New UFC bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley says the promotion revealed how many pay-per-view buys were associated with UFC 292 after former champ Henry Cejudo claimed sales for the event were weak.
O’Malley became the 135-pound champ by defeating Aljamain Sterling in the second round by TKO in the headliner of the pay-per-view event in Boston. All signs pointed to the event being a massive success for the promotion as a sell-out show that produced the highest gate in TD Garden’s history behind the NBA Finals.
However, former two-division UFC champion Cejudo claimed there was another side to the story. In a recent video posted to his YouTube channel, Cejudo said the event didn’t do great numbers.
“Guess what guys, I have friends at ESPN,” Cejudo said. “… You guys want to know what Sean O’Malley’s buys did at pay-per-view? He did anywhere between 300K to 350K. That’s it. That’s all Sean O’Malley made in pay-per-view buys.”
O’Malley offered a rebuttal after meeting with the promotion in Las Vegas on Thursday, disputing Cejudo’s claim, while also revealing the numbers of “Triple C’s” last fight.
“I just talked to the UFC and I heard upwards of 570K,” O’Malley wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “… Not making this up. Heard Aljo vs. Henry did 135K.”
Henry sayin Me and Aljo “only” did 350k ppv according to his (girlfriend ) source. I just talked to the ufc and I heard upwards of 570k … legit no kizzy not making this up heard Aljo vs Henry did 135k. Also Henry 5’2 lol
— Sean O'Malley (@SugaSeanMMA) August 31, 2023
These days, it’s difficult to pin down an accurate number of UFC PPV buys ever since the promotion moved to ESPN. The network, UFC president Dana White, and other promotion officials now keep a tight lid on accurate figures.
However, when an event does well, White will typically relay to reporters during the post-event news conference that ESPN was happy with the sales figures. After UFC 292, White appeared very happy with how things went, despite not revealing specific numbers.
“We broke the all-time gate record,” White said at the post-event news conference. “Bruce Springsteen just played here and did $5 million, we did over $7 million. The Boston Garden. We’re the biggest thing other than – the craziest sports town on earth – other than their team that plays here, we’re the biggest thing that’s ever been here. So what does that tell you about O’Malley? This is also the biggest bantamweight championship fight ever on pay-per-view, globally. It broke the record. Biggest bantamweight championship fight ever.”
