The downside to UFC 185

[DezWalker]

Was a great night of action. Two title fights, two title changes. A hardcore fan's dream.

But if hardcore fans got what they wanted, UFC would turn into Pride and this thing wouldn't last 5 years.

To borrow from WWE, what's "Best for Business" is not what happened tonight. The best thing for business is dominant champions. And, sorry to say, American champions. The Lightweight championship has always been a tough sell and it just got a whole lot tougher with a champion no one knows and no one cares about. (and by no one, I'm not talking about anyone reading this, I'm talking most of the people who bought UFC 184 and make the difference between a good and an excellent buyrate).

The strawweight championship was won on a show watched by close to a million people just a few months ago and Esparza's a likeable potentially marketable personaility. Joanna is likeable as well but no one knows who she is, no one can pronounce her name and she struggles with English. She isn't going to be a star and that belt is not going to draw money.

Regardless of how many PPV buys this show does, this show cost UFC a LOT of money down the road. Sad but true.

But congrats to JJ and RDA, well done.

 

[Actualized174]

I agree in terms of RDA's lack of marketability while losing Pettis' but disagree with what you said about JJ. I would say that JJ has a lot of potential to draw people in, she already has talked and intrigued more than Carla, despite being on a reality show.

 

[DezWalker]

I agree in terms of RDA's lack of marketability while losing Pettis' but disagree with what you said about JJ. I would say that JJ has a lot of potential to draw people in, she already has talked and intrigued more than Carla, despite being on a reality show.

Again, you're talking hardcore fans and I agree. The same people that sang the praises of Renan Barao, Jose Aldo and Pettis for that matter.

Casual American fans are never going to take to a European whose name they can't pronounce and can barely speak English. They just aren't.

 

[Magooglie]

Joanna is now the GSP of Poland

Conor is now the Joanna of Ireland

 

[dmtpanic]

If our two newly crowned champs continue to win and achieve that 'dominant' status I think they can start being good for business.

It just may take a few fights.

 

[Enigma87]

Dude everyone hates Carla and love Joanna. Much better this way

 

[Lucifer Alpha]

Dos Anjos is Brazilian. He at least has that going for him.

 

[Rittsy]

Stop worrying about 'marketability'. That's the fighter's and the UFC's job.

 

[Mad4mma1]

Again, you're talking hardcore fans and I agree. The same people that sang the praises of Renan Barao, Jose Aldo and Pettis for that matter.

Casual American fans are never going to take to a European whose name they can't pronounce and can barely speak English. They just aren't.

Doesn't hockey have more unpronounceable Eastern European names? And boxing as well!! GGG, the Krusher and klitchko??

 

[DezWalker]

Dude everyone hates Carla and love Joanna. Much better this way

Much better to have a dominant champion that everyone hates than a nice girl whose name you can't pronounce as champion.

And "everyone" doesn't love Joanna. NO ONE KNOWS WHO SHE IS. Again, I'm not talking people on this message board, I'm talking the people out there who aren't on MMA sites 2 hours after the show is over.

People on here will tell you that this card was twice as good as the last PPV (and I'd agree). Yet it's likely to do half the business.

Which goes back to what I said in the OP. You may get what you like but you might not like what you get.

Pettis was finally starting to get some traction and people talking like he could be a real star, more than anyone at 155 since BJ Penn. Now he's just another dude. And if Khabib wins the belt, like most think he will, then the belt's worthless as a money draw.

The strawweight title had an uphill battle anyways. But having JJ as champion kills it dead. At best they can headline a Fight Night in Europe and maybe make some money on the gate because she's the only European champion in UFC but it's not drawing TV ratings and it's not getting PPV buys. I can guarantee you that.

 

[DezWalker]

Doesn't hockey have more unpronounceable Eastern European names? And boxing as well!! GGG, the Krusher and klitchko??

YUP, and how are they doing in America, where the money is?

 

[Better Every Day]

So far, we have yet to see one of the strongest features of the strawweight division: it's capacity for great striker vs. striker battles. With Joanna as champion, I hope we will get to see her in a striker vs. striker match-up. JJ vs. Jo Jo would be a great start. I hope we see that at UFC Scotland.

And let's not forget Justine Kish, who didn't fight during TUF due to a knee injury. I'm looking forward to her recovery from knee surgery. She was 2011 World Muaythai Council champion. And, like Joanna, a flyweight who dropped down to strawweight.

I think that great striker vs. striker battles will make the division very popular!

[YT]PAwREnYCsJU[/YT]

 

[fortheo]

Trust me, Jedi will attract more attention as a champion than Carla.

 

[MachidaNo1Fan]

Joana deserved the belt... with striking light years above the competition like that, she can speak gibberish and still can't be denied the belt

 

[ThePewp]

I agree with the TS.

What is best for business is a dominant champion people hate. Specifically, you want religious nuts to hate the champion which will cause everyone else hated by religious nuts and angry mothers to see the champion as a symbol of rebellion against the idiocracy.

You want a champion who has haters that hate with passion - Brock Haters, Pettis Haters, Ronda Haters - and fans who are loyal to the end. Tyson fans don't care about Buster Douglas. You want a figure that divides people into extremes.

As for the Ethnocentric part of your argument, I do not buy it. The UFC is putting a lot of stock into the overseas ventures, and it looks like the UFC thinks it has topped out the North American market. To this, it has been hosting events all over the world with a lot of international fighters, and some of them will draw. Just like in PRIDE, many of the fighters that American Fans loved spoke poor English and weren't American at all.

The worst line a champ can say is anything good about God/Jesus - that is just as awful as making a book of excuses for why you lost. The best line a champ can give is to develop chemistry with Rogan and use his "fed lines" to promote and hype yourself. Call out the top 5, put yourself over as the best in the world, remind the up and comers the future goes through you.

 

[fortheo]

Much better to have a dominant champion that everyone hates than a nice girl whose name you can't pronounce as champion.

And "everyone" doesn't love Joanna. NO ONE KNOWS WHO SHE IS. Again, I'm not talking people on this message board, I'm talking the people out there who aren't on MMA sites 2 hours after the show is over.

People on here will tell you that this card was twice as good as the last PPV (and I'd agree). Yet it's likely to do half the business.

Which goes back to what I said in the OP. You may get what you like but you might not like what you get.

Pettis was finally starting to get some traction and people talking like he could be a real star, more than anyone at 155 since BJ Penn. Now he's just another dude. And if Khabib wins the belt, like most think he will, then the belt's worthless as a money draw.

The strawweight title had an uphill battle anyways. But having JJ as champion kills it dead. At best they can headline a Fight Night in Europe and maybe make some money on the gate because she's the only European champion in UFC but it's not drawing TV ratings and it's not getting PPV buys. I can guarantee you that.

All this post does is tell us about your preconceptions and bias. You speak as if you know what you're talking about, but you don't speak from fact; instead, you speak from your own ignorant, narrow minded, and biased opinions.

 

[frederick]

Nice to see your concern for the business success of the UFC.

 

[Bob Sagat]

Was a great night of action. Two title fights, two title changes. A hardcore fan's dream.

But if hardcore fans got what they wanted, UFC would turn into Pride and this thing wouldn't last 5 years.

"Suuuuuure the fans got what they wanted.. BUT WHAT ABOUT THE POOR UFC!!!!" :icon_cry2

 

[DezWalker]

Not saying she doesn't deserve the belt, she clearly does. It's just that having a dominant American champion is always going to be best for business and ultimately the sport. If she goes in and faces JoJo in her first title defence, it's even worse. Having the belt passed around like a hot potato also isn't good for business unless the division is firmly established and even then it's still better to have a dominant champion.

Best thing would've been for Carla to retain and then defend against the Felice/PVZ winner, which would likely be a relatively easy title defence. Eventually maybe Rose makes her way back to a title shot. If you get to a point where the division is established and Carla or someone could be a draw with or without the belt then you can afford to have a less marketable challenger.

 

[fortheo]

Not saying she doesn't deserve the belt, she clearly does. It's just that having a dominant American champion is always going to be best for business and ultimately the sport. If she goes in and faces JoJo in her first title defence, it's even worse. Having the belt passed around like a hot potato also isn't good for business unless the division is firmly established and even then it's still better to have a dominant champion.

Best thing would've been for Carla to retain and then defend against the Felice/PVZ winner, which would likely be a relatively easy title defence. Eventually maybe Rose makes her way back to a title shot. If you get to a point where the division is established and Carla or someone could be a draw with or without the belt then you can afford to have a less marketable challenger.

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