"They say the UFC has peaked. They are morons !" - Dana White

The Sausage King

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“Do you know how many times I’ve heard, ‘Oh my God, the Chuck Liddell era is over, Chuck Liddell is retiring, what’s the UFC going to do? They don’t have stars anymore. Or, ‘Oh my God, the GSP era is over, what are they going to do without GSP?’ Or, ‘Oh my God, the Anderson Silva era is over, what are they going to do without Anderson Silva?’ They say the UFC has peaked — and we just sold it for 4 billion dollars. I can’t read this stuff or listen to these morons who talk about it. They know nothing about the business and they don’t understand how it works. We do.”

http://www.mmamania.com/2016/8/4/12...think-ufc-peaked-following-4-billion-sale-mma

I've been watching MMA since 2003 and I while I agree this has always been said, the difference is I (and many other loyal fans) actually feel it this time. I always defended the UFC in years past from the "UFC is over" crowd, but for the first time 14 years, I'm willing to admit I think they've over pushed their boundries and they are a falling company. Sorry, Baldfather, your ship is sinking.
 
“Do you know how many times I’ve heard, ‘Oh my God, the Chuck Liddell era is over, Chuck Liddell is retiring, what’s the UFC going to do? They don’t have stars anymore. Or, ‘Oh my God, the GSP era is over, what are they going to do without GSP?’ Or, ‘Oh my God, the Anderson Silva era is over, what are they going to do without Anderson Silva?’ They say the UFC has peaked — and we just sold it for 4 billion dollars. I can’t read this stuff or listen to these morons who talk about it. They know nothing about the business and they don’t understand how it works. We do.”

http://www.mmamania.com/2016/8/4/12...think-ufc-peaked-following-4-billion-sale-mma

I've been watching MMA since 2003 and I while I agree this has always been said, the difference is I (and many other loyal fans) actually feel it this time. I always defended the UFC in years past from the "UFC is over" crowd, but for the first time 14 years, I'm willing to admit I think they've over pushed their boundries and they are a falling company. Sorry, Baldfather, your ship is sinking.

Care to make an argument as to why they are sinking, because to me it looks like the UFC is drawing more eyeballs than ever before. They are having more trouble handling the fighters with everyone jockeying for a payday, but there is precious little competition for them and as long as that's the case the fighters are going to show up in the octagon at the end of the day.
 
Has MMA peaked? No... I really think it will continue to grow.

But has the UFC Brand peaked? Maybe... at least in terms of value for the foreseeable future, I don't think anyone would be willing to pay that nut again... not with the way things are shaping up now...

The bottom line is the writing is on the wall with regards to the existing UFC business model... the fighters know there is a lot more money on the table now, and they will demand their share... any fighter with leverage (ahem Conor McGregor) is going to use it way more effectively than was ever possible 5 years ago... if the Ali Act challenge successfully goes thru, the game will change forever...

The UFC still has the strongest brand in the business now... but they are going to have to evolve, or face the prospect of losing their iron grip. Fighters are not slaves, they have legal recourse in some cases, or can simply fight out their contract in others... I suspect we will be looking at this sport very differently in another 5 years...
 
Care to make an argument as to why they are sinking, because to me it looks like the UFC is drawing more eyeballs than ever before. They are having more trouble handling the fighters with everyone jockeying for a payday, but there is precious little competition for them and as long as that's the case the fighters are going to show up in the octagon at the end of the day.

Bars have stopped showing them in my town and others.
Low number of draw fighters besides Conor.
Fighters leaving for Bellator or choosing it over the UFC.
The sale by the F brothers is a 'get out of a sinking ship.'
No enthusisam here on Sherdog.
Low volumn of sherdog threads and contributions in the UFC section.
 
I think it peaked a few years ago. Will it fade? Prob not.
 
Bars have stopped showing them in my town and others.
Low number of draw fighters besides Conor.
Fighters leaving for Bellator or choosing it over the UFC.
The sale by the F brothers is a 'get out of a sinking ship.'
No enthusisam here on Sherdog.
Low volumn of sherdog threads and contributions in the UFC section.

Are you seriously pointing to enthusiasm on Sherdog to prove this point. Man. Can't believe I took this thread seriously.
 
Are you seriously pointing to enthusiasm on Sherdog to prove this point. Man. Can't believe I took this thread seriously.

yes, Sherdog is the world's biggest MMA forum and I've been on here since 2009. I have never seen threads last several days on the first page that only have 50 comments until this last year.

There is no buzz for the UFC anymore.
 
yes, Sherdog is the world's biggest MMA forum and I've been on here since 2009. I have never seen threads last several days on the first page that only have 50 comments until this last year.

There is no buzz for the UFC anymore.

Given that they have just had their biggest year ever in terms of actual ppv sales, gate and viewing I don't think they're that worried about Sherdog activity, sorry.
 
Dana's former partners apparently don't agree with that statement...

$$$$$$$
 
“Do you know how many times I’ve heard, ‘Oh my God, the Chuck Liddell era is over, Chuck Liddell is retiring, what’s the UFC going to do? They don’t have stars anymore. Or, ‘Oh my God, the GSP era is over, what are they going to do without GSP?’ Or, ‘Oh my God, the Anderson Silva era is over, what are they going to do without Anderson Silva?’ They say the UFC has peaked — and we just sold it for 4 billion dollars. I can’t read this stuff or listen to these morons who talk about it. They know nothing about the business and they don’t understand how it works. We do.”

http://www.mmamania.com/2016/8/4/12...think-ufc-peaked-following-4-billion-sale-mma

I've been watching MMA since 2003 and I while I agree this has always been said, the difference is I (and many other loyal fans) actually feel it this time. I always defended the UFC in years past from the "UFC is over" crowd, but for the first time 14 years, I'm willing to admit I think they've over pushed their boundries and they are a falling company. Sorry, Baldfather, your ship is sinking.

Kind of weird man. I have been watching since about 06/07 and I feel like the UFC is better than it has ever been. I feel a lot more invested in the sport than I ever did in the past.
 
Chuck Liddell is retired?

Oh shit UFC will never be the same again.
 
UFC S best years were when the bought Pride and all pride stars were fighting in UFC then they did same for WEC and Strikeforce all those fighters made UFC stronger but its not a secret that nowadays UFC is doing horrible and thats why Fertittas sold the company
 
It peaked in around 2009/2010. its gone downhill since then for sure. its like a MTV show these days. But I still enjoy some of the top level MMA.. like Khabib/Ferguson thats real high level MMA.
 
It's cyclical like most other sports as stars come and go. NBA was never more popular then in the Jordan era, boxing in the Tyson era, etc. I will say Conor brought it to new heights but boy do they miss him now that he's gone. So financially and business-wise I see some real weakness there. No real star power there.

But fight-wise, IMHO, it has fallen off drastically. Height for me was when the influx of Pride fighters brought in so much talent along with the UFC home talent. It was amazing for awhile..
 
UFC is too big to fail unless a serious number of failures happen.

It will still have a market. I don't see it becoming bigger than it is or should it try to be so big.
 
How to most americans feel about MMA. It seems there are quite a few half filled arenas for some cards in america, is that down to people just watching that shit on tv, ticket prices are to high or shit cards that aint worth giving up a sat night for?
 
The UFC is not even close to peaking yet.

(1) Fighting requires a lot of athleticism, but the current batch of UFC fighters are not the best athletes the world has to offer.

The average story of a current UFC fighter is "I was a fuck up who loved to fight, and when the UFC started getting famous, I started fighting for money."

These are essentially bar brawlers turned athletes.

(2) MMA doesn't have come-up programs like the major sports, where children start very young in youth leagues and school leagues, and the process of selecting the best potential begins at a very young stage, by the time athletes reach the pro-stage, they are probably the best in that respective sport.

For example, it is rare to a find kid who likes to play hockey on his driveway, and later starts playing in some rec league and gets picked up by an NHL team. You have to go through the system.

(3) Most UFC fighters cannot execute the techniques they drill in the gym. They look good hitting pads, shadow boxing and etc, but in a fight, they are very tentative and unable to execute.

Other professional athletes are able to execute the techniques that they practice.

Also, most UFC fighters are still not able to function at their best for the entire duration of the fight. They are not condition to go 3 or 5 rounds.

In comparison, Lionel Messi can play 90 minutes + extra time of football at a high level. He is conditioned to play his sport, because he has been playing it from the time he knew how to walk.

Conclusion, MMA has a long way to go. The UFC needs to invest money (1) Establishing a come-up system from school-age to professional (2) Invest in research for better training practices (3) Invest in current fighters to allow them to be professional athletes, and not part time fighters.
 
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