what does the ufc need to do?

[justblaze717]

exactly.

I'm sure bigj33, CC27, and kflo will be in to tell me how this isn't feasible for the growth of the UFC, like I give a damn if Dana and Lorenzo make $5 million less next year.

 

[jiujitsuforever]

I'm sure bigj33, CC27, and kflo will be in to tell me how this isn't feasible for the growth of the UFC, like I give a damn if Dana and Lorenzo make $5 million less next year.

they should only do a few ppv per year and stack the hell out of them. keep up all the free cards because it adds exposure, but if they did only do a few ppvs per year i think they would be fine financially. especially with their tv deals, ppv money, sponsorship, merchandise, etc.

 

[Mau]

Move away from the US. 80% of the complains will vanish.

 

[HUGHPHUG]

i think at the moment they are going for content rather than quality.
they are saturating the market with the UFC product, free on Fox, free on FX, 3 series of TUF per year so far, more when they start different countries/continents.
Personally i would like to see them go back to being the pinnacle of MMA. The Superbowl of MMA as they always used to say. They seem to be intent on consuming the entire sport, taking away all the smaller promotions and a lot of fighters who are really only good enough to fight in the smaller promotions.
Now when i watch a PPV, there seems to be maybe three fights at a push, that 2 or 3 years ago would have been PPV worthy.

Honestly i'd like to see them cut a huge amount of fighters. Let fighters go back to really earning a place in the UFC. I'll never complain about someone getting paid, good on them, take what you can. but there are so many fighters in the UFC now who are not worthy of the supreme better than the rest brand the UFC tries to promote.

Less cards, less fighters, less content, better quality.

i used to care about every single UFC event, would never miss one for the world. I think i missed 3 so far this year. and i hate not caring about it anymore

 

[Earthworm Jim]

Yes, because the decline in interest of mainstream MMA definitely & almost entirely can be fixed with more 'advertising and marketing' lol
However, IMO there's a number of things they could do to improve, which include...
- Bring back Pride rules! (because head kicks to downed opponents will attract more 'just bleed' fans)
- Reintroduce different fight formats, including tournaments, open weight fights, champion vs champion fights, fights between fighters from rival organizations, tag team matches, celebrity death matches & men vs women exhibition matches
- Get rid of all weight classes under LW (cos if I wanted to see midgets fight, I'd either go on YouTube or instigate one the next time the circus comes to town)
- Focus & advertise the brand via merchandising, which may include: BJJ black belts as new UFC McDonald's happy meal toys, coloring books of the Shad face, talking Diaz bros action figures or promoting Keith Jardine in the next Donkey Kong video game
- Implement business strategies suggested by the experts in the know (being posters on Sherdog like u)

 

[TheGOD]

They could always start promoting boxing and kickboxing fights. Have a mixed card like Dream used to do. They wouldn't be willing to pay that boxing money though so I doubt it'll happen.

You know what? That's not as crazy as it sounds. I mean, the UFC isn't gonna do that, but an up and coming fight promotion might want to consider it. I mean, imagine if Eddie Alvarez and Chandler had one of their epic fights as a lead in to a Mayweather or Pac fight. They probably would have become more famous in one night than they've been able to become in all their years of MMA. Floyd Mayweather might want to think about doing this.

 

[jwikked]

The regional cards are intended more for those in the area to watch. That's why they're on Fight Pass and not TV. Also that is why they are stacked with no-name guys from that country. It's not meant to be viewed in the same way a Fox card is.

 

[TheGOD]

Yes, because the decline in interest of mainstream MMA definitely & almost entirely can be fixed with more 'advertising and marketing' lol
However, IMO there's a number of things they could do to improve, which include...
- Bring back Pride rules! (because head kicks to downed opponents will attract more 'just bleed' fans)
- Reintroduce different fight formats, including tournaments, open weight fights, champion vs champion fights, fights between fighters from rival organizations, tag team matches, celebrity death matches & men vs women exhibition matches
- Get rid of all weight classes under LW (cos if I wanted to see midgets fight, I'd either go on YouTube or instigate one the next time the circus comes to town)
- Focus & advertise the brand via merchandising, which may include: BJJ black belts as new UFC McDonald's happy meal toys, coloring books of the Shad face, talking Diaz bros action figures or promoting Keith Jardine in the next Donkey Kong video game
- Implement business strategies suggested by the experts in the know (being posters on Sherdog like u)

There is no greater expert than the consumer. If the UFC were to consult a so-called expert, what do you think that expert would do first?

He'd conduct market research and survey the fans on what they like and don't like. Sherdog is free market research for the UFC.

 

[Pem123]

sign young exciting Prospect
cut the right dudes, Shogun for example or big nog for example
fired DW
work with other ORG
held more event in Asia, with association with other org.

 

[Earthworm Jim]

There is no greater expert than the consumer. If the UFC were to consult a so-called expert, what do you think that expert would do first?

He'd conduct market research and survey the fans on what they like and don't like. Sherdog is free market research for the UFC.

You would think so God, but if that were true then why do fans still complain that they don't get to see what they want God dammit? (not trying to take your name in vain btw)

 

[Briar]

There's nothing they can do they missed their window and now they are mired in mediocrity.

 

[DarthChen731]

They could not give a fuck what whiny internet trolls think about fighter pay, sponsorships, and PPV buys, and think more about elevating the profiles of fighters that arent Jones and Ronda.

 

[Dropkick Murphy]

Get Bas commentating
Fire Dana
Hire Me
Free tickets for Sherdog people who have less than 45,000 posts!

End Game!

 

[TheGOD]

1) Having fights be consistently on the same network at the same times. Weekly shows aren't a bad thing if fans consistently know when they're going to be on. Honestly, weekly would be better than stretches like 2 shows in 4 weeks and then 8 shows in 36 days (check out the schedule between May 31 and July 6). If people know that every Saturday at 9 o'clock there's going to be a UFC show, that's a way to grow.

2) Run some tournaments and advertise them as such. The FOX shows would be perfect for this since the way they space out makes it almost perfect to have either annual 8 fighter tourneys or even 2 4-fighter tourneys a year. Winner of the tournament gets a title shot. 2.5-4 million people get familiar with the fighter on the FOX show and then they got a title shot on PPV. Seems like a natural way to build interest for their PPV shows.

3) Stop putting fights that have a ton of interest on the Fight Pass cards. They want to make Conor McGregor a star and he's headlining a show that only hardcores are going to see. That should be on FS 1. Same with Roy Nelson and Big Nog last month. That fight should've been the co-main event of one of the other shows that was on around that time. I get that they need to sell tickets for the live gate but they need to look at the bigger long-term picture. Guys like Nelson and Big Nog only have so many fights left and you don't want to shut out people from seeing them.

That schedule is crazy! Dana and the Fertittas don't seem to be buying into the oversaturation argument. They have two shows on May 31, two shows on June 28th, a show on July 5th and 6th, and two shows scheduled for August 23rd, September 20th and October 4th EACH! It's ridiculous. You can't build stars when all the fans' eyes are averted in different directions. Burying future stars are shows few new fans are likely to see is a big mistake as you pointed out.

The tournament idea seems like a no brainer. If Bellator can build interest for their inferior product using tournaments, then the UFC could kill it.

 

[GableGrip]

Get rid of the cage.
Adopt PRIDE style gloves.
Adjust the scoring system.
Knees to certain downed opponents.
Yellow cards.
Another TUF season with vets as students.
Uniform including designated spots for sponsors and still allow entrance apparel.

EDIT: Tourneys!

 

[gorgeousjohnson]

Here are a few ideas from a fan and non-business guru...
* Keep hard at getting the UFC brand in front of the public's eye; with a new emphasis to go beyond the white, 20-30 age demographic.

Please this. Get some classy music for a change. Occasionally UFC uses bits of acceptable incidental music, esp. during weigh-ins, but too often it veers into headbanger-ish territory. I think that's ok to a degree but let's move on. The overall presentation/ televised production hasn't had any serious innovation in some time either. Why not a bit more pomp for special occasions. Some distinguished ceremony type stuff for retiring fighters for example. This would likely require a president with more class than a guy like Dana but still it would reflect positively on MA in general.

Also let's get rid of the fucking football robots. Dana will never convince me his product is more popular than American football with the continued use of what are clearly football robots. I mean seriously WTF. It's not subtle and I can't believe this could possibly have any measurable success, subliminal or otherwise, in suckering American football fans into watching MMA if they don't already want to.

 

[TheGOD]

The regional cards are intended more for those in the area to watch. That's why they're on Fight Pass and not TV. Also that is why they are stacked with no-name guys from that country. It's not meant to be viewed in the same way a Fox card is.

And yet you got Marquardt vs Te Huna headlining a fight in New Zealand. That's a fight Americans will want to see.

 

[gorgeousjohnson]

Also, as has been suggested countless times before

 

[TheGOD]

You would think so God, but if that were true then why do fans still complain that they don't get to see what they want God dammit? (not trying to take your name in vain btw)

They complain because they're not getting what they want. Well, maybe they're getting WHAT they want, but they're not getting it HOW they want it. There used to be a time when I didn't miss an event. Now I miss a few without any regret. Even the ones I don't miss, I still may not watch every fight on the main card, let alone the prelims. We are telling the UFC that we are getting bored of their product, but they're not listening to us.

Just yesterday as a matter of fact, my brother asked me, "What's up with MMA? is it dying or something? they used to talk shit about boxing but now it's like, 'Y'all can't really hang with boxing.' Is their anyone famous besides 'Bones' Jones?" He said he went to see Captain America and none of his friends recognized or knew who GSP was.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. i don't think Zuffa is really all that good at what they do. i think they were just in the right place at the right time, had the good fortune of Bonnar/Griffin delivering on the TUF1 finale, and have been coasting with their head start in the game ever since. I truly believe had Strikeforce partnered with Spike that the UFC would have had very stiff competition in the sport of MMA.

 

[jx820]

Focus on the brand first. Make people want to buy it because its a UFC card not because its Fighter A vs Fighter B.

Stars come and go. The get diseases (Brock), they get injured (Anderson), the get old (Chuck / Randy), they get disinterested (GSP), they get beat by someone less popular (BJ).

The brand Has done a good job of getting past that, but not a great one.

Beyond that they are doing a great job with international all expansion, and they need to continue to push that as they have even if it means alienating the US customers with some cards.