UFC 284 could break Conor McGregor’s PPV record, but what are the top five PPVs in UFC history?

UFC President Dana White believes this weekend’s main event between Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski will ‘break’ PPV records.

Makhachev will defend his lightweight title against current world featherweight champion Volkanovski.

UFC 284 is set to take place at the RAC Arena in Perth, with Makhachev taking on the world featherweight champion in Volkanovski’s own backyard.

With two champions going head-to-head, White believes the UFC 284 main event is a “monster fight.”

“Only the gate out there will be an MSG type gate. The pre-buys for pay-per-view … it beats all fights of its kind,” White said at the main event.

Islam Makhachev (left) will face Alexander Volkanovski (right) at UFC 284 this weekend

The fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov (left) and Conor McGregor (right) drew over 2 million PPVs

“It will likely break the record for pay-per-view in Australia and New Zealand. The UFC, our record, that was Conor and somebody. But it looks like it will break that record. It’s a monster fight.’

With Makhachev-Volkanovski fight potentially breaking PPV records, Sportsmail breaks down the top five PPV events in UFC history.

5. Conor McGregor vs Donald Cerrone – 1.35m PPV buys

After fighting Nurmagomedov in 2018, McGregor would take time off from the sport.

It was two years before MMA fans saw the Irishman back in the cage.

McGregor’s rematch would be at UFC 246 in 2020 against Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone.

A natural lightweight, McGregor’s return would actually be at welterweight.

Although “Cowboy” was nearing the end of his career, fans were excited to see him and McGregor fight.

Before fighting “Cowboy” in 2020, McGregor’s last fight in the UFC was in 2018

The Irishman made it easy for Cerrone by knocking him out in under a minute

Leading up to the fight, McGregor appeared to be in high spirits as he attempted to successfully return to the cage.

McGregor wanted to put on a flashy performance in his comeback fight.

The Irishman did just that, knocking out “Cowboy” in just under a minute

The fight between McGregor and Cerrone resulted in 1.35 million PPV buys.

4. Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor 2 – 1.6M PPV buys

After the pair first fought in 2014, both Poirier and McGregor had 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 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi in 2021.

Due to Covid restrictions, McGregor was inactive ahead of the rematch with Poirier.

Poirier and McGregor fought again almost seven years after they first met

Poirier picked up the KO win in the rematch that shocked many MMA fans

Then lightweight champion Nurmagomedov would retire in October 2020, leaving the 155-pound division up in the air.

White confirmed ahead of the Poirier vs McGregor rematch that the fight would not be for the title, but many were still gripped by the fight.

Poirier would take control on the first lap, with McGregor unable to build momentum.

In the second round Poirier came out guns blazing and knocked out the Irishman to the great surprise of many.

Overall, the fight would continue over 1.6 million PPV purchases.

3. Nate Diaz vs. Conor McGregor 2 – 1.65m PPV buys

Another iconic rivalry in the UFC was Nate Diaz’s bitter rivalry with McGregor.

Diaz and McGregor first met in March 2016. The Irishman was full of confidence after winning the featherweight title against Jose Aldo in his most recent fight.

In Diaz’s final game, the American put on one of his all-time best performances as he defeated Michael Johnson.

Diaz would immediately grab the mic and challenge McGregor to a cage fight.

In the run-up to the dispute, the couple clashed several times. On the night of the fight, Diaz shocked the world by subduing McGregor in the second round.

McGregor’s rematch with Diaz would go down as one of the best fights in UFC history

Despite all the talks leading up to the rematch, the two were full of respect after the fight

They would then fight for a second time just five months after the first fight.

The second fight would go down as one of the best fights in the UFC, with both men going toe-to-toe the full five rounds.

McGregor rode the first lap but stumbled at the end of the second and struggled during the third.

The Irishman would come back to win the final two rounds to win via majority decision.

With all the drama heading towards the rematch and the fight itself, fans were wowed by the event, with the rematch garnering 1.65 million PPV buys.

2. Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor 3 – 1.8M PPV buys

One of the most legendary rivalries in the history of the sport is Dustin Poirier’s rivalry with McGregor.

The pair first met in 2014 when McGregor knocked out Poirier in the first round.

Both men were destined to meet again in the cage in the near future.

They would fight for a second time in January 2021 in Abu Dhabi with Poirier winning via TKO in the second round.

With many shocked by the result, the UFC would book the trilogy fight to settle the score.

Dustin Poirier (left) would win the trilogy fight with McGregor to take a 2-1 lead in the series

The pair would fight a third time at UFC 264 in July 2021.

The stakes were high for both men and the winner faced Charles Oliveria for the lightweight title.

In order to be able to fight for the title, the stage was set for both men to put on a show in front of the Las Vegas fans.

The fight would end in dramatic fashion when McGregor broke his leg at the end of the first round.

The fight would be declared an official TKO victory for Poirier. Despite the bizarre ending, the fight would garner 1.8 million PPV buys.

1. Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Conor McGregor 2.4M PPV buys

In 2018, Khabib Nurmagomedov would defend his lightweight title for the first time against “The Notorious” Conor McGregor at UFC 229.

The Russian fighter defeated Al Iaquinta just six months before winning the vacant title.

After defeating Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 in 2016, McGregor became the first simultaneous two-division champion in the history of the sport, winning the lightweight title against Alvarez.

McGregor would then vacate the title to have a boxing match with Floyd Mayweather in 2017.

The Irishman would lose to Mayweather and return to the cage to face Nurmagomedov.

The build up to the fight was like no other, with the pair engaging in several verbal altercations which would only add to the hype.

Since McGregor hadn’t fought in the UFC for almost two years, many were anticipating his return.

The T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas was packed as fans craved to witness the story.

Nurmagomedov (L) and McGregor (R) were involved in several altercations beforehand

After all the drama, Nurmagomedov would dominate the fight with McGregor

On the night, Khabib’s dominance paid off. The Russian would dominate every single round before subduing the Irishman in the fourth round.

The fight would go ahead with 2.4 million PPV purchases and still remains the UFC record for most purchases.

Will Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski break the PPV record?

Volkanovski is currently the number one pound-for-pound in the UFC and has become a real sensation since winning the title.

In every fight since winning the belt, the Aussie has dominated every fight.

As for Makhachev, the Russian put on a sensational performance against Oliveira to win the title.

Many believe the Russian will dominate the division for years to come.

That being said, it’s highly doubtful that this weekend’s PPV will break any McGregor records.

Volkanovski could become only the fifth fighter in the UFC to win two titles simultaneously

Dana White thinks this weekend’s main event could break McGregor’s PPV records

Although both men are dominant in their field, they are not household names around the world when it comes to marketing.

While the champion-vs-champion fight will appeal to die-hard MMA fans, it’s fair to say that it may lack wider appeal globally and as such will be difficult to rank in everyone’s top 5 PPV buys times to come.