The main event of the UFC's inaugural 'Fight Island' show failed to live up to expectation.There was an enormous amount of hype surrounding the much-anticipated meeting between Kamaru Usman and Jorge Masvidal for the franchise's welterweight title.Masvidal took the fight at six days notice and as a result, Usman pretty much strolled to victory on Yas Island with his superior wrestling skills.It was far from an exciting fight, but the 'Nigerian Nightmare' got the job done to cement his status as one of the best fighters in the game.However, while the action inside the Octagon wasn't as enthralling as hoped, Dana White's company made an absolute killing in terms of pay-per-view buys.As revealed by The Athletic's Mike Coppinger, UFC 251 generated 1.3 million buys worldwide on ESPN+.
It's the most pay-per-view buys for a UFC event since Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor faced off in Las Vegas back in 2018.
Usman versus Masvidal is now sixth on the UFC's all-time PPV list, with reports stating that the show secured over £60m in television revenue.
Much of the interest in the fight was down to Masvidal, with Gamebred becoming the people's champion in recent years after stunning victories over Ben Askren and Nate Diaz.
The 35-year-old posted the following statement on the financial success of the fight: "The overwhelming amount of support I have received before, during, and after this journey has been humbling. Still got a lot of goals to meet. All of you that tuned in to see me win, thank you. Those that tuned in to see me lose, thank you.
"I want to thank God for allowing me to be able to provide for my family during a time of crisis and the best is yet to come #theresurrection."
After the fight on Yas Island, Masvidal told Usman "we're going to run it back", suggesting that we will see a rematch in the not too distant future.
A fully prepared Masvidal, combined with the added time to sell the fight to fans, could see the repeat with Usman deliver PPV numbers on McGregor's level.