UFC is Dying 2021

[imbossing]

I'm nit as excited as i used to be :/

 

[Hellowhosthat]

Looks on it's last legs to me.

 

[PurpleStorm]

It's better than ever.

Yup and there's never been a better time to watch mma from all around the world. If espn doesn't want to renew Amazon Prime or Netflix should stream it all free and live. It's chump change for them. No ppv's. No more than one paywall for all live content.

The sport would grow and it would be amazing for subscription retention which is the biggest challenge for any streaming service. It's all about providing more content. Consumer demand for free content has never been greater in human history. You're like me Ares. The present & future are the best times.

 

[PurpleStorm]

Looks on it's last legs to me.

Indeed, if one reads backwards.

 

[Cooliox]

source?


Source?


Source?


Source?


Source?

Do you not follow MMA news on the regular?

This is all rather common knowledge.

Still, I'll do a beginner's thread with proper citation sometime in the near future for folks like you

 

[Cooliox]

Looks on it's last legs to me.

I'm not sure if your numbers are legit, or is it more of Meltzer's 'predictions' using Google search numbers, in order to sell news subscriptions... since UFC is a Private Company.

But, please include $4 BILLION paid out by WME-IMG in 2016 for UFC ownership

And last year during Covid lockdowns (2020), WME had to beg people for loans to keep the electricity running... after severe downsizing

 

[Hellowhosthat]

I'm not sure if your numbers are legit, or is it more of Meltzer's 'predictions' using Google search numbers, in order to sell news subscriptions... since UFC is a Private Company.

But, please include $4 BILLION paid out by WME-IMG in 2016 for UFC ownership

And last year during Covid lockdowns (2020), WME had to beg people for loans to keep the electricity running... after severe downsizing

If it came to it WME would just have to sell the UFC, the UFC still wouldn't die.

 

[Substance Abuse]

I'm not sure if your numbers are legit, or is it more of Meltzer's 'predictions' using Google search numbers, in order to sell news subscriptions... since UFC is a Private Company.

But, please include $4 BILLION paid out by WME-IMG in 2016 for UFC ownership

And last year during Covid lockdowns (2020), WME had to beg people for loans to keep the electricity running... after severe downsizing

These are reported numbers that were disclosed because the UFC is currently in a lawsuit revolving around pay versus revenue and WME is a traded stock so they divulge information. The UFC itself is the most profitable aspect of WME's portfolio since the start of the pandemic and by a long shot. It basically was all of WME's revenue.

 

[asdf122345]

@NorrisB you were right.

 

[Yosuke]

I feel like it is. I've been watching MMA since Pride and the excitement is pretty much gone except for a few fights here and there.

I feel you bro, characters and diversity in fight style is missing. Most of it is so...standardized. I wonder what will happen once Diaz, Masvidal, KZ...etc. are gone. Those are the last interesting characters IMO.

 

[snugglecakes]

There’s no way I could ever be all that excited to watch any kind of sporting event of any way shape or form ever.

Sports will never be anything more than background effect… like the muted TV at Chili’s or TGI fridays. It just makes the room more welcoming if it’s on but yur eyes will never actually stay fixated on it for more than a min before yur eyes start to drift into your phone.

 

[ejazahmednit]

Yeah I was hardcore into UFC from 2017-2020. 2020 was the biggest year for the company but it seems the fad is over quickly. I cant be bothered watching cards the way I used to before. I think my lack of interest is a good indicator that UFC is dying.

People who started in 2012 like me thought the same around 2017
They aren't going anywhere
New stars will come as old ones fade, that's the nature of the beast
That's why any successful promotion puts their promotion on the pedestal and not any single or even a bunch of fighters
They might have lulls, but the forward momentum is too much to stop immediately

 

[daniel san]

Watered down cards is what killed the excitement for me and getting older and not having the time to spend 3+ hours weekly on shitty cards. The UFC isn’t dying though, unfortunately. If it was dying then maybe they’d get pulled from ESPN and they could go back to the amazing Spike TV/PPV era. Or just cut 50% of the roster.

 

[TeenageMutantLesnarTurtle]

Ratings have gone way downhill, along with ppv buys.

This might actually be their strongest first half of a year ever for average PPV buys.

 

[Naoya#1]

They are still fine but it's just a matter of time... Combat sports won't stay forever.

 

[Iroh]

That's a "no" for me and in honor of FrankieNYC RIP

 

[CryptoCreep33]

This is why the Mafia Bros sold Zuffa.

They knew they had gotten away with their mob business in the UFC for enough time, and shit was about to catch up to them.

Theres a big antitrust lawsuit coming for them.

Their ratings peaked.
They overhyped Ronda and Conor and all to the stars and made it seem like this was the next big sport of the world.

Meanwhile in reality UFC couldn't even get a fair deal from FOX for contract extension. FOX opted to go with WWE instead.

ESPN isn't happy with UFC either, after they put on shitty cards to meet the quota last year, which says ESPN will pay a fixed sum regardless of number of viewers or ppv buys if UFC put on an X number of events in the fiscal year.

Ratings have gone way downhill, along with ppv buys.

Reebok couldn't wait to part ways with the UFC. No other big time players wants to come near them. They had to settle with Venom, LOL

Hell, even their top fighters are refusing to fight. Jones vacated. Conor sat out for most his prime. Khabib retired young. Cejudo retired young, Ronda retired young... Anderson Silva got released (fired) despite only 1 fight left on contract, after all the things he had done for them.

Liddell and Hughes were fired after Dana promised them lifetime jobs for what they did for the UFC. Hughes opted to park on the train tracks as a result...allegedly.
Meanwhile, Liddell is willing to fight anyone anywhere to get some of that coco money.


Yup UFC is Dying 2021

People are more excited to see Youtube Stars box, than to watch UFC fights. That too, former UFC fighters are being offered more money to Box for those guys, more than they ever made in the UFC.

Been hearing dumb stuff like this for awhile now but if you did any REAL research you'd see they're doing just fine.

 

[moreorless87]

I do think the fundamental issue there dealing with is that the UFC near monopoly doesnt have a sustainable way of bringing though talent.

The UFC may have been in that position for a decade or more BUT much of that time it was depending heavily on legacy talent brought though by other major orgs such as Pride and Strikforce. The upper divisions espeically are really struggling to deal with that as now as those older names decline/retire and the UFC system is having to stand on its own more and IMHO isnt bringing though enough quality talent to sustain the level of those divisions.

 

[the phantom toe]

Football (soccer) is the biggest sport in the world because the fan base is loyal and will stick with a team through thick and thin.

MMA has a Toxic fan base that ignore facts and logic.. Shit on any fighter that doesn't fight the way that They want or doesn't whore themselves out to a gimmick like Colby.

You could be a absolute killer.. But if you don't talk shit or throwing spinning shit.. your threw on a slag heap marked boring

 

[MCS]

This anti-trust suit isn't a small joke like other cases in the past. And I've never seen fighter pay lead to headliners sitting out at this rate. Champions rather go to boxing or celeb boxing than defend their UFC belt.

The about 15 years I've been watching the UFC it's never had so many things going against them. The Casino movie methods don't apply well to 2021. Unless you're a politician.