Deadspin: Whatever Happened To The UFC?

[riddleofsteel]

There are plenty of boxers that people buy to watch. Last year HBO & Showtime combined for about 35 broadcasted fights; they budgeted about $65 million for those shows. They put them on because people want to watch them, people get HBO & showtime to watch them. People also pay to watch them live.
Then they put on a few ppvs a year.

Both HBO & Showtime generally pay the featured boxers well, it is common to see them making $600k-$1 million, a few make more. Usually there is another fight on the card in which the boxers are making a few hundred thousand and then the pay usually drops off drastically.

There are also other ppvs throughout the year, not as big but they are there.
Plus the thousands of boxing cards outside of North America that people pay to watch; boxing isn't just about the US audience.

As for the Tyson v Holyfield fight, the fight also made $14.1 million at the gate (at the time a record for Nevada, it now #7). Boxing fights sometimes get a site fee, the host site offers money to hold the fight. Casinos made millions to get a Tyson fight.
I believe Tyson v Holyfield also was available shown in some movie theaters (pretty rare for that to happen now; Mayweather has done it for his last 6 fights).


I'd say that given the information we have boxers get a bigger piece of the revenue but the pay is very top heavy, prelim guys get very little.
Isn't the UFC prelim usually 6+6 or 8+8; boxing prelmins don't get that. They're guys fighting 4 or 6 rounders, starting their careers or opponents for rookies, at best they are getting a few thousand.

 

[homosapien]

Some of you guys seem like you are working for the UFCs public relations department and doing a very bad job at it to be honest.

 

[Makani]

They decided to go with the "more is more" philosophy. Quantity over quality. 500 fighters. As many events as possible. They realized that interest in the UFC is so down that even stacked cards don't sell HUGE. So they figured that having more events will all add up to bigger profits. Whether that's the case I don't know. I think the whole mentality sucks for those that like awesome stacked fight cards. They spread everything so thin that the excitement level for each event never gets over like a 7/10. It's usually only 1-2 fights to look forward to per event.

This is how I find myself too. As someone who tries to watch every event, or sneak peeks at the Sherdog PBP while I'm at work, it's tough getting excited for a lot of events. By the time a PPV rolls around, and hopefully has 4-5 upper echelon fights on it, I feel kind of worn out. The thing is that the deluge of free cards hasn't made the PPVs any more stacked. In fact, I'd say the main purpose of free cards is to get fighters to fill in those 4th/5th main card slots. Remember this guy? He won by KO on the prelims of UFC Fight Night 37 against the always tough Richard Pompelow. Oh well, there are still fights I am very excited for, Machida-Weidman, and Edgar-Penn III, and Cerrone-Miller...I guess that's it for a bit.

 

[Unbreakabull]

Hell lets compare the UFC to the MLB. The UFC is 20 years old or so and it's champions are making millions. At 60 years old the MLB's champions and biggest stars were working in the offseason. Yogi Berra and Phil Rizzuto, two of the greatest players of their generation, on the biggest team in all sports at the time, one with 10 world series rings and the other with 7, worked at a men's suit store here in NJ in the offseason because playing Pro baseball for the biggest team didn't pay enough to survive, and they were playing 150 (not sure if it was 162 yet) games a a year and had another 2 months of training. The best UFC prospect fights 2-3 times a year and trains 2 3 hour sessions a day, not saying they don't put in tons of work, but it wasn't as much as these guys put in.

just watched a few games from the late 70's up at the batting cages and even some of the middle of the road relief pitchers and some fielders were working in the offseason. The commentators said one was a teacher and the other worked in his family's restaurant.

 

[boomertx]

just watched a few games from the late 70's up at the batting cages and even some of the middle of the road relief pitchers and some fielders were working in the offseason. The commentators said one was a teacher and the other worked in his family's restaurant.

Interesting post. Just googled MLB salaries in the '70's and the average salary was
$45K. Meaning a lot of players were making a lot less. Those salaries were definitely above average for the times but not crazy money either. Makes sense that they might work in the off season.

 

[Hypersky]

Today, you can absolutely call me a casual fan, and I think that's what is wrong with the UFC. How did I go from someone who was obsessed with MMA to someone who only follows a handful of fighters? A lot of this is my personal maturation, and I admit that, but there is also something so stagnant and uninspired about the current presentation of UFC, the politics, and the focus on pay and other such BS. I liked it better when these guys were considered fighters and not athletes and the president of the company did not think he was the main attraction.

ding ding ding we have a winner! The fact that all my friends and I included went from watching all events to almost 50% (in my case) in the span of a year points to a bad move on their part.

 

[highkicknomore]

Some of you guys seem like you are working for the UFCs public relations department and doing a very bad job at it to be honest.

Wall of text = Pseudosport shills

 

[Amerikuracana]

Swanson v Stephens is a cool fight. If you follow the sport, this is a great fight.

 

[hoyle1911]

This is how I find myself too. As someone who tries to watch every event, or sneak peeks at the Sherdog PBP while I'm at work, it's tough getting excited for a lot of events. By the time a PPV rolls around, and hopefully has 4-5 upper echelon fights on it, I feel kind of worn out. The thing is that the deluge of free cards hasn't made the PPVs any more stacked. In fact, I'd say the main purpose of free cards is to get fighters to fill in those 4th/5th main card slots. Remember this guy? He won by KO on the prelims of UFC Fight Night 37 against the always tough Richard Pompelow. Oh well, there are still fights I am very excited for, Machida-Weidman, and Edgar-Penn III, and Cerrone-Miller...I guess that's it for a bit.

Same here. No matter how blowhardy some of the posters here are, and despite the rampant self-denial and delusion, the sport is oversaturated. Don't know why people still argue this point. The free cards are supposed to eat all the bad fighters and prospects, thus leaving the PPV for incredible, stacked cards, but Zuffa is remarkably bad at this.

Maybe Joe Silva is overworked or something, but Zuffa is really bad at setting up PPV cards. The excitement level is no longer there. They should at least make six super stacked cards, then build lesser cards with what's left. Instead, it feels like they've averaged out all their cards so they are universally mediocre. They still have awesome individual fights, but overall cards are really boring.

 

[kurtwpg]

Same here. No matter how blowhardy some of the posters here are, and despite the rampant self-denial and delusion, the sport is oversaturated. Don't know why people still argue this point. The free cards are supposed to eat all the bad fighters and prospects, thus leaving the PPV for incredible, stacked cards, but Zuffa is remarkably bad at this.

Maybe Joe Silva is overworked or something, but Zuffa is really bad at setting up PPV cards. The excitement level is no longer there. They should at least make six super stacked cards, then build lesser cards with what's left. Instead, it feels like they've averaged out all their cards so they are universally mediocre. They still have awesome individual fights, but overall cards are really boring.

Here's another problem with Flyweights headlining a card. You basically wouldn't have a card if you didn't have a title fight to offer, and now that you do you need 9-10 more fights to complete the card.

 

[kflo]

Yes the majority of boxing money comes from PPV's, that's why they have it. That Tyson-Holyfiled must have had a massive gate and international revenue so that's why the fighters got paid. Had the UFC been in charge they probably would have paid both guys $200k base salary and $1 a ppv and kept the rest. :icon_lol:


Now you explain to me how Alvarez event got $6million dollars more than Rousey. How much more money did his even generate and why? And why would sponsors pay more for his event even though Rousey probably had better numbers in the Key male demo.

You seriously don't understand why Alvarez would make a lot more?

 

[kaunman24]

Deadspin and Marchman have been writing anti UFC/MMA for years

 

[CC27]

Deadspin and Marchman have been writing anti UFC/MMA for years

Once they got banned, Cage Potato got banned they then become anti UFC sites attacking them.

Even the times they bring up legit points it comes off so anti Zuffa its crazy.

Same with the pro Zuffa journalists, people call them out for being shills even when they make a good point but few say the same thing when its the other way.

 

[Unbreakabull]

Deadspin and Marchman have been writing anti UFC/MMA for years

So that's why they're good at it. Been practicing...

 

[nvmyprixgt]

Some people around Definetely in denial. Saying the UFC is as popular now as it was back in 06-09 is insane. Would be like saying wwe is as popular as it was in 97-01

 

[PolishHeadlock]

And yet as I continued my post below I show you how the MLS, a league similar in age and revenue to the UFC, does worse than that.

The UFC is supposed to be the best fighters in the world. MLS are a bunch of cans who can't hack it in Europe.

It's like comparing boxing to the CFL.

 

[AgentOrange24]

While ignoring the quality of some of the opinions, the analysis, an over saturation being a bad thing, is true.

 

[Scamrock]

I'm a football fan, I want to see Michigan play Stanford or Alabama vs Georgia. I don't want to see a division 2 football game. I want to see the best, I spent three hours watching the ncaa wrestling finals but I wouldn't walk to my local area high school to see a wrestling match. All this stuff about, "oh man I am just such a fight fan that I'll watch anyone fight" is so ridiculous to me. I love the UFC and I love seeing who the BEST guy is, I wanna watch title fights or top contender fights, and no I don't care to watch these type of cards, doesn't mean I'm not a fan.

Nothing wrong with that. But largely, the top tier guys are separated from the prospects. Top guys are usually on PPVs, and prospects are usually on Fight Nights and prelims. They cross over when they occasionally put bigger names in Fight Night main events or when they need some replacement fighters on PPV main cards.

But none of this is anything new. Forrest Griffin was a TUF prospect who got on PPV main cards right from the start. He was fighting guys like Bill Mahood and co-main eventing with Elvis Sinosic. Even when he was considered more of a veteran, he was in a PPV co-main event with Hector Ramiriz.

So even if there is some bleeding over with lesser knowns, journeymen, and prospects getting some PPV action, that is how it has always been. So people saying it used to be so good and now it is watered down are looking at the past through rose colored glases.

You are right. Now that I think about it, it's true that I am not a pure MMA in general fan. I went to a bellator card once and really wasn't that into it. The reason I got into the UFC was cause of the initial tournaments. I thought it was the coolest thing ever that they had an 8 man tourney to determine who was the best in the world and that's what I wanted to see, who was the best. I know some great guys come out of the smaller shows and I remember seeing all the current stars fight in shows like this, but for me, I just want to see the best. I think the toughest thing for the UFC now is that most people are like me, they are casuals who a buy shows that are featuring stars or champs.

There is nothing wrong with that. If you only want the best, that is totally fine. I hate to say this, but this is where the whole "then don't watch" really is the best response. If you only want the best, only watch the best. Only watch PPV main cards. For the most part, the guys put on there are top 15 other than late replacement fights/fighters. Even then, only watch the ones with guys you want to see. Skip prelims unless there is a guy you are interested in. Skip the Fight Nights unless there is a main event you want to see. Then you don't really need to watch the whole main card. Just tune in for the main event.

How about reducing the number of events to what is was at about 4 years ago and trim the excess fighters you have left over, starting from the worst and working up. This isn't mutually exclusive from thinking the roster deserves more pay per fight.

Define "worse". You have guys at the top like Bisping who are 2-3 in their last five. Then you have guys you've never heard of farther down on the rankings that are undefeated in the promotion. On one hand, Bisping would probably beat that guy. On the other hand, nobody has been able to beat him so far. Do you get rid of a guy who hasn't lost just because he is down on the food chain?

If they did do what you suggest, and take things back to 2010, you have to remember, there are twice as many divisions as there were back then. So not only are you going back to around 200 fighters, but you are cutting the divisions back then in half to split the difference with the new divisions. How many do you want in each on the average.

Also, if you cut back the number of shows, you can't reach as many locations. Which might be fine, but how do you deal with all of the people asking when your coming back to Germany, when are you coming to Poland, when are you coming to southeast Asia, when are you coming back to Quebec, when are you coming back to Seattle, etc.? How do you meet the live show demand the best you can with a cut back number of shows/fighters?

I mean, I like things the way they are. But I also liked it back then. I'm not opposed to the idea of taking it back a notch, but give me an action plan. Let's talk about how you think they should go about that.

UFC

 

[Lucifer Alpha]

Half of the watered down complaints are just because people were used to watching 4/5 fight cards instead of all the fights (prelims).

 

[CC27]

Some people around Definetely in denial. Saying the UFC is as popular now as it was back in 06-09 is insane. Would be like saying wwe is as popular as it was in 97-01

In the US its def not as popular as it was during their peak in 08-2010. And thats why they are pushing into new markets, Brazil, Mexico, Asia etc so they dont have to rely on just the US.

But yeah I dont think anyone can deny in the US its declined or it leveled out to what it really is in this country and always will be, a niche sport that once in a while will deliver a big card/fight that will be the biggest thing going on in sports for that night.