Dana White considers Jorge Masvidal a ‘massive star,’ credits entire UFC 251 event for huge PPV sales

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

The first event on “UFC Fight Island” will likely go down as one of the most successful shows in the company’s history, and Dana White couldn’t be happier.

The UFC president was beaming this past Saturday night after the event ended and he was all smiles once again after reports surfaced that the card sold approximately 1.3 million pay-per-views. If those numbers are solid, UFC 251 would become one of the top pay-per-views in the history of the company.

“It was a very successful event,” White said when asked if the UFC 251 sales figures were accurate. “We’re happy. This thing killed it across the board in every way you could possibly kill it. It was awesome. The thing did really well.”

White believes there were a multitude of factors that played into the huge success of UFC 251 but the addition of Jorge Masvidal to the main event against welterweight champion Kamaru Usman obviously made a sizable impact.

Masvidal has quickly become one of the most talked about fighters in the sport after he rocketed to stardom with three huge wins in 2019.

While he came up short in his bid to become champion after accepting the fight with Usman on just six days’ notice, Masvidal has definitely cemented himself as one of the promotion’s most profitable athletes.

“I said it to you guys the other night, when you put on a fight, a successful promotion of an event, it’s a big melting pot of different things,” White explained. “’Fight Island’ was a massive star in this thing. Masvidal is a massive star. Obviously, Usman, the champion and a guy that we’re all start to realize is tough to beat and a great card underneath.

“It all came together perfectly. It was a major success. Everybody’s healthy. It’s all good. Literally not one negative thing that I could point out.”

Of course there were three title fights on the main card and Usman’s contribution to a heated rivalry with Masvidal helped build the overall event but it’s impossible to ignore how much the UFC’s only “BMF” champion added by joining the event.

With the UFC always on the lookout for superstars who can sell pay-per-views, it certainly appears Masvidal is now part of that exclusive group.

“Yeah, he’s a big star,” White answered when asked about Masvidal’s status.

Following the conclusion of the event, Masvidal returned home and he already posted videos showing that he’s been working out in the aftermath of his five-round decision loss to Usman. Judging by that footage, Masvidal is anxious to get back into the cage again soon and the UFC would undoubtedly benefit with another appearance from him before 2020 expires.