In just three fights, Jake Paul reportedly achieved a pay-per-view milestone that eluded UFC legend Jon Jones throughout his combat sports career.
The career of the fighter considered by many to be the UFC`s greatest of all time recently concluded with the announcement of his retirement by Dana White.
This announcement followed a period of uncertainty and frustration in the heavyweight division, partly due to Jones` apparent reluctance to face Tom Aspinall, the former interim and now undisputed champion.
While this situation has led some to suggest `Bones` may have impacted his legacy, others have praised his illustrious career.
His accomplishments place him among the UFC`s all-time greats. However, one milestone he seemingly didn`t reach was generating one million pay-per-view buys for a single event.
Jake Paul Reportedly Hit Million PPV Buys Against MMA Star
According to records from Tapology, the retiring UFC icon`s highest reported PPV total was for UFC 214, featuring his rematch against Daniel Cormier.
That event reportedly garnered 860,000 buys, a figure Jake Paul reportedly exceeded in only his third professional boxing match and his first time headlining an event.
One of the YouTuber turned boxer`s early high-profile bouts was against Ben Askren, a former champion in Bellator and ONE Championship who also had a brief run in the UFC.
Paul defeated Askren with a first-round knockout, silencing doubters like Dana White. This fight, which headlined a card also featuring names like Regis Prograis and Frank Mir, is reported to have drawn 1.45 million buys.
While Paul later claimed the number was over 1.5 million, UFC CEO Dana White publicly disputed these figures, calling them false.
There were rumors that Jones` return for the heavyweight title at UFC 285 surpassed one million buys, but this remains unconfirmed. His manager, Ali Abdelaziz, was among those who publicly made this claim.
Jake Paul Aims for Continued PPV Success Against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
While Paul`s start in the combat sports pay-per-view market was strong, he hasn`t consistently maintained that level of success.
The Cleveland-born fighter noted that his match against Anderson Silva saw disappointing PPV numbers, which he attributed to speculation that `The Spider` might withdraw, impacting pre-sales.
Following his win over Nate Diaz, which reportedly drew fewer than 500,000 buys, Paul achieved record viewership last November in the first live combat sports event on Netflix, where he fought and defeated Mike Tyson.
The 28-year-old is now set to return to pay-per-view on DAZN on June 28, aiming for his sixth consecutive win against former WBC champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
Gareth Pendleton