This has been said about a million times...but I think there is a sweet spot as far as how many events there are per year and how many guys are on the roster, and at this point it's way beyond what it should be. This is just my opinion, I'm sure a lot of people like the over-saturation with a busy event schedule, a ranking system, and a roster full of forgettable fighters.
There's an event almost every week now, and what, 500 guys on the roster? It has become a bit cheapened, and that's why PPV numbers may be struggling. Where 10-15 years ago, ordering a UFC was a bigger deal, and a much better time. The irony is that back then, a lot of us wanted the constant events, rankings, large roster, and wanted it to be more "legit".
MMA is a spectacle, I wish it could have stayed that way. There was more mystique, more hype, and it was built around pretty much anyone who was fighting, because the roster was the perfect size / they actually had the time to spend on hyping people, even if they were garbage. Might not be as legit as it is now, with rankings, and less bullshit, but it was definitely more fun, and more worthy of my money.
At this point, the UFC almost needs ESPN, unless it's going to downsize a bit. So you're not wrong TS, but I definitely liked it a lot more back in the day. That being said, newer fans have no idea about the times I'm referencing, so I'm sure the UFC will be fine.