sport news UFC 284 could break Conor McGregor's PPV record, but what are the top five PPVs ... trends now
UFC president, Dana White, believes that this weekend's main event between Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski will 'break' PPV records.
Makhachev is set to defend his lightweight title against the current featherweight champion, Volkanovski.
UFC 284 is due to take place at the RAC Arena in Perth, with Makhachev facing the featherweight champion in Volkanovski's own backyard.
With two champions going head-to-head, White believes that the UFC 284 main event is a 'monster fight'.
'Just the gate alone out of there is gonna be an MSG-type gate. The pre-buys for pay-per-view… it's beating all the fights of its type,' White said on the main event.
Islam Makhachev (left) will fight Alexander Volkanovski (right) at UFC 284 this weekend
The fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov (left) and Conor McGregor (right) did over 2m PPVs
'It's probably gonna break the record for pay-per-view in Australia and New Zealand. The UFC, our record, which was Conor and somebody. But it's looking like it's gonna break that record. It's a monster fight.'
With the fight between Makhachev and Volkanovski potentially breaking PPV records, Sportsmail breaks down the top five PPV events in the history of the UFC.
5. Conor McGregor vs Donald Cerrone - 1.35m PPV buysAfter the fight with Nurmagomedov in 2018, McGregor would take some time away from the sport.
It was two years before MMA fans would see the Irishman back in the cage.
McGregor's return fight would come against Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone in 2020 at UFC 246.
A natural lightweight, McGregor's return would actually take place at welterweight.
Despite 'Cowboy' coming towards the end of his career, fans were eager to see him and McGregor fight.
Prior to the fight with 'Cowboy' in 2020, McGregor's last fight in the UFC was in 2018
The Irishman made easy work of Cerrone by knocking him out in under a minute
Leading up to the fight, McGregor seemed to by in high spirits as he looked to make a successful return to the cage.
McGregor was looking to produce an eye-catching performance in his comeback fight.
The Irishman did just that, knocking 'Cowboy' out in just under a minute.
The fight between McGregor and Cerrone would go on to do 1.35 million PPV buys.
4. Dustin Poirier vs Conor McGregor 2 - 1.6m PPV buysAfter the pair first fought in 2014, both Poirier and McGregor would have to wait seven years before facing each other again.
With McGregor winning the first fight, Poirier was out for revenge.
The rematch would take place in 2021 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
Due to Covid restrictions, McGregor was inactive prior to the rematch with Poirier.
Poirier and McGregor would fight again nearly seven years after their first encounter
Poirier came away with the knockout win in the rematch which shocked many MMA fans
Then lightweight champion, Nurmagomedov, would retire in October of 2020 which left the 155-pound division up in the air.
White confirmed before the rematch between Poirier and McGregor that the fight would not be for the title, but many were still gripped by the bout.
Poirier would take control in the first round, with McGregor failing to establish any sort of momentum.
The second round saw Poirier come out guns blazing and would go on to knock the Irishman out, much to the surprise of many.
In total, the fight would go on to do 1.6m PPV buys.
3. Nate Diaz vs Conor McGregor 2 - 1.65m PPV buysAnother iconic rivalry in the UFC was Nate Diaz's bitter rivalry with McGregor.
Diaz and McGregor would first face-off in March of 2016. The Irishman was full of confidence after winning the featherweight title against Jose Aldo in his last fight.
In Diaz's last outing, the American put in one of his finest performances ever by defeating Michael Johnson.
Diaz would immediately grab the microphone and challenge McGregor to a fight inside the cage.
In the build-up to the fight, the
