Was Griffin Bonnar 1 really that important?

P⊚WER² said:
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Give him a break, I didn't follow at that time either i would have been like 14.
 
it was definitely THAT important. It really put the UFC on the map cuz it was probably the first real back n forth slug fest on free TV so it got a lot of attention. Was it a good fight? Fuck no LOL watched it recently and honestly it was a pathetic ugly sloppy barfight between two guys that had no idea how to throw a punch lol. But it was definitely huge for the sport and more particularly the UFC. The way I remembered the fight and the way it actually was watching recently are two different things... that fight definitely didnt age well lol.
 
I was at my friend’s apartment, getting high and playing halo. We didn’t care much about the card. My wife was watching the fight and called me, urging me to tune in. We were not disappointed.

And a big F U to all the snobs who look down on that fight. Griffin and Bonnar decided to put on a show and they delivered.
 
Look at where UFC went after that fight, then look at where XFL went after their completely forgettable debut. Had Griffin Bonnar 1 been a boring fight, UFC wouldn't have gotten the attention of fans or sponsors like it did. Especially since the main event kinda floundered.
 
Buster C said:
This. TUF was the big milestone in making the UFC profitable, and Griffin vs Bonnar was icing on the cake.

The Fertittas were losing money until TUF and might’ve sold if it weren’t successful. UFC would not have died, but somebody else would’ve had to take over with a new plan.
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Many don't realize the UFC tried to get TUF on a number of TV networks but failed. They finally made a deal with Spike but had to pay for EVERYTHING, all production costs, filming and had to find their own TV sponsors. Spike really didn't have much to lose. Until that fight Spike wasn't even sure if they'd renew the show.

After the fight ended and the forecasts of the ratings started coming in Spike signed a mutual year deal with Zuffa right there and then.

The entire show was extremely important to the UFC as they were about to sell and lose millions (approx 14) if the show failed.

Technically it wasn't the best fight ever. However many new fans got to watch mma for the first time on free TV with two guys with incredible heart who just wouldn't quit. Both wanting g it as bad as the other and nobody knew who was going to win.

I always look at it like this. Dana doesn't like to give to much praise and recognition to anyone for the companies success, especially the fighters. For him to say it was a turning point and say how important the Bonner vs Griffin fight was....... It had to be VERY VERY crucial to the UFC'S success
 
Was still the greatest 1st round I have seen in MMA
 
Important at the time yes.

But in retrospect not the greatest fight ever like some people might say. Not even top ten. Neither is Diaz vs McGregor either though.
 
SSgt Dickweed said:
It expedited certain things but wasn't super relevant as others would like to romanticize it imo.
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TUF season 1 kept the Fertittas from abandoning the UFC. But you’re right, other than that not super relevant.

You dope. When will uneducated fools stop talking when they don’t know what they’re talking about?
 
Here is the thing - they hyped the hell out of the TUF 1 finale on raw and they hyped that Ken Shamrock was fighting on there.

That being said the TUF 1 finale was horribly paced as they had a first found finish in kenflo/sanchez and then go another 45 mins before having the next fight.

If Forrest/Bonner was a dud the event probably flops with the lackluster mw fight and main event.
 
It was the exact kinda fight that the ufc needed at the time when it needed it the most when maybe more eyeballs were tuned in than ever before. its important to remember that at the time it really was looked down upon by the masses. the whole human cock fighting thing. and it was in the prime of reality Tv. it let people see just how exciting mma could be. while i dont put much stock into what comes out of danas mouth. after all these years he remains very grateful to those guys and seems to really think it took the ufc to another level that maybe it might not have gotten to on its own... at that time.
 
bully4me said:
Many don't realize the UFC tried to get TUF on a number of TV networks but failed. They finally made a deal with Spike but had to pay for EVERYTHING, all production costs, filming and had to find their own TV sponsors. Spike really didn't have much to lose. Until that fight Spike wasn't even sure if they'd renew the show.

After the fight ended and the forecasts of the ratings started coming in Spike signed a mutual year deal with Zuffa right there and then.

The entire show was extremely important to the UFC as they were about to sell and lose millions (approx 14) if the show failed.

Technically it wasn't the best fight ever. However many new fans got to watch mma for the first time on free TV with two guys with incredible heart who just wouldn't quit. Both wanting g it as bad as the other and nobody knew who was going to win.

I always look at it like this. Dana doesn't like to give to much praise and recognition to anyone for the companies success, especially the fighters. For him to say it was a turning point and say how important the Bonner vs Griffin fight was....... It had to be VERY VERY crucial to the UFC'S success
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TUF, not just one fight, saved the UFC for the Fertittas. I don’t mean to diminish the importance of Griffin vs Bonnar, but without TUF, few would’ve known about it.

Dana is a promoter, and he knows it’s more effective to hype two fighters instead of a reality show, and I’ve heard different stories about renewal of the TUF for season 2. Wikipedia says TUF was already renewed on Spike before the fight (their source is unclear):

UFC President Dana White credits this fight as being the driving force behind the future success of the UFC, often stating that it was due to the fight that Spike TV offered them a second season of the show. In reality the second season had already been confirmed (and was in the casting stages) prior to the fight. In 2013 both Griffin and Bonnar were inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame, and whilst Griffin went on to win the UFC Light Heavyweight title, this fight is still considered the highlight of both fighters' careers.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ultimate_Fighter_1
 
mb23100 said:
Dana himself talks about that fight as if the UFC wouldn't be around without that fight. I didn't really follow MMA at the time but how could 1 fight have had that much of an impact? I remember Rogan talking about how much the viewership went up because people were calling each other telling others to watch. C'mon it's a 15 minute fight.
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You just admitted you didn't follow mma at the time.

Yet you don't understand why it was big?

The ratings were going up as the fight was going on. It was a slugfest viewed by millions when MMA was relatively unknown outside of ppv. It got the ufc a lot of good standing tv network wise for a long time.
 
If the fight would've been a 15 minute long snooze fest then that would've diminished the impact, so good thing it was a brawl for the ages that had people glued to their screens
 
Griffin vs Bonnar was a poor mans version of Takayama vs Frye.
 
HAWTRIDDUM said:
They may have not had their tv deal renewed without it.

Idk, I went to UFC 43, 47, 49 prior to the ultimate fighters first season and it didn't seem like it was "Dying". The experience at the actual events were great and pretty sure each one was sold out.

Actually, it seemed more popular than it is now, and people were always hyped for the ppv cards because they were generally far more loaded than the ones today.
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Those were the days. Each event felt special because we'd be lucky to get one every couple months.
 
It was vitally important to the success of the company.
Dana had borrowed a lot of money to get it on its feet, and the fight's numbers on that night were being closely watched. If it didn't go over, the UFC would have been done.
 
Yep. It was the first finale of their first attempt at a truly mainstream concept and audience. It needed to be a homerun or the UFC was going to continue having a very uncertain future. It ended up being a bottom of the 9th grand slam and the rest is history. MMA was NOT a mainstream accepted sport at the time, very far from it. And the crazyness that was the show garnered them just enough of a main stream audience on then Spike TV. on live cable. Lot of people also don't give enough credit to Ken Shamrocks name value being the main event with Rich Franklin helping draw the eyes needed to the event to make the homerun matter.
 
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