How big is CM Punk?
For someone who didn't grow up in the US, like myself, CM Punk is just a shitty fighter in the roster.
The overseas UFC crowd know him as a former pro wrestler, but without context, we have no idea of how famous this guys is. We have absolutely no desire in watching him fight. Especially after the first debacle.
So, American fans, are you really all that interested in watching CM Punk have another go?
Is it worth it for the UFC to spend all this money to promote and pay for a guy who's basically an amateur fighter?
Only grown men who drag their kids to WWE events as an excuse to attend themselves give a damn about CM Punk. The rest of us, the majority, consider it an embarrassment to the sport.
If the longevity of a sport depends on bringing in unqualified celebrities from other fields to bolster ratings, trouble is brewing.
Imagine the NBA or MBL drafting a WWE wrestler - just because he could put asses in seats.
The UFC can't build the sport through gimmicks. Letting CM Punk fight again, hell letting Brock fight again are big mistakes. They are replicating Boxing mistakes. Focusing only on big fights, rather than training fans to enjoy and appreciate the evolution of a fighter is major miscalculation. And after TUF, you would think they would understand that's where the bread, butter and money is at. Just because that show sucks doesn't mean people don't need to understand fighters more to build brand loyalty.
As a side note:
In general, I expect that younger generations will be less and less interested in sports, as they are gravitating towards spending their life online. They stupid enough to think people that talk with on the internet are their real friends. They can't go more than 10 min without looking at their phones. They prefer to play sports video game over playing an actual sport outside.
This will have a gradual impact on attendance at events. And the smaller sports, like MMA, will have the toughest transition.
In the meantime, it's worth nothing that during Saturday's fights there are thousands of people, just like me, that were playing UFC 2 or UFC 3 rather than watching an actual fight. I only tuned in to 3 fights. One, the sport is getting a little stale with the point fighting. And secondly, they are doing a piss poor job of introducing and building new fighter awareness. And finally, breaking up shows along different TV, Cable and Streaming networks makes it exceedingly annoying to figure where a fight can be viewed, whether it's covered by what I currently pay for or whether I have to pony up for the night. I've been watching MMA for a very long time and it's never been more confusing and expensive to enjoy it. Says volumes that I'm basically giving up on something that has been such a major part of my sports fan experience.
