News I say told you so when I told you so. But this is really about the UFC putting out a bad product

[kingofthecans]

I remember when some of these cards would of been free on spike TV and the other cards wouldn't exist because the ufc didn't have a roster of lower tier fighters that would of never been in the ufc in the first place.

Boy how times have changed.

 

[Young Calf Kick]

Everything I can say has pretty much already been said in this thread. Dogwater cards with massively inflated prices. Screwing over fighters. Dogshit matchmaking and entire divisions being held up. Horrible business decisions.

Just about everything this company does is bush league. Their product is hot air with some sprinkles on it.

 

[Pierced7681]

Ufc’s product has definitely been getting worse lately as they’ve been trying to develop new talent instead of signing fighters who are already legitimate talents. One of the reasons for this is there’s not a lot of elite companies left to poach fighters from. They can’t just raid Strikeforce or Pride anymore and I think overall the sport just doesn’t have as many people interested in becoming fighters anymore in general. With that said, it’s easier than ever to get into the ufc as a fighter these days. They’ll literally take anyone if they have a good showing on the contender series and put them on the undercard. The other issue for the ufc is they are getting absolutely killed by streamers. Back in the day it was far tougher to find a good stream and you had to either go to the bar or buy the ppv full price and bring over some buddies for a watch party if you couldn’t afford it. The ufc isn’t going to load up their cards anymore when the fans can just hop online and watch it for free. I believe that’s one of the reasons why they went with the ESPN+ deal, because they were guaranteed money regardless of ppv sales.

 

[PeterGriffin]

It doesn't take a fucking genius to figure out the price tag is the main factor in dwindling PPV sales. Putting your main source of revenues behind two paywalls reeks of greed and nothing else. The UFC sets event prices so high it encourages piracy, lmfao.

The UFC is basically asking their biggest fans to pay $90 per episode for their favorite TV show now.

This is the exact same "come to us with 4 billion and we'll talk" maneuver. I guess the "partners" getting into bed with the current UFC are just independent contractors too. Frankly, I doubt the UFC even knows a way forward that doesn't involve the PPV model.

 

[shunyata]

It doesn't take a fucking genius to figure out the price tag is the main factor in dwindling PPV sales. Putting your main source of revenues behind two paywalls reeks of greed and nothing else. The UFC sets event prices so high it encourages piracy, lmfao.

The UFC is basically asking their biggest fans to pay $90 per episode for their favorite TV show now.

This is the exact same "come to us with 4 billion and we'll talk" maneuver. I guess the "partners" getting into bed with the current UFC are just independent contractors too. Frankly, I doubt the UFC even knows a way forward that doesn't involve the PPV model.

They need to drop the ppv model entirely to grow. There are already multiple countries with non ppv broadcast deals to show UFC cards.

 

[Hymen Crusher]

Saudi coming with sport washing money. Ufc will make money and be a worse product

 

[joy2day]

I said that Fox was happy to end their relationship with the UFC because Fox was losing money. A great many on Sherdog called me unflattering names.
I said that Reebok was happy to end their relationship with the UFC because they didn't get anywhere near recouping the $70 mil they paid to the UFC for exclusive sponsorship. Sherdog once again flamed me.
I've been saying for over a year now that ESPN is not happy with the UFC because the UFC ppv aren't selling. ESPN guarantees the UFC 300,000 ppv buys for every event they put on. ESPN is the one holding the bag or reaping the benefits from actually selling ppvs. If it undersells then ESPN is fucked for that event. If it oversell then they reap the rewards. Sherdog said I didn't know what I was talking about.

I'm sitting at work early with about 20 minutes to kill and Google tells me that I'd be interesting in this article.

Another Twist Amid ESPN Contract Expiry as Dana White and UFC’s $1B Demand Gets Clear Message From Netflix CEO

As the ESPN deal is coming to an end, Dana White and Co. received a hint as to what Netflix thinks about acquiring UFC's broadcast rights.

www.essentiallysports.com

ESPN, on the other hand, wasn’t happy about the plummeting PPV numbers either, as opposed to what the promotion had assured its partner. “The UFC gets [paid] 300,000 pay-per-view buys as a ‘buy-in’ from ESPN. There’s no way that ESPN is getting 300,000 pay-per-view buys out of every pay-per-view, from what I was told…ESPN is frustrated because they’re not getting the pay-per-view buys that they had expected,” the New York Post’s Erich Richter had said.

Basically everything I've been saying and people have been calling me crazy (not everyone but the vast many) about I'm actually right about.

But this isn't about me. This is really about the shit product that the UFC puts on and the fact the consumers are punishing the then UFC by not buying the product anymore. How can the UFC fix this issue?

Even in the late 00s the UFC could pull 300K ppv easy. In 2025 they struggle to make that number

The UFC made an overly ambitious plan in agreeing to the high number of events that is in their contract; the roster just doesn't have that kind of depth, and it isn't going to get any better when they are paying peanuts to the fighters to get CTE.

Also...

While the Netflix brass appear to show no interest in the UFC broadcast rights, Damon Martin believes that they could change their position. As he vaguely recalled the streaming service taking a similar stance before signing the $5 billion deal with the WWE last year, he’s confident that Netflix will take the same route with Dana White’s promotion.

I tend to doubt this. The WWE is not the UFC.

 

[snugglecakes]

disney seems to have no problem with lighting money on fire with constant reshoots and script rewrite delays on woke flops like hoe white and the 7 90s CD- rom Dos game cutscene tier CGIs, Captain america with no captain america, Little spermaid, the list goes on and on, yet sticking 2 rednecks together in a cage to beat eachother up is too much for them and they want out... while they still have doomed woke flops in the pipe like like Feminstastic 4 movie franchise reboot 3rd time wont be the charm, with a gender and race swapped silver surfette?

 

[Pechan]

All those points are being made here constantly, doubt most people "flamed" you

 

[Bend NvR Break]

Yeah I guess. I mean, I’m not bringing together 5 friends for a UFC viewing party and have everyone chip in (as Dana suggested long ago) for stupid ass cards that would only have 1-2 worthwhile fights.

I miss these days actually. Everyone has to cough up $15 to get the $60 ppv.

 

[Bend NvR Break]

There’s a broom in the closet

I work in an office and we have 24 hour sanitary specialists round the clock. Even at 2am on Xmas there's going to be security guards and cleaners in the building.

 

[Bend NvR Break]

.

This pay per view nonsense just needs to die.

Yes it's a dead model. People in charge still think it's 1997.

 

[El Panteron]

Ufc’s product has definitely been getting worse lately as they’ve been trying to develop new talent instead of signing fighters who are already legitimate talents. One of the reasons for this is there’s not a lot of elite companies left to poach fighters from. They can’t just raid Strikeforce or Pride anymore and I think overall the sport just doesn’t have as many people interested in becoming fighters anymore in general. With that said, it’s easier than ever to get into the ufc as a fighter these days. They’ll literally take anyone if they have a good showing on the contender series and put them on the undercard. The other issue for the ufc is they are getting absolutely killed by streamers. Back in the day it was far tougher to find a good stream and you had to either go to the bar or buy the ppv full price and bring over some buddies for a watch party if you couldn’t afford it. The ufc isn’t going to load up their cards anymore when the fans can just hop online and watch it for free. I believe that’s one of the reasons why they went with the ESPN+ deal, because they were guaranteed money regardless of ppv sales.

"Develop talent" is an interesting way of saying "overhyping cheap brawlers"

 

[Fury]

I was rewatching Aldo vs Edgar 1 the other day, one of the first PPVs I bought. In addition to that legendary headliner the card also had Lil Nog vs Evans, Bigfoot vs Overeem, and Maia vs Fitch. And back then that card was not seen has having tons of star power because Aldo always struggled to sell PPVs and BRs in general were perceived as hard to market to the North American audience, in fact it underperformed IIRC. But holy hell was that a stacked card from the POV of a hardcore fan. Looking it up now even the undercard was solid, had Woodley and Dunham and Green who were all very legit back then.

WEC cards back in the day were more stacked than UFC cards today

 

[Bend NvR Break]

I remember when some of these cards would of been free on spike TV and the other cards wouldn't exist because the ufc didn't have a roster of lower tier fighters that would of never been in the ufc in the first place.

Boy how times have changed.

This. Couldn't agree more.

 

[Islam Imamate]

WEC cards back in the day were more stacked than UFC cards today

True but 135 and 145 are arguably the best divisions in the sport so that is to be expected.

 

[Bowel-forged Stool]

I work in an office and we have 24 hour sanitary specialists round the clock. Even at 2am on Xmas there's going to be security guards and cleaners in the building.

Sanitary specialists… I’m gonna use that one for sure

 

[Bend NvR Break]

The UFC made an overly ambitious plan in agreeing to the high number of events that is in their contract; the roster just doesn't have that kind of depth, and it isn't going to get any better when they are paying peanuts to the fighters to get CTE.

Also...

While the Netflix brass appear to show no interest in the UFC broadcast rights, Damon Martin believes that they could change their position. As he vaguely recalled the streaming service taking a similar stance before signing the $5 billion deal with the WWE last year, he’s confident that Netflix will take the same route with Dana White’s promotion.

I tend to doubt this. The WWE is not the UFC.

WWE has a much stronger and loyal fan base.

Comparing the UFC/MMA to WWE
/Professional Wrestling is literally like comparing lemons to yellow peppers. People think that because they are both yellow they must be similar when that's the only thing they have in common.

 

[Fury]

True but 135 and 145 are arguably the best divisions in the sport so that is to be expected.

But to go from that on basic cable to the ppv's we have today.... It's not easy on those of us who've been fans for a while.

 

[Islam Imamate]

But to go from that on basic cable to the ppv's we have today.... It's not easy on those of us who've been fans for a while.

Yeah its insane to see the level of drop off. We're forced to watch regional level fighters on main cards at the Apex now.

I think the UFC started to go down hill a few years after the Strikeforce acquisition. That merger brought a ton of great fighters over and we had some awesome fights for years as a result but that generation of fighters aged out right around the time that the UFC got bought by WME and made the ESPN deal which led to the watered down product we have now. Its was the last great infusion of elite fighters preceded by the WEC wave before it and the Pride wave before that.