The Decline in quality of UFC PPVs and events [POLL]

[AmonTobin]

Maybe PPV's main cards occasionally feel a little light, like they 're missing 1 more high profile fight (due to a last minute cancelled bout). But at the same time, we are getting drip fed some potent matches on the other events between PPV's, more than ever before, not to mention all the great surprises we get in the prelims, so I can't complain. Quite the opposite, I feel pretty blessed as a fight fan, with the amount of content we get almost every damn week! (Some of you remember what it was like to catch a few scraps on video tape a few times a year).

 

[Senbonzakura]

The pandemic fcked daily operations and aspects of the ufc up for good. They were already riding coattials of a few legends and not producing any new stars then they went with corporate greed big time. Slowly eating away from the inside

 

[mraa1]

It's pretty bad. Wrestlers and grapplers been getting the shaft. DWCS c-level kickboxers been getting pushed. There is no org for high level MMA anymore except for probably some central asian regional league that no one but the biggest fight nerds have ever heard of. My interest has pretty much evaporated to nothing

 

[CatchtheseHands]

IMO every PPV this year so far has been pretty solid with the exceptions of 297 and 301 which were pretty mid. PPV's are overall pretty consistent, while Fight Nights are overall very inconsistent.

 

[mraa1]

So much negativity. Do you people go through your existence searching for nothing more than the lows of life?

Like this gives you a way to shit on everything.. So you take that easy route. Mob mentality.

You people can’t be happy, if this is who you are in real life. You don’t have to cheerlead. But the glass is half full side is probably happier.

Whatever.

Aren't you the guy who said Ngannou's son dying was karmic justice because you think he screwed over the PFL or some bullshit?

 

[Alpha_T83]

The big problem is that UFC cards 15-20 years ago used to have a meaningful title fight on every card, and the weaker divisions would almost never have a title fight as the main event (always co-main event).

Now you've got drama queen champions that fight once a year or less (McGregor, Jones) that have to be forced to fight. Even the top contenders in big divisions like 155 are fairly inactive and just squat on their rank. Fighters should be fighting 2-3 times a year, and that allows the UFC to stack cards. If they fight 1-2 times a year, we end up with these watered down cards headlined by weak divisions/champions.

Until or unless the UFC find a way to force their top fighters to be more active, this will continue. The obvious answer is to be more aggressive in stripping champions of their titles and demoting contenders in the ranks that refuse to fight. However, thus far the UFC has been unwilling to actually take these steps.

 

[CatchtheseHands]

The big problem is that UFC cards 15-20 years ago used to have a meaningful title fight on every card, and the weaker divisions would almost never have a title fight as the main event (always co-main event).

Now you've got drama queen champions that fight once a year or less (McGregor, Jones) that have to be forced to fight. Even the top contenders in big divisions like 155 are fairly inactive and just squat on their rank. Fighters should be fighting 2-3 times a year, and that allows the UFC to stack cards. If they fight 1-2 times a year, we end up with these watered down cards headlined by weak divisions/champions.

Until or unless the UFC find a way to force their top fighters to be more active, this will continue. The obvious answer is to be more aggressive in stripping champions of their titles and demoting contenders in the ranks that refuse to fight. However, thus far the UFC has been unwilling to actually take these steps.

Champs generally still do defend 2-3 times a year dude.

 

[RockyLockridge]

1/3 are Stacked

299, 300, 304

1/3 have a few solid fights

298, 303, 305

1/3 are a title fight thrown on top of a Fight Night Card

297, 301, 302



Checking out so far

 

[Karate Kid]

there is no decline, its called cycles and UFC is at the end of its generation of old stars. i dont understand the recency bias that pervades this forum at times

 

[jsbx45]

I think it comes down to the sheer volume of events. You can't fill every card with star power and title fights, esp at UFC pay scales. UFC is still far ahead of the competition

 

[EndlessCritic]

when volume increases quality decreases.

cut back on volume and quality will increase.

The UFC is fundamentally a search/tournament to find the world's best fighters.

How else is the UFC supposed to find the world's best fighters without a significant volume of fights?

 

[GrantB13]

Average to blow average. Every now and then we get a really nice card but all of these filler nights really drag the whole thing down.

 

[WoozyFailGuy]

The PPVs have been average, the price is thr outrageous part.
308 is an insanely stacked card.

 

[Left Hook Lacy]

when volume increases quality decreases.

cut back on volume and quality will increase.

Yup. Simple as that. What I loved about UFC events was that they were proper events. You could watch the full main card or at least several fights. Now I often skip straight to the main event.

 

[Rio Ferdinand]

Nobody really exciting anymore.

Poatan is decent.

As crazy as it sounds, I only feel the "butterflies" when someone like Khamzat fights. He's just exciting.

Everybody else has been a bit meh lately.

Prime Jon Jones, prime Conor (and Khabib) have ruined the UFC for me.

 

[GrantB13]

when volume increases quality decreases.

cut back on volume and quality will increase.

At this point they can't even do that without cutting chunks out of the roster. There are cards almost every weekend and we still have some fighters who only fight one a year. If they reduced the number of cards they wouldn't be able to fit as many fighters in per year. It has to be a multi-part restructure.

 

[Eric Silva 2.0]

I think it depends alot about what your a fan of too ..

Are you a fan of certain fighters or are you a fan of the sport itself...


My thinking being if your viewership is only tied to certain fighters or era of fighters then your going feel like theirs a decline when they're gone...


Vs

If your a fan of the sport itself , your probably unlikely to feel a drop off as much.

I would say like all sports, MMA goes through peaks and valleys , i dont think they have gone downhill, just maybe their aren't as many stellar stand out fighters currently as the talent might be in more of a valley then a peak as the overall skill increases and the difference between fighters becomes smaller untill someone comes along and bumps the level again ( another Anderson,GSP, Randy, ETC) ..


In conclusion the UFC's are somewhere between Good and Excellent, on average i dont remember a truly bad card...but im a purist and a fan of the sport first and remember the days of 1 ppv per 2 months or even 3 months so i might be the wrong person to ask ...i watch all fights all the time..every card... I dont do smoke breaks for WMMA etc

I enjoy this time in MMA. Are some of the cards watered down? Probably. What I like is that guys like Jon Jones,Khabib and Conor have left the sport even though Dana insists Jon is an active fighter. Usman lost his reign and Shavkat is knocking on the door while 'What's his name' is currently champ. Ilia knocked out Volk so we have a changing of the guard there as well. Max vs Ilia is a banger of a fight. Poodle (O'Malley) is at the top of BW and the Merab fight is an interesting one. Umar is lurking there and Yan is trying to make another run. Will Ilia have a long run at FW or will Max win the title again? Can Shavkat become champion or is his style too reckless? Can JDM or Machado-Garry claim the title? Lots of uncertainty. I'm also not mentioning Poatan whose fights are must see but he's up there in age so he can get dethroned or even KO'd in any of these upcoming fights. Will DDP have a long run or will Strickland get the title back? Will Costa Jr. (Caio) make a run (I don't think so) but he's got a few exciting fights in him. All these questions and more need to be answered. Tune in tomorrow. Same bat time, same bat channel.

 

[Captain Tenneal]

The roster is simply too big

The ESPN deal is too demanding


The fighters are still good, probably some of the best so far overall

 

['Suga Daddy']

Jiri already got stopped by Alex that was not a better fight

[



Yup this has been an awful year for UFC and MMA in general

How has it been an awful year? If you’re going to make a claim like that back it up.

 

[Brueskie]

The UFC just doesn't have as much personality as it did back in the day. Too many fighters, with most being here today, gone later today. Even during the height of the lay 'n' pray bullshit I was more invested in the fighters—even the ones I hated. Give me Keith Fuckin' Jardine over any of today's nobodies.