Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Manager Hits UFC With Harsh PPV Reality

While speaking about the loss of PPV points for champions with Submission Radio, Abdelaziz shared his thoughts on the same saying, “None of these guys that talk sell pay-per-views. The UFC right now has no PPV star outside Conor McGregor. No one can hit a million buys. When you hit a million buys is when you start making a lot more money. A lot of these guys who are talking, O’Malley, Topuria, none of these guys sell pay-per-views. Even some of my guys, they don’t sell pay-per-views.”

A Closer Look at the Harsh Truth Laid Out by Ali Abdelaziz

For Ali Abdelaziz to give McGregor a compliment is no small deal, especially considering their history. So when he says McGregor is the only fighter who can still sell over a million pay-per-views, you know he genuinely believes it. And honestly, the numbers back him up—McGregor made million-plus buys look routine, something almost nobody else has managed.

That’s what makes this so interesting. Pulling those kinds of numbers is insanely tough, and while the UFC has plenty of stars right now Ilia Topuria, Sean O’Malley, Khamzat Chimaev, just to name a few—none of them have crossed that million mark yet.

It creates this strange mix of concern and opportunity. On one hand, there’s a real gap—no single fighter right now is moving the needle like McGregor once did, especially when it comes to pulling in casual fans. On the other hand, the stage is wide open for someone new to rise up and claim that spot. The only question is who’s it going to be?