Guys pulling out of huge ufc cards hurting the fan base?

[ice9]

I know the growth of the ufc has gone cold and the ppv numbers have been getting lower and lower. Besides illegal streaming i feel like it could have something to do with these awesome fights always getting cancelled last minute. Its hard to get excited over a card now adays after being conditioned for disappointment. Even though the card is great without this fight it really discourages me from wanting pay. I know its a tricky situation and there isnt an easy fix. Part of the fighters evolving and pushing their limits they seems to be upping their chance of being hurt or not being able to make weight before the fights. What kinda solutions could the ufc come up with to keep guys in fights more consistantly?

 

[KeepItRealist]

Fight Week cards (especially sadly UFC 200) have been getting screwed up like this for years. It's why I don't get excited until they are in the cage.

 

[Only Here for Attachments]

It's what happens when guys are incentivized to over-train and cut too much weight.

 

[Russie]

I've gone to many events since the UFCs inception and I've been burned by this a few times. It pisses you off big time. Screwed by the whole card subject to change BS. Last year the UFC did do buy backs when the women's title fight got pulled from the co-main leaving Romero/Whitaker as the only main. It's not too bad when the card is in Vegas because I'm going for more than just the fight but this effects fans who buy tickets in advance and travel. It kills interest in cards when you're pumped for it no matter how or where you intend to watch it.

 

[Fahcough]

Yes it absolutely does. Quit making plans to have people over and rent fights long ago. Now it's wait til day of fight and search for it in recliner. PPVs aren't worth $25 anymore

 

[KeepItRealist]

It's what happens when guys are incentivized to over-train and cut too much weight.

I'd say it's the pay and perks that come with being champ. Fighter pay is so low that they are afraid of losing the belt and the extra income that comes with it. Max was one of those guys (like Ferguson) you never thought would have all these issues as champ.

 

[L.T.]

Fuck Yeah. Best card of the year that was always too good to be true, was too good to be true. What a fuckin shocker. UFC is a business built on fraud terms and conditions and disclaimers. Fuck Vegas. Fuck EVER actually spending money to go to an event you are a fucking fool if you try to go to a UFC marquee event and expect it to still be marquee when u get there. Fraud should be illegal Dana. It should be fucking illegal. UFC should buy back my tix for what I paid then resell them if a main or co-main drops out within 3 days notice. They should also have to prove with medical docs exactly how and when every major inkury takes place. UFC knew about this for days if not weeks.

 

[Krixes]

I love Max, but this is all on him.

 

[KeepItRealist]

To me another big issue is scheduling these big fights on these big cards so many months out. Fight Week in particular as I said. It also leaves you little room if the injures come later and you got fighters inactive because of how far out their fight was scheduled. Maybe if they started scheduling all PPV cards say around two months out, they would have less of this bs and you would have more replacements available. If you have reached UFC level, 6-8 weeks should more than enough time for fighters to train for a specific opponent. They shouldn't need several months.

 

[leatherf4ce]

Before, I'd push anything out of the way to make sure I watched every event. Hard to get excited at all anymore. I find myself okay to watch it the next day if I miss it.

 

[Which Doctor]

Member when the fighters got insurance from Zuffa?
Member when fighters started dropping out of fights?

 

[Enganacious]

I mean in this instance the weight cut is probably as much to blame as anything else.

I really do believe the UFC or some other organization should establish the practice of 'same day' weigh-ins wherein you must fight in the 8 hours after weighing in. That's not enough time to re-hydrate, and will therefore eliminate weight cutting. You'd have to some serious organizational adjustments, but it needs to be done.

 

[Quebec Nick]

Fighters spar too hard and too often. Concussions are the worst because it takes a long time to fully heal and if you have a small concussion and don't let time for it to heal, the next one is gonna be worst.

Don't know what happened in Holloway's case, but generally it's said that every camp go too hard on sparring

Anyway, once a doctor as aknowledge a concussion symptom, there'S no way they gonna let this guy fight next weekend.

 

[leatherf4ce]

To me another big issue is scheduling these big fights on these big cards so many months out. Fight Week in particular as I said. Maybe if they started scheduling cards say around two months out, they would have less of this bs. If you have reached UFC level, 6-8 weeks should more than enough time for fighters to train for a specific opponent. They shouldn't need several months.

Good call. I also think they should put in place a system that has someone on reserve so they know ahead of time that they'll be on-call in case disaster strikes one of the event fighters in that weight class.

 

[Krazy NightTrain]

Oh for sure, it's killing the UFC. You know I don't ever remember this happening back in 05 - 11 when I was really in to watching it, before coming back in like 2015 again. It's like every single PPV, is having a big fight pull out, right at the last minute. You can't build off that. You lose, we all lose when that happens as often as it's happening.

I'm guessing USADA has a whole lot to do with things with weight cutting. Max is said to be showing signs of a concussion, which you should never put your health on the line when you're showing signs of a concussion, I don't care who you disappoint. But, they said he had been showing these signs since the ending of last week. Why wasn't anyone kind of keeping the UFC up to date, so they could bring in an alternate, or alternates? Max looked fucked up when he was talking to Bisping, and I highly doubt he'd pull out for some little boo boo, Max is a tough kid, if anything he's probably being told by his coaches that he isn't fighting, while he's saying "no I'm good".

They absolutely HAVE to start having alternates for every card, and not alternates in the lower rung fights on the cards, I'm talking main event alternates. Otherwise this shit is a sport killer with the way they do these PPVs. I'd put my dogs life on the line that USADA has definitely fucked up the weight cutting and getting back to normal that these guys could've fallen back on.

I hope Max gets better, again a concussion isn't something you fuck around with, ask all those old NFL players who can't even wipe the drool from their mouth, or can't remember who they're even married to... That shit is no joke.

 

[Crimson Glory]

I was waiting for one of the fights to fall off.

These dummies need to stop sparring so god damn hard. It's not smart and it only jeopardizes the fights.

 

[machidafan99]

it's killing pay per views

 

[billharford]

Yes. When you look at the UFC as a whole over the last three years, it's nothing but a bunch of fake bullshit. It's the era we're in and it's not going to get any better. Ducking, cheating, fake news, phony twitter beefs, staged bullshit. It's a mix between the worst of boxing and WWE.

 

[Quebec Nick]

I mean in this instance the weight cut is probably as much to blame as anything else.

I really do believe the UFC or some other organization should establish the practice of 'same day' weigh-ins wherein you must fight in the 8 hours after weighing in. That's not enough time to re-hydrate, and will therefore eliminate weight cutting. You'd have to some serious organizational adjustments, but it needs to be done.

How come, he wasn't in the dehydratation phase of the weight cut. Not saying that it's not an issue and I'm all about some changes in the weightclasses and to have same day weightins.

But in that case, it's a guy who's been injured in training, there'S a big chance it's because he did heavy sparring a couple day before and maybe trainers should understand that heavy sparring isn't the only way to train for a fight.

 

[ImNotSurpisedDonks!]

To me another big issue is scheduling these big fights on these big cards so many months out. Fight Week in particular as I said. It also leaves you little room if the injures come later, also you got fighters inactive because of how far out their fight was scheduled. Maybe if they started scheduling all PPV cards say around two months out, they would have less of this bs and you would have more replacements available. If you have reached UFC level, 6-8 weeks should more than enough time for fighters to train for a specific opponent. They shouldn't need several months.

I think over training hurts a lot of fighters. I think many want to give themselves every advantage they can, but as Nate proved, when you are fresh, you perform better. If these guys are getting paid millions to thousands of dollars per the minute, they should be able to atleast keep the body in shape year round and keep their weight down. Francis Ngannou is not going to learn to wrestle like Stipe in an additional 2 months of camp - fighter's skills are already there, just need to keep fresh and 'Stay Ready'.