How Many UFC Fans Watched UFC Freedom 250 on Paramount+ in U.S. & Latin America?

UFC Freedom 250 took place last Sunday on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington D.C.

Diego Lopes soaks in his win over Steve Garcia at UFC Freedom 250. | Ken Kwok – Getty Images

UFC Freedom 250 took place last Sunday night on the South Lawn of The White House in Washington, D.C., and it was reportedly a huge success for the promotion's streaming partner, Paramount+.

The fights proceeded without issue despite the weather being a major storyline entering the event, which began just after 9 p.m. ET. Big winners included the likes of Justin Gaethje, Cyril Gane, Sean O'Malley, Josh Hokit, Mauricio Ruffy, Bo Nickal, and Diego Lopes throughout the night. Each fight ended by KO/TKO in a historic first for the UFC throughout its 700-plus event history since Nov. 1993.

Embarking on a new seven-year, $7.7 billion-dollar deal at the beginning of the year, all UFC events are streamed live with any subscription (and no extra paywall) on Paramount+ in the U.S., Latin America, and Brazil. Thursday, ratings were released by Paramount for the U.S. and Latin America territories, ringing in a massive win for the UFC, TKO, and its internal and external partners.

UFC Freedom 250 Ratings

Justin Gaethje celebrates after beating Ilia Topuria at UFC Freedom 250 Sunday | Ken Kwok – Getty Images

Approximately 17 million viewers tuned in for the event, setting a record as the most-streamed live fight in the partnership's short history, and it was dubbed "the biggest exclusive live event" in the platform's history thus far.

"UFC’s unprecedented White House card marked the biggest exclusive live event in Paramount+ history, averaging 8.2M viewers across both markets," a portion of the release stated.

Another globally streamed event, Netflix's first MVP MMA show, which featured a headliner between Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano, drew an identical number (but only for the Rousey-Carano fight itself), not the entire event. This was further clarified by The Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer.

"This was bigger in the sense it had a smaller platform and [Nielsen] is a higher rater," Meltzer tweeted. "But because of Netflix, worldwide Rousey vs. Carano was bigger and U.S. It's up in the air because of the different systems. Still, if you factor in the publicity difference, Rousey vs. Carano beating that show or even being equal is a giant win."

The UFC will look to follow up its success next month, when former two-division champion Conor McGregor rematches Max Holloway Saturday, July 11, at UFC 329 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Will UFC Return To The White House?

Ciryl Gane fights Alex Pereira at UFC Freedom 250. | Ken Kwok – Getty Images

As expected, UFC CEO Dana White has no plans to run back an event from the South Lawn of The White House.

"I can't afford it," White told reporters Sunday night.

With the one-of-one spectacle behind the UFC, White was happy with the event overall.

"In every way you can gauge success," White said, noting that the UFC's fan fest was a major hit for those who weren't invited to watch the fights in the makeshift arena.

All the fights are available to stream right now on the service, with plans beginning at $8.99 a month.