Media PFL CEO says this weekend's card with Ngannou is "biggest event of the year" ahead of UFC 300, Sphere

[svmr_db]

 

[TeenageMutantLesnarTurtle]

Literally the following week theres a bigger card lol.

It is a solid card though, no doubt.

 

[MrBlackheart]

Would NGannou losing be good or bad for the ufc? On one hand Dana still butthurt over Francis. On the other hand, seeing a ufc HW champ get laid out by a fighter of another organization is pretty bad.

 

[uled]

Rizin NYE will always beat PFL

 

[usernamee]

 

[TeenageMutantLesnarTurtle]

Would NGannou losing be good or bad for the ufc? On one hand Dana still butthurt over Francis. On the other hand, seeing a ufc HW champ get laid out by a fighter of another organization is pretty bad.

Dont think it really matters for the UFC at this point. He hasnt fought in MMA for almost 3 years and is pushing 40 now.

 

[Tweak896]

I don't understand how pfl can burn through so much money with no return. It's a good card, but I wonder if it will sell even close to UFC.

 

[svmr_db]

Rizin NYE will always beat PFL

Not globally, the Rizin PPV will have like 5K buys in North America lol.

 

[richardjohnson]

Why do the people at the PFL say stuff like this? It just opens them up for more ridicule. I don’t expect them to shit on their own event or anything but you know this guy doesn’t even believe the things he’s saying. There’s zero chance this event is bigger than UFC 300.

 

[TeenageMutantLesnarTurtle]

I don't understand how pfl can burn through so much money with no return. It's a good card, but I wonder if it will sell even close to UFC.

Historically non-UFC MMA PPVs dont do great even when they have star power on them. Even those pretty stacked Affliction cards with Fedor only did like 100k buys.

 

[Deleted member 585708]

Dont think it really matters for the UFC at this point. He hasnt fought in MMA for almost 3 years and is pushing 40 now.

He's a similar age to Jon Jones and beat Stipe when it actually mattered, to be fair.

UFC is struggling to put on bigger heavyweight fights right now.

 

[Tweak896]

Historically non-UFC MMA PPVs dont do great even when they have star power on them. Even those pretty stacked Affliction cards with Fedor only did like 100k buys.

Considering Ngannou was going to paid more than Lesnar prior to fighting Fury/Joshua, its going to be interesting to see how much he draws now. Although he hasn't won by flatlining anyone since Stipe. Either way, I'm always shocked when alt orgs put out mega cards when it just seems like the whole even is a losing effort.

 

[clutchCAT420]

Hes not wrong. The ufc 300 was a borefest card, the sphere was prehaps the worst of the year. Cheap dana keeps putting trash weekly.
Ngannou is the HW MMA champ

 

[Unheralded Truth]

I wonder if the plan is to use Bellator's name for a while, making these cross-over fights under the PFL banner, and then merge in time?

I mean, isn't it stupid to keep the rosters separated in the end if you wanna build something that generates a bigger interest?

 

[Doctor Grudge]

I wonder if the plan is to use Bellator's name for a while, making these cross-over fights under the PFL banner, and then merge in time?

I mean, isn't it stupid to keep the rosters separated in the end if you wanna build something that generates a bigger interest?

They have TV obligations for Bellator. Bellator will be merged in a year or so.

 

[TeenageMutantLesnarTurtle]

He's a similar age to Jon Jones and beat Stipe when it actually mattered, to be fair.

UFC is struggling to put on bigger heavyweight fights right now.

Jones is having credibility issues himself really in terms of being viewed as the actual champ. It did help that he disposed of Gane so easily compared to Ngannou though.

I think too much time has passed to be able to view Ngannou as still being the "real" UFC champ now. He didnt have an easy time with Gane on his way out, a guy who is younger and whos grappling has probably improved since then. And Aspinall, Pavlovich and Jailton werent even on the radar when Ngannou left. The damage he took in that AJ fight was not something you necessarily come back the same from either.

 

[TheComputerGuy]

Why do the people at the PFL say stuff like this? It just opens them up for more ridicule. I don’t expect them to shit on their own event or anything but you know this guy doesn’t even believe the things he’s saying. There’s zero chance this event is bigger than UFC 300.

ESPN sport shows don't even cover the UFC. It shows just how big the UFC is. Ask 1000 people who Jon Jones is, maybe 5 will have heard of him. Neither event is big.

 

[Goatenstein]

The big draw is a guy who just got destroyed in boxing by a guy who just got destroyed in boxing.

 

[AldoStillGoat]

I believe him

 

[j18lee]

Dont think it really matters for the UFC at this point. He hasnt fought in MMA for almost 3 years and is pushing 40 now.

That seems to be good reasoning to me as well... but then I thought some more about the upcoming UFC Heavyweight title fight.

I think strangely Ngannou still matters because he was the lineal UFC HW champ and even though he hasn't fought in almost 3 years and pushing 40, he is still more relevant than the previous UFC champ, Miocic who was knocked out by Ngannou and hasn't fought in more than 3 years and is over 40.

And since the UFC feels that Miocic is the most relevant and deserving challenger to the UFC Heavyweight title, then apparently, inactivity and age doesn't stop the UFC from caring.