Dana White has reason to flash his trademark grin! While he might not have been overly concerned, the latest UFC event in Miami brought some surprising numbers to light. At the Kaseya Center, UFC 327 marked a historic low for gate receipts. However, in a twist of irony, the television broadcast soared to new heights.

“CBS simulcast once again pays off for UFC with the most-watched telecast for the MMA outfit in 10 years,” reported prominent journalist Austin Karp on X. “2.65 million viewers for UFC 327 on Saturday. That tops the 2.47 million for the UFC 326 simulcast.”

Earlier this year, Paramount acquired the exclusive U.S. broadcasting rights to the UFC. In a deal worth $7.7 billion, stretched over seven years, the future looked promising. But with that came a few changes. The pay-per-view (PPV), where viewers pay a one-time fee to watch a marquee live event, got scrapped.

Instead, an exclusive, subscription-based streaming model on Paramount+ came into action. Additionally, CBS, which serves as a primary subsidiary and television network of Paramount, became a part of the leading MMA promotion. As such, it would simulcast some of the numbered events on CBS.

And after UFC 326, they broadcast UFC 327, headlined by Carlos Ulberg and Jiri Prochazka on the television network. While the combined numbers, including Paramount and CBS, may differ, the television network has achieved an impressive feat. As such, it broke the record for the most-watched telecast for the promotion in a decade.

Previously, UFC 326, which was headlined by Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira, set the record with 2.47 million viewers on CBS. However, the UFC event in Miami last weekend has sparked renewed hope for the Dana White-led promotion’s future, despite challenges in other factors. Now, what are those factors actually?

UFC 327 records all-time low ticket sales in Miami

The Kaseya Center in Miami has been regularly hosting UFC events since 2023. Since then, it has consistently generated over $10 million in gate for the annual numbered events. However, last weekend, UFC 327 could only make around $6.5 million in ticket sales.

This is concerning, especially when compared to previous events held at the same venue. But what could be the factor here that drives the gate numbers? With promotional tactics, surely the featured matchups on the card also stand as an important crowd-puller. Notably, in 2023, when UFC 287 took place, it was headlined by a buzzing grudge match between Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya.

And that particular event generated over $12 million in ticket sales. Similarly, a year later, when UFC 299 went down, it featured a lineup of top UFC fighters. The likes of Sean O’Malley, Dustin Poirier, Gilbert Burns, and Petr Yan, who were around the title fight conversations, fought on that card.

Unlike those previous events, UFC 327 did not have many big names or title fights. Although the UFC flyweight championship bout between Joshua Van and Tatsuro Taira was initially scheduled to take place, the bout got rescheduled due to an undisclosed injury. But despite that, the event surely did well on the television broadcast.

Here, Josh Hokit‘s pre-fight antics leading up to UFC 327 may have been a key factor in generating significant attention, as he made headlines by playfully mocking his rivals. Overall, the viewership numbers from the CBS simulcast offer hope for a successful future run.

With the upcoming UFC White House event scheduled for June 14, which will also be broadcast on the platform, it will be interesting to see how the simulcast performs at that time.