UFC 217: GSP vs. Bisping Draws an Estimated 875K Viewers

The return fight of the man many believe to be the greatest of all time (a moniker aided by the failed drug tests and inactivity of others) now has an estimated PPV total attached to it. According to MMAFighting, UFC 217 drew an estimated 875,000 buys. This marks the most bought PPV of the year, beating out UFC 214 which was headlined by a light heavyweight title fight between Daniel Cormier and returning former champ, Jon Jones.

This year’s mega-event was headlined by the return of former UFC welterweight tyrant, Georges St-Pierre, a man who never lost his title in the Octagon, opposite the then-reigning UFC middleweight champion, Michael Bisping. This was the second title defense of Bisping’s reign, albeit an unsuccessful one. Georges St-Pierre became just the fourth man in UFC history to hold titles in two different weight classes when he choked Bisping unconscious in the 3rd round, following a hook from GSP that floored Bisping.

The card was bolstered by two other title fights that rounded out what turned in to perhaps the best card of the year. The UFC bantamweight title was on the line in the night’s co-main event in a rivalry fight between T.J. Dillashaw and Cody Garbrandt. Dillashaw closed the first chapter of the rivalry by regaining his title in a seesaw battle that witnessed both men being sent to the canvas.

Rose Namajunas also challenged for the UFC strawweight title against Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Namajunas was crowned the new king of the division after scoring a first round knockout which stunned the capacity crowd at Madison Square Garden, the company’s second trip to the iconic venue.

Three titles changed hands in one evening, a first for the company. Another historical checkmark for the company and a card that took its place among the best in recent memory.

Penn Nation, how will you remember this historic night at MSG? Let us know int he comments.

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 11/17/2017.