UFC Freedom 250 draws 17 million viewers on Paramount+

UFC Freedom 250 that took place Sunday on the White House's South Lawn on President Donald Trump's 80th birthday was watched by 17 million viewers in the United States and Latin America, according to Paramount+, which exclusively streamed the event.

The audience established a new record for a Paramount+ live event based on numbers from Nielsen, which tracked the U.S. markets, and Adobe Analytics, which tracked Latin America. The breakdown of the 17 million total viewers -- those who watched UFC Freedom 250 for at least one minute -- was 15.26 million in the U.S. and 1.67 million in Latin America. Not included in the ratings are delayed viewers or those who recorded the event and watched it on DVR within one day.

The average audience was 7.0 million in the U.S. and 1.2 million in Latin America. Numbers from other territories are expected to be announced next week.

UFC Freedom 250 was a seven-match card highlighted by 37-year-old Justin Gaethje, considered a 6-to-1 underdog, upsetting Ilia Topuria to win the lightweight title. Gaethje scored a TKO when Topuria's corner stopped the fight after Round 4.

In the co-main event, Ciryl Gane became interim heavyweight champion by TKO over Alex Pereira in the second round.

Despite the success of the event, UFC President and CEO Dana White called it a "one-of-one" with the White House lawn at the site.

"I can't afford it," White told reporters after the event, which reportedly cost more than $60 million to develop and produce. "There's no ... way we can do this again."

-Field Level Media/Reuters