In this week's Wrestling Observer Newsletter (subscription required), Dave Meltzer reported that updated trending data since his original report suggests UFC 104 did better than expected, clocking in around 475,000 buys.  If the number holds up, it's a very strong showing for a show with no co-main event and a feature bout between Brazilians.  

The show supposedly did very well in Los Angeles, which is not surprising considering the huge media push in L.A.  They weren't able to convince a lot of people to buy 300 dollar tickets, but they convinced a lot of people to buy a 50 dollar show.  

The time between shows clearly affects pay per view numbers; there have now been a number of shows that smashed expectations because they came more than a full month after the last pay per view. This is something to watch if the January 2nd show doesn't get a bigger top fight.

Finally, and most importantly, it's great news for Lyoto Machida, who in his second fight as champion is already a stronger draw than Anderson Silva is three years into his title reign.  The rematch should do very strong numbers if and when it happens.