UFC Business Model: Purposely Giving Fans a Second-Tier Product

[The Bard]

I've discussed this in a few semi-related threads but figured it could use its own.

I've said for years that the UFC's business model is to have young, hungry, cheap fighter fill events and fight for peanuts without complaining. UFC loves young Brazilians for this purpose. Sprinkle in a few big-name guys here and there who actually want to get paid to put on the top of the card. Then put all of the mid-tier guys who make decent money on the shelf and act like they don't exist. If you start browsing fight finder, you can find tons of guys who are fighting only 3-4 times every 2-3 years. Then you can find a lot of the new guys who make crap tend to fight as often as possible, 3-4 times in a year.

For example, UFC had Rothwell on ice forever, basically ruined a huge portion of his career (7 fights in 5 years) until he beat so many guys the fans demanded he fight more. That's because Rothwell was one of the mid-tier guys who made decent money. Meanwhile they found time to give Soa Polalei four fights in ten months. The difference? Soa had just come to the UFC and was making the minimum.

UFC is basically giving us a second-rate product on purpose while tying up a lot of the fighters who are better than the ones we're watching because it doesn't want to pay them. Anyone else notice this?

 

[ortizgnp]

I disagree.

 

[Arm Barbarian]

 

[Wizzlebiz]

They have no choice.

Do you want one card stacked to the gills and the next 4 fight pass quality?

Didnt think so.

 

[Final Say]

Maximize profit and minimize overhead

 

[Primitivo]

 

[Rex Kwon Do]

Nonsense. The UFC is to cage fighting what Ivo Magherini is to making theorbos.

 

[vigneshm1995]

 

[Headkicktoleg]

It's not so much that they are icing higher tiered guys on purpose. It's just once you get into the top 10 and top 5 the match ups matter much more and the stakes are a lot higher. The higher ranked guys DON'T WANT to fight more than once or twice a year. Not everyone can be Cerrone or Magney and if they were it would just be rematch after rematch or squash matches to keep guys busy.

 

[12ga.]

Actually its just the opposite.. they dont give enough push to cheap noobs, instead, stacking top of card with legacy fighters paid well with lots of loses.

As beloved as Carlos Conduit is he's like 2/6 his last 6 and would still get a top 5 fight when he should be in prelims or cut. OFC they dont do that because he sells.

Noobs, besides conor, take forever to get to the top and cant lose.

 

[Gorkle]

Ok serious question here. Are you a troll or utterly retarded?

You can't honestly be asking this seriously right?

 

[HHJ]

Actually its just the opposite.. they dont give enough push to cheap noobs, instead, stacking top of card with legacy fighters paid well with lots of loses.

As beloved as Carlos Conduit is he's like 2/6 his last 6 and would still get a top 5 fight when he should be in prelims. OFC they dont do that because he sells.

Noobs, besides conor, take forever to get to the top and cant lose.

Carlos Condit should never be in the prelims. W/L record isnt only factor in choosing where a figther goes on the card,and thats a good thing,because he PERFORMS. an old faded legend who sucks out there is a diff story.

 

[The Bard]

Ok serious question here. Are you a troll or utterly retarded?

You can't honestly be asking this seriously right?

I'm utterly purple note cane hungry retarded. I'm typing ragdolls marvel beef using facilitated gargoyle communication involving snowblowing into a straw and chapstick eye blinks.

Sometimes garbagetruck and adds extra gorilla words, but overall it works well.

 

[HI SCOTT NEWMAN]

 

[Primitivo]

 

[HHJ]

people used to bitch about the ufc doing this back in the days when both they and Pride ran one card every 2 months...but when you think about it Pride simply took the time to hype up their undercard fighters so they looked like stars too. UFC just had that godawful music they still use,and guys shadowbox for the camera. Pride actually gave you an interview or a cool entrance,and got fighters from exotic parts of the world so it was more of a spectacle.

 

[VroomyJeeps]

Ive been bitching for 10 years that i could do a way better job than joe Silva. Easy to say that from my computer chair but i make fight cards for fun when im bored, and its something ive always wanted to do.

In 2014 i commented how the ufc was getting too far away from what made them successful which was PPV, which represents 70% of their income.

Now they are stacking ppv again but not building cards right so when an injury happens the cards take a big hit.

I would love to build the cards for them. I would even help for free if they gave me access to schedules and fighter suspension / medical information.

Unfortunately i dont think they have a great sense of what the people want. They are very successful but they could have been bigger imo.

Bad Ppv card building has cost the ufc probably 100s of millions imo.

 

[Danespina]

UFC cut the amount of events by 20% over the last 2 years and cards have been getting stacked because of it.
UFC has been doing great. Big fan.

 

[ZuffaExecutive]

I've discussed this in a few semi-related threads but figured it could use its own.

I've said for years that the UFC's business model is to have young, hungry, cheap fighter fill events and fight for peanuts without complaining. UFC loves young Brazilians for this purpose. Sprinkle in a few big-name guys here and there who actually want to get paid to put on the top of the card. Then put all of the mid-tier guys who make decent money on the shelf and act like they don't exist. If you start browsing fight finder, you can find tons of guys who are fighting only 3-4 times every 2-3 years. Then you can find a lot of the new guys who make crap tend to fight as often as possible, 3-4 times in a year.

For example, UFC had Rothwell on ice forever, basically ruined a huge portion of his career (7 fights in 5 years) until he beat so many guys the fans demanded he fight more. That's because Rothwell was one of the mid-tier guys who made decent money. Meanwhile they found time to give Soa Polalei four fights in ten months. The difference? Soa had just come to the UFC and was making the minimum.

UFC is basically giving us a second-rate product on purpose while tying up a lot of the fighters who are better than the ones we're watching because it doesn't want to pay them. Anyone else notice this?

Before making this thread did u ever think about injuries or suspensions.Rothwell for instance got banned for peds

 

[Verace]

The ufc is what defines the best in the sports. If you think they are second grade, then our sport is second grade