Jake Paul talks PFL: "...the UFC is falling."

[checktheknuckles]

PFL still paying preliminary fighters $3,000k? #ForTheFighters #CoLeaders #UFCDying

Dumbe was offered 20k/20k by the UFC, PFL gave him 200k. The UFC hw champ left the UFC for better pay. Guess fighting for peanuts ain't what it used to be.

 

[checktheknuckles]

Inflation is a lot to blame. I paid $330 bucks for a nosebleed seat this weekend. NYC was $700 for nosebleeds! Anaheim upcoming card is like $380 bucks for the cheap ticket after fees.

In 2014 I got FLOOR seats to UFC 173 for $300 bucks. Now they are like $3,000. So of course every gate it going to be a new “record high”

No that ain't it at all. Problem is the UFC is a public company now, whos interest is solely on the shareholders and how to increase profits. I called this problem as soon as they went pub.

 

[Cartiac]

What really doesn't make sense to me about businesses like PFL is they seem to think they can just jump right to the same level as UFC without spending any of the time and effort building up the way UFC did, establishing the infrastructure and business processes required to run a successful, profitable business first and then start scaling it up and fixing the things that break as they grow.

 

[TheComputerGuy]

I was with you until your last sentence. If anything MMA will only get more popular and more promoters and rich people like Jake Paul will host fights, UFC needs to put on good events to stay at the top, I do think UFC cards have gone WAY downhill since ZUFFA era. UFC is filling cards with cheap contender series fighters instead of star power to make back that 4.25 billion. New owners knew what they were doing by keeping Dana White on board to make the transition

The UFC wasn't doing that well until they got Brock. That got all the WWE fans, which also pushed away all sports fans.

 

[TheComputerGuy]

Inflation is a lot to blame. I paid $330 bucks for a nosebleed seat this weekend. NYC was $700 for nosebleeds! Anaheim upcoming card is like $380 bucks for the cheap ticket after fees.

In 2014 I got FLOOR seats to UFC 173 for $300 bucks. Now they are like $3,000. So of course every gate it going to be a new “record high”

It isn't inflation as much as they just charge more.

I don't know how you got floor seats for $300 in 2014. I paid $500 to sit about 50 feet away from the cage to see Brock Vs Cain in 2010. Those seats now look to be 2K. This was in Anaheim. The last UFC event I went to was Ronda vs Liz in 2013. Those same seats were like $800, but I got to be in a luxury suite for that.

 

[HI SCOTT NEWMAN]

Yeah this nonsense has been said on so many occasions, I am long enough in the tooth to remember all the so called MMA Orgs that would take over UFC, and none of them did, in fact they all ended up failed and finished. PFL are spending far too much money and it won't last long, paying people like Juan Adams big money is criminal, he is dreadful, has very little skill and talent.. this is the way too fail. The million dollar win money won't last, they recently had to get those Arab investors involved because they need help.

Don't take my word for it, just look at all the big MMA orgs that came and went, all of them said the same thing that Paul just said. I've seen it all before

 

[JPW328]

I mean that’s still the metric for all publicly traded companies. It’s not like McDonalds, Apple or Amazon etc or anyone else has an asterisk mark saying “only cause of inflation”. They’re still on fire and doing well peaking, the furthest thing from failing. Usually it’s noted when sales are down because of economic hardships not when they’re looking bulletproof despite it. Love gates are a smaller part of the earnings. They’re in the same economy as every company in existence.

Those 3 companies you named haven’t increased in price nearly as much as UFC has in the last decade. So maybe it’s NOT JUST inflation, it’s the UFC setting the prices so high they know people will still buy them. Just like the PPV. It’s damn near $100 after taxes. And we are getting a shittier product today in the UFC that ever before in history (in my opinion)

 

[JPW328]

It isn't inflation as much as they just charge more.

I don't know how you got floor seats for $300 in 2014. I paid $500 to sit about 50 feet away from the cage to see Brock Vs Cain in 2010. Those seats now look to be 2K. This was in Anaheim. The last UFC event I went to was Ronda vs Liz in 2013. Those same seats were like $800, but I got to be in a luxury suite for that.

You are correct it’s not just inflation it’s the UFC price tag. I got floor seats for $330 included fees. BUT my event was TJ Dillashaw vs Renan Barao. Nobody gave TJ a chance. It was considered a “shitty PPV” for the ZUFFA ERA. But before and after this event, I usually get the cheapest tickets then move downwards. There’s a shitload of empty seats be when UFC says it’s sold out.

Strikeforce also had some killer prices. I saw Hendo vs Fejio for $26 bucks ! Diaz vs Daley for $100 (amazing seats, first row up from floor) and many many others.

 

[JPW328]

No that ain't it at all. Problem is the UFC is a public company now, whos interest is solely on the shareholders and how to increase profits. I called this problem as soon as they went pub.

Poor choice of words by using inflation. I should’ve added price increase. Because everything else in life hasn’t gone 8x the price in a decade. I can still get cheap hockey tickets like a decade ago. Cheap Supercross and motocross tickets like a decade ago, etc

 

[Guy LeDouche]

Why does he always look so oily or sweaty in interviews? Even when he’s not training?

 

[JPW328]

Yeah this nonsense has been said on so many occasions, I am long enough in the tooth to remember all the so called MMA Orgs that would take over UFC, and none of them did, in fact they all ended up failed and finished. PFL are spending far too much money and it won't last long, paying people like Juan Adams big money is criminal, he is dreadful, has very little skill and talent.. this is the way too fail. The million dollar win money won't last, they recently had to get those Arab investors involved because they need help.

Don't take my word for it, just look at all the big MMA orgs that came and went, all of them said the same thing that Paul just said. I've seen it all before

Here is the difference though between 2007 and 2024. The UFC is now facing a class action lawsuit and accused of being a monopoly. Back then they just bought every league to sink them and own digital rights. Pride, IFL, Elite XC, Affliction, WEC, Strikeforce, who else am I missing?

The UFC used to only buy competition when it affected them. Do you remember Dana White telling the media “hey you want to compete with us? You’re going down. I’ll tell you who’s doing it CORRECT. A man by the name of Scott Coker up there in the Pacific Northwest, other promoters should follow his lead if they want to stay in business” those were almost Dana’s exact words (of course I can’t find this media scrum)

It wasn’t but just a couple years later Dana saw how much traction Strikeforce got with the fans. SF was the alternative we needed for UFC in North America. Look how many Strikeforce fighters went on to become UFC champions and contenders! UFC bought them out because they wanted those fighters and most importantly wanted market control. They can’t purchase other leagues like they used to. UFC was smart by offering a TON of regional leagues a spot on UFC fight pass. Also like 90% of the Contender Series is LFA fighters.

 

[AfroBanana]

Those 3 companies you named haven’t increased in price nearly as much as UFC has in the last decade. So maybe it’s NOT JUST inflation, it’s the UFC setting the prices so high they know people will still buy them. Just like the PPV. It’s damn near $100 after taxes. And we are getting a shittier product today in the UFC that ever before in history (in my opinion)

A lot of things have increased. Freaking fast food value meals are like $15 now. I payed $1200 for a graphic card that would have been $700-$800 pre pandemic. The basic iPad model starts at like $500 now. I used to buy ribeyes $5.99 a lb and now they’re $14.99, many many things are inflated.

NFL ticket prices jumped like $100 on average in a single year. So did concert tickets and other things. Don’t get me wrong the UFC has had increased prices and things but the demand isn’t lower because of it. They’re still having unbelievable success and can’t be considered a failure. Price increases and still having the demand is seen as a positive in business.

I’m just using companies as examples, success is success. They actually should be applauded for being this successful in a bad economy not “but but prices”. I don’t know what kind of defense “price increases” are to indicate failure when success is at all time highs…….. PFL’s massive debt and taking on additional debt somehow is success?

 

[mahavishnunj]

BJJ is more popular than ever.

Not here. In my podunk area there used to be quite a few bjj places. Now there are zero.

 

[Romulas]

Lmk when any of you start organizing your schedule around or having gatherings in your homes to watch the PFL...

 

[AmonTobin]

jake paul could be a successful circus YouTube fight promoter some day, almost anything’s possible. But he’ll never be a good boxer. It’s plain to see. Lol

 

[Pequeño Corey]

“Co-leaders”

 

[Guld]

PFL still paying preliminary fighters $3,000k? #ForTheFighters #CoLeaders #UFCDying

"$3,000K"?
$3,000,000 is a pretty crazy wage for a prelim fighter.

 

[m249viking]

Any org that can offer more revenue split is going to be successful as far as talent acquisition, with that said I can see Dana and Co just increasing pay when they start missing out on more prospects than they like

What revenue? Besides, a bigger slice of a smaller pie doesn’t always mean a larger slice

 

[m249viking]

ESPN over paid the UFC for streaming rights. ESPN isn't doing very well, and was trying to get people to pay for ESPN+.

Most of the bars I used to go too stopped showing the UFC. All the legit BJJs schools are going under, and the ones still around are McDojos. 10 years from now I don't think MMA will be around.

ESPN was great when they covered sports with people that truly understood the sport. Now it’s celebrity talking heads who don’t watch the game but just spout some stats off a teleprompter. And push fantasy league nonsense.

 

[tucan89]

Be interesting if UFC leaves ESPN/Disney and ESPN keeps PFL. Maybe UFC. Goes to Amazon Then you got a legit war. 2 leagues with 2 Giant backers head to head. I would love it as it would massively increase qaulity of fights and better lives for Fighters.

Something like that could deff happen right now. Now that they're under the same roof the WWE is currently shopping for new homes for both their main TV shows on monday & friday nights. UFC would deff take the highest bid if another company offers them more money then ESPN regardless of what it is.