UFC's low numbers are no surprise.

[Paradigm]

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

They are always watching...especially in the sauna.

 

[Bend NvR Break]

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

Contrary to the belief that Kapernick protest are hurting the viewership actually there is an uptick in NFL ratings.

The NFL vs Trump has increased the number of people watching the NFL. Sports and drama all wrapped in one.

 

[Cry0Therapy737]

Constant pullouts, McGregor and his nonsense, Reebok and USADA and the decision to let guys like Rory and Bader walk are the reason.

And no Rory and Bader weren’t big PPV draws but more than capable of headlining FS1 cards.

 

[Paradigm]

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.

Not that you're doing it but gotta love when people blame Conor...like he owns the company and shit.

 

[ThereIsNoSpoon]

Not that you're doing it but gotta love when people blame Conor...like he owns the company and shit.

Lke i said, the UFC has no integrity whatsoever.

While i don't like him, i admire Conor. He has become a worldwide star, has made millions of $ and has used the UFC just as much as they have used him. I have no quarrel with his behavior.

Do you blame the dog for biting you or the owner that trained him and let him loose?

What i do mind, and always have, is that scumbag Dana that couldn't care less about the sport. He's in it to make the most amount of money in the smallest amount of time, long term consequence be damned.

Almost all of the things that made the UFC blew up were in spite of Dana. He was against a reality show, against a female division, etc...the UFC was at the right place at the right time and they profited from it.

But since becoming a household name they've just been spinning their wheels, more fighters, more divisions, more Ultimate Figher seasons that no one watches and of course being the acclaimed economist, Dana expected all of those things to yield more money...instead of realizing that you can't dilute your quality so much that 100 pound unskilled women, 125 pound 5 foot man-children and 250 unathletic slowpokes make half the card, you're going to lose interest.

 

[hot carl]

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

i was going to buy it (legit buy ppv--i dont stream and dont know how-im a techno troglodyte), but seeing lewis off teh card caused me not to order it.

 

[sb413197]

Stars in the sport can only really emerge when they have the opportunity to climb the ranks the old way.

Things are different now. Being a champion no longer guarantees PPV success and marketability like it once did; also the "bottom" number of people that buy all the PPVs is tiny (maybe 100 thousand), and the top number is much higher. Aldo, Demetrious Johnson, Tyron Woodley...things change. Now you have to be a personality and have a schtick - it's closer to WWE.