(When Zuffa purchased the UFC, Dana White actually had hair. There is no punchline, just a fact worth mentioning.)
I have purchased pay per views from the Ultimate Fighting Championship since 1994, where I was welcomed to the sport with Pat Smith turning the face of Scott Morris into a Manwich at UFC 2: No Way Out. It was like heroin after that – I was addicted. Since then, I estimate that I have shelled out well over $5000 on PPVs alone, much less another sizeable chunk of change on tickets to live events and the obligatory UFC merchandise (who can live without the life-sized GSP cardboard cut-out – NOT ME).
Throughout that time I have been an advocate of MMA to the uninformed masses that I’ve encountered at watering holes across this great land. For every, “That UFC shit is just a legalized bar fight” comment, I would swoop in like Dogwelder to defend the UFC and its competitors. It was almost a grass roots effort by the early UFC supporters to educate the ignorant and let them know that this is a real sport filled with unbelievably talented athletes. The edification continues today as many intelligent fans try to shun the perceived stigma that we are a bunch of tatted-up dudes wearing flat-billed TAPOUT hats and driving small-penis-compensating monster trucks while applying ring worm ointment to our wounds.
Then there was the figure-head, the fearless leader that was taking all the media scrutiny head-on and paving the way while holding up his middle finger to the man. After the ZUFFA purchase, Dana White was a perfect fit during the infancy of the UFC’s push towards legitimacy. Adopting rules and weight classes and marketing the shit out of the product culminated in a 7 year deal with FOX and its affiliates. Now the UFC is on the precipice of its fourth nationally televised FOX card and the ratings have plummeted from 5.7 million during UFC on FOX 1 (Cain Velasquez VS Junior Dos Santos) to 2.4 million during UFC on FOX 3 (Nate Diaz VS Jim Miller).
I don’t think it is a coincidence that viewership and PPV buys are down. I have always been a staunch supporter of the brand and even I, a die hard fan, am starting to see chinks in the UFC armor. The reasons have been dissected on CP with various posts but I believe that this is just the beginning of problems for the UFC unless some changes are made pronto. I am not saying that the UFC is in the toilet but as the organization has grown in stature from eviscerating the competition, a standard evolution needs to happen.
So with that in mind, here are five ways that the UFC can move from their current plateau all the way to the mountain top.
1. DEAL WITH OVERSATURATION
(Example A: Deeming matchups like these headliner-worthy.)
There are (and I can’t believe I am saying this) an overabundance of fights provided (both free or PPVs) throughout the Zuffa calendar year, and the fans have been inundated with this variety of contests. The fact that there are three Zuffa-run cards (UFC on FOX 4, UFC 150 and a Strikeforce event) over the course of the next three weeks illustrates my point exactly. Great, right? Well, seeing how it has been a thoroughly mixed bag of good and bad fight cards, it is not all roses. UFC on FOX 2 showcased every fight going to a decision, TUF LIVE tanked, and who could forget the turd in the swimming pool that was UFC 149.
Sure, it is easy to pick on the bad cards, but there is a mammoth quantity of MEDIO-CORE fighters on the roster due to Zuffa buying most of the competition. So the UFC has gone from 19 fight cards (12 PPV mixed with 7 Fight Night/TUF Finales) in 2007 to holding somewhere in the neighborhood of 35 this year (and that is UFC only events). Yes, we all get to see more fights, but I remember when a UFC card was an event in and of itself. It was a special, once-a-month occasion, and now (with the exception of the occasional championship fight) it seems to have grown a bit monotonous. The UFC needs to trim the herd or start a lower level organization for up-and-comers or wash-outs while keeping the cream of the crop for the main cards. I vaguely recall an organization that accomplished this perfectly (Wicked Exciting Cagefighting?). Wonder what happened to those guys.
2. BOOK THE MARQUEE MATCHUPS
Dana White has said on numerous occasions that the difference between the UFC and boxing has a lot to do with promoters as well as the UFC’s ability to put the big fights together. That used to be true. The Potato Nation was fairly vocal about an Anderson Silva vs. GSP bout not that long ago. It never happened. The new flavor of the week is Anderson Silva vs. Jon Jones. That is another fight that is more than likely not going to happen, because as we all know, Bones doesn’t want to risk ruining “his greatness.” Hubris, Jon, it has its pratfalls.
When the UFC brass announcing that the most exciting winner on the UFC on FOX 4 card will be next in line for a LHW title shot, we were all a bit confused. Two things MUST happen for this announcement to hold any credence. First off, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua has to turn Brandon Vera’s nose into Cung Le’s toe and earn the #1 contender status. Secondly, Dan Henderson must land his H-Bomb on the chin of Bones and put him to sleep. Then we get Hendo VS Shogun II for the LHW championship of the world, a notion that has already given me (and all of you people) a half-chub. Let’s be perfectly honest, although it is possible for these scenarios to play out, the likelihood of both materializing is a stretch. The UFC used to make the real main event fights happen. The BJ Penn vs Matt Hughes and GSP fights and the Chuck Liddell vs Randy Couture and Tito Ortiz fights were all must-see TV and the ratings proved it.
Click the “next” tab to learn yourself three more ways the UFC can turn things around…
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credit card and f ree s hipping.
I bought two pairs. Cheap, good quality, you can go and ship with there
They need to speed up the intros. Remember in early PRIDE days, when they introduced the fighters as they were making their way to the ring? That. Shaving off 5 minutes per fight could really up the pace of the cards. Something I've been feeling has become bloated with all the hullabaloo before fights start.
superfights...meh of course the real obstacle is the ufc not wanting to set precedents with huge purses for superfights.fighters could fight at catchweight for no titles and there would be no dramatic "lost stock" that really is a BS excuse.
the ufc needs to stop being so gaddamn greedy-how much money do 5 guys really need for gods sake.
put on LESS ppv's and better quality tv is the answer but they are hooked on profit so we wont see that.
somebody should tell em you cant take it with ya pal.
I agree that year-round, total testosterone testing would curtail concerns about TRT as it would prove that people on the therapy have not been going heavy on the dosing to gain an edge.
But I would like to point out that, out of the 35 men and 1 woman who have failed steroid tests, only 1 was on TRT and his blood test showed that he was within the normal human range of testosterone. I think there should be year-round testing for all competitors; There's no reason to think that just because a guy is on TRT that he is more likely to be bringing his testosterone levels above normal.
@Mr. Nathan Smith
To get on TRT most (legit) doctors will make you take least 2 total testosterone tests, a few weeks apart, in addition to other tests to see if you have Primary or Secondary Hypogonadism. This includes thyroid, pituitary, diabetes, estrogen, CBC panels, and other tests to make sure that your low T isn't being caused by something other than your testicles. Sure, there are shady doctors who will only get a Total T test (which you can get after coming down from doing steroids before your own production kicks back in so as to get a low score) and write out a script after that - the bare minimum to cover their ass if the DEA comes after them. But the NSAC requires that there be a history of blood-work to support one's need for TRT. That's what they did with Marquardt: He was told he could apply for a TUE as long as he discontinued TRT for 10 weeks and then get another test to confirm his inability to make testosterone.
Being on TRT only gives someone a "pharmaceutical edge" in that he can use a medication to bring his levels to the same as someone who has a fully functioning body. What is the difference if a guy has a Total T score of 700ng/dL through his own natural production, or if he has a Total T score of 700ng/dL by way of testosterone injections?
The harm obviously comes from guys abusing it. But why should those who need it and use it as it's supposed to be banned from competing because there are people who are trying to work the system? Thyroid, diabetes, and asthma meds are abused by guys trying to cut weight, but we never see the outcry against people who need them. Why the focus on TRT and not other potential sources of abuse?
Regardless, thank you for the info that I was way 2 lazy to look up. I appreciate it.
But 4 - who gives a fuck if they juice. Most do so let 'em be.
I used to swing from Dana's nuts. And MMA wouldn't be here without him. But he lost me exactly at the point when he supported SOPA and then dared hackers to attack his site. He's out of touch and needs to fire his entire legal dept.
The fact is that I am already missing my legs and roll around on a 1970s-style skateboard pan-handling like Eddie Murphy in Trading Places.
2.Fix the live experience....get rid of the camera men around the octagon and get rid of the media section on the floor, put them up in the rafters where they belong.
There is a reason the UFC can come and sell 55k+ in Toronto but when they return can fill 17k seats across the street....as much as Dana says live shows are amazing blah blah, anyone who goes to live events know's most of the time you end up watching a screen because so camera guy is in your line of sight.
3.Work with comissions to test fighters year round...not banning TRT so much(although that would be best for the sports legitimacy+growth)...to avoid fighters testing positive and ruining fights that are being promoted. Testing fighters is expensive, but what's the cost of promoting JDS/Reem and then having the fight cancelled??? Zuffa needs to find a way to do this, tax the fighters, pay themselves or a combination of both....get it done and have these fighters tested constantly to clean the image of the sport up, only time ESPN covers UFC is when TRT is the topic.
4.RANKINGS!!! transparent rankings for fans to follow, this creates interest, all other major sports today have this as well, no more "in the mix" or off the cuff title shots etc...have clear cut rankings, fighter is injured next available ranking fighter get's the shot. I can't believe the UFC has not done this one yet, it's so obviously needed.
5. Your idea is "Fuck the horse that got you here"? This mode of thought is what's wrong with this country in general. "He's done so much for the company, but fuck him; on to bigger and better things." That dude's quite obviously devoted his life to the UFC and the kind of assholes who would whine about Dana's rough edges aren't the kind of people I wanna see around events anyway, and I'd venture to say most fans would agree. Bottom line, like him or not, his dedication deserves loyalty.
How about this? Get rid of TUF, and replace it with a quality half hour weekly program that follows upcoming fighters. This way you can build up the fighters as characters, but avoid the general crappyness of the TUF talent pool. I'm thinking something like the HBO 24/7 series. Have just 4, yes 4, PPV's a year. Make them big, promote the shit out of them, and make them really meaningful. With the rest of the year have free cards on fox with a couple marquee fights that have the whole pageantry, but then for the other fighters go ahead and cram them in quicker. I'm thinking faster walkout, quicker introduction.
This all boils down to the UFC needing to create a better tier system instead of treating all fighters about the same. Here's one more idea (God I should be the one running this show), how about for the guys trying to establish themselves have a 1 round 10 minute fight with maybe a minute break at the 5 minute mark? 15 minutes seems like forever when the fighters suck. This way the UFC could sift through their overinflated talent pool and begin to make some meaningful cuts.
I don't agree that Dana should go, but I do think he needs a reality check. UFC 148 sucked too, most people ignored the rest of the card because we all wanted to see the Spider/Sonnen rematch. Between 148 and 149 that was a lot of terrible fighting and wasted money.
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