UFC roster size to support ~ 3 fights per year for each fighter

[screaminleeman]

- Currently there are over 600 UFC fighters under contract.
- Based on the 32 UFC events so far this year featuring a total of 366 UFC fights year to date. That is an average of 11.43 fights per card. Round up to 12 fight per card.

The "average" number of events per year is really N/A as the past two years have had many more cards than 2013 and prior. As such lets use the maximum number of cards in a single season in UFC history (47 cards) in 2014.
[Note: I will list the UFC cards per year since it's inception at the bottom]

1. With these three variables here is the average fight per UFC fighter per year:
47 cards x
12 fights per card = 564 total fights x
2 fighters per fight = 1,128 fight slots per year /
600 UFC fighters = 1.88 fights per year per fighter.

2. With the same two "maximum" variables of cards/ year and fights/ card lets figure the maximum size of the UFC roster that could support an average of three fights per fighter per year.

1,128/ ]? (UFC roster size)]= 3

? = 376 (Maximum UFC roster that can support 3 fights per year)

Damn, I simply do not understand how much clearer I can make this? FFS people 600+ fighters under contract in ANY one MMA organization DOES NOT support an active division(s).

Now, let me use the roster size of 600 and still the 12 fights per card to figure how many UFC cards per year would be required for folks that cannot part with a single fighter on the 600+ roster.
600 fighters x 3 fights per year =
1,800 total fights per year * 2 =
3,600 fight slots per year / 12 fights per card =
75 UFC cards per year!

Who the FUCK want's that shit?

Damn Dana, Fucking FIRE all UFC fighters ranked #40 and below and PROBLEM SOLVED.


As for the yearly UFC events I promised:
2015 - 41 (32 to Y.T.D. & 9 more scheduled this year)
2014 - 47
2013 - 34
2012 - 32
2011 - 27
2010 - 24
2009 - 20
2008 - 20
2007 - 19
2006 - 18
2005 - 10
2004 - 5
2003 - 5
2002 - 7
2001 - 5
2000 - 6
1999 - 6
1998 - 3
1997 - 5
1996 - 5
1995 - 4
1994 - 3
1993 - 1

 

[Lars]

- Currently there are over 600 UFC fighters under contract.
- Based on the 32 UFC events so far this year featuring a total of 366 UFC fights year to date. That is an average of 11.43 fights per card. Round up to 12 fight per card.

The "average" number of events per year is really N/A as the past two years have had many more cards than 2013 and prior. As such lets use the maximum number of cards in a single season in UFC history (47 cards) in 2014.
[Note: I will list the UFC cards per year since it's inception at the bottom]

1. With these three variables here is the average fight per UFC fighter per year:
47 cards x
12 fights per card = 564 total fights x
2 fighters per fight = 1,128 fight slots per year /
600 UFC fighters = 1.88 fights per year per fighter.

2. With the same two "maximum" variables of cards/ year and fights/ card lets figure the maximum size of the UFC roster that could support an average of three fights per fighter per year.

1,128/ ]? (UFC roster size)]= 3

? = 376 (Maximum UFC roster that can support 3 fights per year)

Damn, I simply do not understand how much clearer I can make this? FFS people 600+ fighters under contract in ANY one MMA organization DOES NOT support an active division(s).

Now, let me use the roster size of 600 and still the 12 fights per card to figure how many UFC cards per year would be required for folks that cannot part with a single fighter on the 600+ roster.
600 fighters x 3 fights per year =
1,800 total fights per year * 2 =
3,600 fight slots per year / 12 fights per card =
75 UFC cards per year!

Who the FUCK want's that shit?

Damn Dana, Fucking FIRE all UFC fighters ranked #40 and below and PROBLEM SOLVED.


As for the yearly UFC events I promised:
2015 - 41 (32 to Y.T.D. & 9 more scheduled this year)
2014 - 47
2013 - 34
2012 - 32
2011 - 27
2010 - 24
2009 - 20
2008 - 20
2007 - 19
2006 - 18
2005 - 10
2004 - 5
2003 - 5
2002 - 7
2001 - 5
2000 - 6
1999 - 6
1998 - 3
1997 - 5
1996 - 5
1995 - 4
1994 - 3
1993 - 1

great maths and good job

but have you account for injuries and suspensions ?

 

[Darwinambrosius]

great maths and good job

but have you account for injuries and suspensions ?

Came to say this. You can't account for a lot of the things that happen.

 

[under_t]

Solution: Scrap Flyweight

 

[JDragon]

Great and informative post. Thanks, TS.

@Lars: Yes, in practice, you would have to maintain a roster that is bigger. But "accounting for injuries and suspensions" means "allowing fighters to fight less than 3 times a year". The fact of the matter is that right now, the roster is blurred.

To me, the perfect year for the UFC was 2010. 24 events with 12 fights each would be 288 fights with 576 slots, meaning we could have no more than 192 or ~200 fighters. Considering there are 10 divisions (if I counted correctly), you could still have 20 fighters in each division.

 

[Defeat Unknown]

Prelims are something that should be a weekly show. Let lesser known fighters and up and comers be on these free prelim weekly cards. First they'd need a proper tv deal though.

I've no desire to watch a UFC event for 5-6 hours straight. I tuned in this past weekend from 6pm until 11pm and I missed 2 or 3 fights. I'd be down for 2 hours every Friday or Wednesday night. And then 2 hours of a "main card" show every other Saturday.

PPV is something that should be limited to once a month. Ultimately it's a model that should be thrown away.

Right now, the way UFC is delivering their product is just so confusing and all over the place. There's no consistency. Tune into Facebook for 3 fights, then on FIght Pass, or some cards show prelims on FS1 and then go to PPV or Fox. MMA is the only sport I watch and I honestly have no idea how to watch it legally. I steal every show even if it's free on TV because most of the shows I don't get in Canada and I don't know what's being shown where and when.

It is seriously a clusterfuck.

 

[JDragon]

Also I agree with Defeat Unknown. PPV must (and will) die.

 

[screaminleeman]

Solution: Scrap Flyweight

I am not a fan of WMMA or the FLW - BW divisions myself. With that said, I also included FTW in with these until McGregor came along and spurned my interest in 145.

While I do not at all disagree with you, there are two major issues here.
The UFC FLW division currently only has 34 fighters on the roster. If it is dissolved, lets say the top 5 flys move to bantam. That reduces the 600 fighter roster to ~ 570 fighters (still under 2 fights per fighter per year).

The REAL solution:

I kid you NOT, the UFC LW (155) and WW (170) division BOTH have over 100 fighters per weightclass under contract in the UFC.

Some the F how we need to convince Dana and the UFC brass that:
1. We are FOR NO REASON ever interested to see a fighter ranked WORSE that #49 in the world within the UFC octagon (MOST CERTAINLY PRELIMINARIES INCLUDED).
2. Make clear we will NEVER pay a penny for a UFC PPV card that has ANY FIGHTER ranked worse than #49 on any level of the card, and follow through with it my abstaining from every such card.

We also need to convince our fellow MMA/ UFC fans into a consensus decision that NEVER FOR ANY REASON is a fighter ranked WORSE than #49 tolerable as a contestant in the trademark (Octagon) of the HIGHEST LEVEL MMA organization on Earth.

This is BY FAR the most important.

C-sucker MMA fans that tune into the UFC to watch fighters worse than the top #49 ranked in the WC fight in the Octagon are MAINLY responsible for this catostrophic circumstance.

FFS, fighters ranked #50 and higher have NO F'ing rights to be in the major league(s) and indeed, they WOULD NOT BE if it were NOT for these F'd up C-sucker UFC fans.

We need to convince them to also say NO to Dana and crew regarding employing these fighters, or at LEAST to find another sport to follow. I am not sure if suicide should or should not be suggested as a last resort option!:icon_evil

 

[Lloydster]

That 600 number means absolutely nothing

 

[Defeat Unknown]

Where are fighters ranked above 50? Where can I even see who's ranked 50 and above? I don't understand.

If they did a weekly "prelim" show, what if the prelim shows were for fighters ranked beyond 20. And then, the "main card" shows were for fighters ranked 1-20.

You fight on the prelims to work your way to the main cards. And if guys on the main cards get dropped in rankings, they eventually end up on the prelim cards.

I think it would be a good way to build talent. Ultimately you need fighters that aren't ranked in the top, so that top fighters can beat them and legitimize themselves.

Honestly, though, everything about the UFC needs to be completely overhauled and restructured. The current model, or lack of model, just doesn't work any more.

 

[Sunni and Shia]

Prelims are something that should be a weekly show. Let lesser known fighters and up and comers be on these free prelim weekly cards. First they'd need a proper tv deal though.

I've no desire to watch a UFC event for 5-6 hours straight. I tuned in this past weekend from 6pm until 11pm and I missed 2 or 3 fights. I'd be down for 2 hours every Friday or Wednesday night. And then 2 hours of a "main card" show every other Saturday.

PPV is something that should be limited to once a month. Ultimately it's a model that should be thrown away.

Right now, the way UFC is delivering their product is just so confusing and all over the place. There's no consistency. Tune into Facebook for 3 fights, then on FIght Pass, or some cards show prelims on FS1 and then go to PPV or Fox. MMA is the only sport I watch and I honestly have no idea how to watch it legally. I steal every show even if it's free on TV because most of the shows I don't get in Canada and I don't know what's being shown where and when.

It is seriously a clusterfuck.

I would be down for UFC Prelims weekly for free and one major PPV a month featuring only fighters in the top ten.

With 10 d8 isions this would give us roughly 2 title fights per card too!

 

[Fight Professor]

40% of them are likely to be injured by the time of the fight.

 

[Danespina]

More divisions means more events needed. Been a long time since we only had Lightweight and up.

 

[JKS]

Injuries count for a lot of missed fights, some suspensions and last minute cancellations.

 

[Danespina]

HOW MANY FIGHTS WILL THEY HAVE IN 2015?
Werdum = 1
Cormier = 3
Weidman = 2
Lawler = 1
Dos Anjos = 2
Aldo = 1
Dillashaw = 1
Mighty Mouse = 2

3 is an exception.

 

[JKS]

Prelims are something that should be a weekly show. Let lesser known fighters and up and comers be on these free prelim weekly cards. First they'd need a proper tv deal though.

I've no desire to watch a UFC event for 5-6 hours straight. I tuned in this past weekend from 6pm until 11pm and I missed 2 or 3 fights. I'd be down for 2 hours every Friday or Wednesday night. And then 2 hours of a "main card" show every other Saturday.

PPV is something that should be limited to once a month. Ultimately it's a model that should be thrown away.

Right now, the way UFC is delivering their product is just so confusing and all over the place. There's no consistency. Tune into Facebook for 3 fights, then on FIght Pass, or some cards show prelims on FS1 and then go to PPV or Fox. MMA is the only sport I watch and I honestly have no idea how to watch it legally. I steal every show even if it's free on TV because most of the shows I don't get in Canada and I don't know what's being shown where and when.

It is seriously a clusterfuck.

It wouldnt make sense for the UFC to do this at all. First, the prelims are a launch for the PPV and used to sell the PPV to last minute fans. Hardcore fans and other make up part of the buys but numbers show that a good % comes from last minute buyers during prelims. And they do ppv an average of less than once a month

Second, it wouldn't make sense to do it operations wise. The UFC books the venue for one night to do the show and it costs them money. They will not book the venue two nights and double the cost to show prelims separate. Even if you're talking about separate shows where lesser known fighters compete, they already do this on the FX1 cards with 1-2 good fights at the top. It's not cost effective for them to separate it because fans come for the main card but the prelims add exposure for those fighters, they wouldnt get that exposure on a different night.

 

[Danespina]

It wouldnt make sense for the UFC to do this at all. First, the prelims are a launch for the PPV and used to sell the PPV to last minute fans. Hardcore fans and other make up part of the buys but numbers show that a good % comes from last minute buyers during prelims. And they do ppv an average of less than once a month

Second, it wouldn't make sense to do it operations wise. The UFC books the venue for one night to do the show and it costs them money. They will not book the venue two nights and double the cost to show prelims separate. Even if you're talking about separate shows where lesser known fighters compete, they already do this on the FX1 cards with 1-2 good fights at the top. It's not cost effective for them to separate it because fans come for the main card but the prelims add exposure for those fighters, they wouldnt get that exposure on a different night.

Yup. It makes no sense. Plus I like having prelims before the main card, and I don't find it confusing at all.

 

[TCE]

- Currently there are over 600 UFC fighters under contract.

If you're going to make a thread like this, at least get the facts right.

There's 561.

 

[Danespina]

If you're going to make a thread like this, at least get the facts right.

There's 561.

Does that include Rich Franklin, Nick Diaz, Cung Le, TJ Grant, and Wanderlei Silva?

 

[Jorge Luis Borges]

Prelims are something that should be a weekly show. Let lesser known fighters and up and comers be on these free prelim weekly cards. First they'd need a proper tv deal though.

I've no desire to watch a UFC event for 5-6 hours straight. I tuned in this past weekend from 6pm until 11pm and I missed 2 or 3 fights. I'd be down for 2 hours every Friday or Wednesday night. And then 2 hours of a "main card" show every other Saturday.

PPV is something that should be limited to once a month. Ultimately it's a model that should be thrown away.

Right now, the way UFC is delivering their product is just so confusing and all over the place. There's no consistency. Tune into Facebook for 3 fights, then on FIght Pass, or some cards show prelims on FS1 and then go to PPV or Fox. MMA is the only sport I watch and I honestly have no idea how to watch it legally. I steal every show even if it's free on TV because most of the shows I don't get in Canada and I don't know what's being shown where and when.

It is seriously a clusterfuck.

I share a lot of your complaints. I like the idea of a weekly show for prospects and lower ranked fighters. (Sorta like bellator). I detest PPV.