UFC's low numbers are no surprise.

[Raksas]

These past 2 years the UFC was so occupied with putting all their eggs in one basket (Conor) and making super fights, that they sucked the energy out of multiple divisions. This is what happens when the natural flow and hierarchy get's disturbed for 2 years. They are just now feeling the consequences but it seems that they have not learned. They need to make some hard decisions that probably won't profit them at first but will pay off later (not making Conor vs Nate 3). Stars in the sport can only really emerge when they have the opportunity to climb the ranks the old way.

 

[13Seconds]

Yes. One reason mcGregor vs. Aldo felt so big was because Aldo was a dominant defending world champion.

The same way Aldo defended his championship vs. Conor, Conor needs to give someone else the opportunity to take the belt.

 

[UL]

Past 2 years?

More like 5 years
Wme are just following on from zuffa

It's just going to get worse

 

[executionermma]

I totally agree, UFC build a monster and now they are paying the price for that, at least they got paid very well for his last fights, but idk if that was worth..

 

[Raksas]

I totally agree, UFC build a monster and now they are paying the price for that, at least they got paid very well for his last fights, but idk if that was worth..

they don't yet realize that it's not the casual fans but the hardcore fan base that they build over the last decade that keep the sport alive. They are the fans responsible for the paper view buys on cards without Conor, Lesnar or Rousey and they are the fans that get less and less interested in Fights like Lee vs Ferguson when they know that the possibility that Conor fights the winner is a big MAYBE.

 

[kflo]

Conor is not the reason and they don't put all their eggs in his basket. New stars emerge over time. Org has to get lucky that the right guys win and move up the ranks

 

[executionermma]

they don't yet realize that it's not the casual fans but the hardcore fan base that they build over the last decade that keep the sport alive. They are the fans responsible for the paper view buys on cards without Conor, Lesnar or Rousey and they are the fans that get less and less interested in Fights like Lee vs Ferguson when they know that the possibility that Conor fights the winner is a big MAYBE.

yeah the idea of a FIGHTER being responsible for the matchmaking and powerfull enough to speak loudlier than the company is absurd

 

[kflo]

they don't yet realize that it's not the casual fans but the hardcore fan base that they build over the last decade that keep the sport alive. They are the fans responsible for the paper view buys on cards without Conor, Lesnar or Rousey and they are the fans that get less and less interested in Fights like Lee vs Ferguson when they know that the possibility that Conor fights the winner is a big MAYBE.

Your contention is that Lee vs ferg sells appreciably more if it was guaranteed they'd fight Conor? That's just ridiculous.

 

[Bend NvR Break]

Yes. One reason mcGregor vs. Aldo felt so big was because Aldo was a dominant defending world champion.

The same way Aldo defended his championship vs. Conor, Conor needs to give someone else the opportunity to take the belt.

Conor never in his entire career has allowed anyone to challenge him for his belt.

 

[Raksas]

New stars emerge over time. Org has to get lucky that the right guys win and move up the ranks

It's also because of the fact that Tonys last 4 fights were on Fight Nights. Like they really have fucked up when it came to promoting him at the right time. They did a great job keeping him unknown and underground.

 

[Kaiokenrye24]

215 was a shitty card, but I was surprised that 216 didn't at least clear 200k even with the Black beast falling out

 

[91 seconds]

I still say it's mandatory for upper management to be required to wear suits made by Reebok.

 

[DeathByBeer]

You are correct.

I understand why they go for the easy money easy route fights, but long term....its gotta hurt the sport.

In the past the UFC was known for great cards, lots of interesting matchups etc.

Now it seem all based on whether one or two big name fighters are on this card or not, and the rest just get scraps for promotion and it shows.

Most casuals won't even consider a card without a rousey or a mcgregor headlining it...and may not even know who the fighters are in the rest of the card anyway....

Not a good long term strategy.

 

[Fight Professor]

Yes. One reason mcGregor vs. Aldo felt so big was because Aldo was a dominant defending world champion.

The same way Aldo defended his championship vs. Conor, Conor needs to give someone else the opportunity to take the belt.

MM and Nunez already have belts. It is not Conor’s fault no-one cares about them. Most people care more about fighters than belts. That is one of many things PRIDE got right.

 

[subhuman trash]

Learn how to promote fights and they'll be ok. Putting everything into Conor is only digging their own graves.

 

[LoofyMMA]

Just an alternative point of view: are there any sports out there with increasing viewership?

Like no doubt the UFC product is diminishing in quality but I feel falling ratings is a common theme throughout many sports and likely due to ever increasing competition for our attention. I spend most of my screen time on Netflix these days or the internet. I used to religiously watch multiple sports but now can really only follow MMA

 

[bowl300]

I buy PPV where I am interested in multiple fights. To me 215's only interesting PPV fight was Nunes vs Shevchenko. On 216 to only interesting PPV fight was Ferguson vs Lee. Mighty Mouse needs to fight somebody who can provide a challenge. Mighty Mouse fighting Borg is not a real challenge. But Mighty Mouse fighting TJ or Cody or Cruz is interesting. 217 is a super card which I will buy. But the card does not have to be super for me to purchase it, just have 2 or more interesting fights. I probably buy about 40% of the PPV's.

 

[ThereIsNoSpoon]

The biggest problem is that they started advertising the sport not by accentuating the skills of the fighters but by the amount of childish insults per minute they can deliver. The pre-fight antics became more important than any possible outcome in the octagon.

If you look back, Chuck Liddell couldn't string two sentences together but you knew when he got into the cage, violence would happen. We weren't salivating about Chuck vs Wanderlei for years due to their thrash talk.

For an example of how far the sport has fallen, take UFC 92:

Frank Mir vs Big Nog, a long time Pride Vs UFC dream grappling match-up
Rampage vs Wanderlei, the third fight in one of the most violent trilogies ever
Rashad vs Forrest, two Ultimate Fighter winners

That event sold 1 million PPV buys.

There's not one big star on the card but there were three highly anticipated fights. We have come to a point where it's completely irrelevant how skilled the fighters are, if they're not controversial, they're not becoming stars.

To make matters worse, the company has completely lost the ability and integrity to set-up proper championship fights. Being a champion has become a marketing tool not a symbol of being the best. The fact that Conor-Ferguson is not a certain thing underlines this.

Ferguson has TEN wins in a row and he still doesn't have a proper title shot. You know who was the only other fighter that also had 10 wins in a row without a title shot? Max Holloway. Why?

Because the UFC let Conor to do whatever the hell he wants, which in his case is, paralyzing a division and never defending a belt.

 

[kflo]

It's also because of the fact that Tonys last 4 fights were on Fight Nights. Like they really have fucked up when it came to promoting him at the right time. They did a great job keeping him unknown and underground.

Conor was on fight night before Aldo. They put him there on purpose obviously.

 

[kflo]

The biggest problem is that they started advertising the sport not by accentuating the skills of the fighters but by the amount of childish insults per minute they can deliver. The pre-fight antics became more important than any possible outcome in the octagon.

If you look back, Chuck Liddell couldn't string two sentences together but you knew when he got into the cage, violence would happen. We weren't salivating about Chuck vs Wanderlei for years due to their thrash talk.

For an example of how far the sport has fallen, take UFC 92:

Frank Mir vs Big Nog, a long time Pride Vs UFC dream grappling match-up
Rampage vs Wanderlei, the third fight in one of the most violent trilogies ever
Rashad vs Forrest, two Ultimate Fighter winners

That event sold 1 million PPV buys.

There's not one big star on the card but there were three highly anticipated fights. We have come to a point where it's completely irrelevant how skilled the fighters are, if they're not controversial, they're not becoming stars.

To make matters worse, the company has completely lost the ability and integrity to set-up proper championship fights. Being a champion has become a marketing tool not a symbol of being the best. The fact that Conor-Ferguson is not a certain thing underlines this.

Ferguson has TEN wins in a row and he still doesn't have a proper title shot. You know who was the only other fighter that also had 10 wins in a row without a title shot? Max Holloway. Why?

Because the UFC let Conor to do whatever the hell he wants, which in his case is, paralyzing a division and never defending a belt.

You're actually blaming Conor for ferg winning 10 in a row to get his interim title?

Again ferg last fight before Conor before this.