How Do We Fix "Watered Down Cards?"

[Rampage_Jackson]

just have better promotion of fighters

and fewer events would help too

 

[GSP_37]

Around before the TUF era, FSN had something like a UFC Unleashed show and that's what got me back into UFC. It was watching matches of Tim Sylvia, Ricco Rodriguez, Hughes, Trigg. The top exciting performances.

 

[DuncanFan819]

Agreed, though I think the UFC is doing a pretty good job of that. There are a lot of good fights on cards where a casual won't even recognize the names in the main event. I don't think those "casuals" are the problem either. I used to be one of them as I try to detail in my long-winded OP... I think there is more we can do to make every card more interesting (I'm just not sure exactly how).

Building names helps for current fans but it doesn't really help new fans. Why should a new fan tune in next week? What can make the sport fun OUTSIDE of name recognition of the fighters?

I agree that they provide some solid undercards, but they absolutely do not promote their non-marquee fighters enough. They need to look past their champs and larger-than-life names and start investing in those they see as the future of the organization.

Speaking more directly to your question, there are two seemingly simple responses that require much more in-depth tailoring and discussion: a) appeal to audiences of similar mindsets. Draw in boxing, kickboxing, and wrestling fans by expanding the UFC to air those sports exclusively, in addition to MMA. b) People need skin in the game. Giving them shares/free subscriptions will not work obviously, and if anything are only temporary fixes. So, what does this look like? In other sports, there are all-star games where fans can vote on the participants. In MMA, create a tournament in which fans cast their votes as to who will participate regardless of rankings. The main problem with this is that the UFC may alienate the die-hards who want the true contenders to get title shots, but are they really going to turn away? Doubtful.

Outside of these suggestions, I have no ideas whatsoever.

 

[Sansnom]

Well I don't want fewer cards.

How can you say that and call your thread "How do we fix watered down cards?"

It's either fewer cards which they can stack or more cards which are watered down. You can't have it all.

Plus, They can't afford to promote the shit out of every card when they have one nearly every weekend. This stuff costs money.

The UFC management aren't dumb. If there was a better way to do it, they would have done it already. You're looking for a magical solution without any compromise.

 

[Arrrrgh]

just have better promotion of fighters

and fewer events would help too

just more to the point than my op

and fewer words helped too

It probably is solely accomplished with better promotion. Everything else I suggested was just to gimmicky. Hopefully ESPN steps up and makes that happen, however I still wonder... HOW?

This sport isn't like others. It's difficult for new fans to know what's going on, who is who, who to root for... and then they won't see them again for 6 months even tho there is another event next weekend.

Maybe better post fight shows discussing divisional implications and upcoming fights/rankings affected by the results? Perhaps have at least 1 fight from every division on a card so there is some carry-over from event to event?

 

[phoenixikki]

You can’t.

After overpaying the Fertita brothers 4 billion the UFC has dug itself a hole and the only way out of that is pumping out UFC cards like McDonald’s meals.

Close thread

 

[Arrrrgh]

How can you say that and call your thread "How do we fix watered down cards"

It's either fewer cards which they can stack or more cards which are watered down.

Plus, They can't afford to promote the shit out of every card when they have one nearly every weekend.

The UFC management aren't dumb. If there was a better way to do it, they would have done it already. You're looking for a magical solution when there is none.

Oh I did that for the clicks my dude.
Shamelessly admitted.
My original title was much less interesting and to the point: I like events every weekend.

I disagree with the idea that "if there was a better way to do it, they would have done it already." There is almost always a better way to do things which is why we keep getting new tech and cooler and cooler shit.

 

[Rampage_Jackson]

just more to the point than my op

and fewer words helped too

It probably is solely accomplished with better promotion. Everything else I suggested was just to gimmicky. Hopefully ESPN steps up and makes that happen, however I still wonder... HOW?

This sport isn't like others. It's difficult for new fans to know what's going on, who is who, who to root for... and then they won't see them again for 6 months even tho there is another event next weekend.

Maybe better post fight shows discussing divisional implications and upcoming fights/rankings affected by the results? Perhaps have at least 1 fight from every division on a card so there is some carry-over from event to event?

I just feel like with the Reebok shit everyone comes out in the same gear and its all become cookie cutter. Fighting styles have sort of blended together as well. the UFC needs to find what is unique about a fighter and sell them as individuals that you should care about seeing fight. That's how you get the average fan invested in a fighter and that's how you create draws and sell fights. What a fighter is doing on fight night is only part of the equation. It just seems like the UFC is getting further away from this and trying to promote the brand above fighters.

 

[Arrrrgh]

I agree that they provide some solid undercards, but they absolutely do not promote their non-marquee fighters enough. They need to look past their champs and larger-than-life names and start investing in those they see as the future of the organization.

Speaking more directly to your question, there are two seemingly simple responses that require much more in-depth tailoring and discussion: a) appeal to audiences of similar mindsets. Draw in boxing, kickboxing, and wrestling fans by expanding the UFC to air those sports exclusively, in addition to MMA. b) People need skin in the game. Giving them shares/free subscriptions will not work obviously, and if anything are only temporary fixes. So, what does this look like? In other sports, there are all-star games where fans can vote on the participants. In MMA, create a tournament in which fans cast their votes as to who will participate regardless of rankings. The main problem with this is that the UFC may alienate the die-hards who want the true contenders to get title shots, but are they really going to turn away? Doubtful.

Outside of these suggestions, I have no ideas whatsoever.

I like a. And I like parts of b but I think there are a lot of issues that would need to get worked out (injuries in particular but also availability, pay, ranking implications, what happens when a fighter declines to participate, etc). Perhaps you could have your cake and eat it too with b. Make a tourney where fans have input but it must include the best fighters... fans just determine how the brackets are drawn up or something?

I just feel like with the Reebok shit everyone comes out in the same gear and its all become cookie cutter. Fighting styles have sort of blended together as well. the UFC needs to find what is unique about a fighter and sell them as individuals that you should care about seeing fight. That's how you get the average fan invested in a fighter and that's how you create draws and sell fights. What a fighter is doing on fight night is only part of the equation. It just seems like the UFC is getting further away from this and trying to promote the brand above fighters.

Good fucking point.

Reebok has stolen away some of the fighters personality. Could you imagine chuck without the iceman shorts?

A big part of what drew me to the sport was the personalities. I am a TUF newb. That show gave us a glimpse at the person first and their fighting ability second. Let them have a personality again.

 

[Sansnom]

I disagree with the idea that "if there was a better way to do it, they would have done it already." There is almost always a better way to do things which is why we keep getting new tech and cooler and cooler shit.

You haven't come up with a single valid solution.

All of the stuff you proposed costs money and when money is spent a compromise needs to be made somewhere else.

My point is, if a multi-billion dollar company with hundreds of thinking heads can't come up with a better solution, then it's not a random Shertard who will solve the "problem".

 

[Arrrrgh]

You haven't come up with a single valid solution.

All of the stuff you proposed costs money and when money is spent a compromise needs to be made somewhere else.

My point is, if a multi-billion dollar company with hundreds of thinking heads can't come up with a better solution, then it's not a random Shertard who will solve the "problem".

More to the point, you don't disagree there are better ideas you just don't like the source. Noted.

I agree my ideas are not the answer and are a bit gimmicky. However, the way to come up with good ideas is by working out the bad ones and keep thinking about it. That's all I'm trying to do. If nobody has a better solution then that in and of itself is a solution. I think a couple good suggestions have been made already though.

With that said, I appreciate the input but I disagree. I do think there is more they can do to make the sport accessible and promote the smaller events. That may mean spending more money. Spending more isn't a bad thing unless it doesn't generate additional profit or some other form of value.

 

[Sansnom]

More to the point, you don't disagree there are better ideas you just don't like the source. Noted.

I agree my ideas are not the answer and are a bit gimmicky. However, the way to come up with good ideas is by working out the bad ones and keep thinking about it. That's all I'm trying to do. If nobody has a better solution then that in and of itself is a solution. I think a couple good suggestions have been made already though.

With that said, I appreciate the input but I disagree. I do think there is more they can do to make the sport accessible and promote the smaller events. That may mean spending more money. Spending more isn't a bad thing unless it doesn't generate additional profit or some other form of value.

You seem like the type that procrastinate a lot.

 

[GBJohn]

In my opinion, there are two things they could do to improve the situation in the long run.
First, stop relying on fighters to do their own promotion. You are the promoter, promote! And, for god’s sake, stop the president of your company from bad mouthing your product all the damned time.
Second, if you want to grow your product, stop making it so hard to access! Multiple platforms may improve revenue in the short term, but this practice presents barriers to new fans (you know, the people you need if you want your product to grow?). The PPV model also prioritizes short term monetization over long term growth.
I am aware that both of these points will cost money, but I see them as investments in the future growth of the UFC.

 

[dildos]

dont watch?

their ratings will be shit and they will start to put on good cards.

 

[Knockouttibster]

Never thought I'd become causal 10 years ago when I was nuts about ufc. I still watch big fights but back then, you'd watch every main card and some under cards. Now I dont recognize half these guys or maybe some of us are getting older

 

[C0NCH3TO]

Less events. Dat Espn money will be gone, though. Its impossible, tbh. You knew who was who before cause there were less events and these guys appeared on ufc unleashed, tuf, ufc all access..etc. It aint like that no more. Tuf neeeds to die, btw. The ufc has some great cards here and there but they need to spread all those big fights in too many events. You wont see ultra stacked cards like before but hey, that doesnt mean thay they cant turn out to be good events.

Some things will be missing and change as you grow, either as a person or as a company. And just wait till the UFC goes public. That's gonna be something else....for good and bad.

 

[Arrrrgh]

You seem like the type that procrastinate a lot.

You could say that about most people... including those that post 13k times on an MMA forum in 2 years.

We are two of a kind, best friends if you will!

Hugs!

 

[PicoPulse]

I hear the complaint that cards are too watered down a lot (but that's no excuse for this wall of text I'm about to fill your monitor with).

I sort of agree--well I understand what they mean when people say it anyway. Personally I think the quality of the fights on most cards today is pretty good and on par or better than the quality we saw a decade ago. So, I think calling the cards "Watered Down" is mischaracterizing the issue.

Redefining the Problem:

I think the problem people are really having is that it's difficult to be interested in fights/fighters they aren't familiar with and from one week to the next you will rarely if ever see the same fighters. It's a tough sport for newcomers to pick up. There isn't a team that plays every week or night. The same players are not in every big tournament like golf or tennis. And on top of that half of the events price a lot of younger fans and people who don't earn as much out of being able to watch (streaming aside). That was my biggest issue as a new fan. I was interested but in college and poor. I couldn't shell out the PPV cost and would lose interest after missing half (or all) of my favorite fighter's fights.

So, I don't think the solution is less cards. I don't think it's fighters fighting more times per year. I do think making it easier to follow the fights/fighters you like would help (meaning less ppv or an alternative subscription where you can pay in advance for all the ppvs in a year or something)... However, the real problem is people don't have a reason to tune in to a card where they don't know the fighters.
​

So, how do we generate interest?


Proposed Solutions:

• Teams?
• Tournaments?
• Themes? (like a middleweight only card or a newcomers/prospects vs aging vets... basically what they already sorta do but instead marketing it that way.)
• Fantasy MMA?
• Exhibitions on the previous week's event? (Maybe a showcase of disciplines like grappling only or kickboxing, wrestling, etc.)
• Half court shot contests? (But for MMA. Like punch/kick strength machine doing fan vs fighter or have submission/wrestling demonstrations with fans/coaches interacting during the card?)
• Multiple Octagons/Fights at the same time. (Basically the tennis format. If one fight is boring or a fan isn't interested they can watch whats happening in octagon 2 or 3? This would arguably waterdown events further though)

I am sure there are variations and combinations of those suggestions that could work but I'm hoping you guys may have better ideas. My main thing is I feel spoiled being able to watch events every week. I love it. I don't want it to change.

I used to tune in and just watch main cards/main events for the top ranked fighters. Now I gobble up as many fights as I can. I like watching as many styles as I can. If it's a Just Bleed throw caution to the wind chaos storm I am all in. A highly technical chess match? Sign me up (I'm not talking about boring shit fights like lewis vs ngannou). But it wasn't always that way. When I first became a fan I would miss most PPV events and catch some. It took me a couple of years to really get into the sport. Eventually I watched every numbered UFC event up to present (around the time UFC 100 was coming up) and then went back and watched every single Pride FC/Bushido event. It was a blast.

So my question to you fellow sherbros of the interwebs (get to the fuckin' point you long winded bastard) is what can we do to make the smaller cards more interesting to the casuals and new fans so they will have a reason to tune in (outside of more bullshit interim belts or "big name" fighters fighting 5+ times per year). More specifically, how can we make new/lesser known fighters/fights more interesting to casual fans?


TLDR; This thread doesn't really provide a solution. I am just trying to redefine the problem and hope that someone smarter than me can use that to come up with a good creative answer.

Better fighter promotion, being a known guy is truly the issue and its sad
Even I admit I dont get hype for unknowns who could you dont know them but im always hype for fights and they make you remember by their performance. People just assume no star power equals a bad fight.

UFC can make a fighter appear interesting but they usually don't

Also casuals dont know anyone by name anyways besides the big main eventers which shows this is a dedicated fan "fictionalized" problem.

 

[Arrrrgh]

Better fighter promotion, being a known guy is truly the issue and its sad
Even I admit I dont get hype for unknowns who could you dont know them but im always hype for fights and they make you remember by their performance. People just assume no star power equals a bad fight.

UFC can make a fighter appear interesting but they usually don't

Also casuals dont know anyone by name anyways besides the big main eventers which shows this is a dedicated fan "fictionalized" problem.

All valid points.
The last one especially.
Perhaps I am giving it too much thought because I see so much of it on here and other MMA boards... but as you correctly point out, that is "dedicated fan(s)" that raise the issue and never casuals.

 

[Rea_ctor]

It's difficult at the minute, as soon as a champ wins the belt he wants to sit on the fence and either take a break because of the long hard run to the belt, wants a superfight, or the Conor treatment.The UFC will then make an interim belt and the interim champ will then do the same. The fighter who lost both title shots or ex champ will want to sit out and wait on his next shot and not risk loosing to a nobody or another contender.
The UFC with its treatment of fighters has created a culture where fighting and taking a risk doesn't always pay off.