstream cultural power, and an algorithm capable of putting fight cards directly in front of casual viewers.
Paramount+ has the UFC brand and a deeper MMA roster. But Paramount+ currently has 35.8 million paid subscribers in the US, and globally around 79.1 million. So, we do not need to be surprised that Netflix can pull higher numbers.
Imagine how big the UFC’s numbers would be if they aired a McGregor fight on Netflix!