I wish I had as many comments as you do on my blog. Asbestos Removal

I know we are all a lot smarter than those iin charge and making billions and all but does anyone else notice there is finally a hw class worth watching and now were all calling for a split to once again weaken it seem off? Nevermind that going the boxing route of to many weight classes and the financial burden of every other guy having a belt and wanting "champion" money seem like bad business, who would you have as cruiser weight champ? Fyi big nog fights around 255. Or are we creating a weight class for fedor to maybe survive in?

I love these no shit articles that have a doom and gloom sound to them. Always reads like a cheering section for them to fail which would suck. Also, The ufc is making a ton of money especially since noones math seems to include that all those bars airing the fights are paying 1200 to 5k to show them. Commercial ppv is based on square footage and number of tv's.

Haaaaaaaaaa!!!!!! Looks like someone sneezded in his face. LOL

You guys remember they took out a 100 million dollar loan shortly after ufc100 right? And they sold a stake to that ADCC cat.

So taking Munche's example, 6 million ain't shit.

When you have an event that was as hyped, covered, and stacked as ufc 100 was, you've got nowhere to go but down.
Basically, they were averaging around 400k views prior to 100, and about the same since.

OBI>> I agree that there is a need for a farm league, but WEC is clearly a showcase for top talent at the lighter classes.

I hope ZUFFA isn't so mentally unbalanced to keep blaming piracy as the reason their sales are suffering. STACK the cards every event like its your last show and I'll buy. Otherwise I'm not spending $50 for 2 1/2 hrs of ppv with only 20-30 minutes of entertainment.

If I wanted to get raped I'd go to the movies.

@ robthom. Yeah they are more exciting you smart ass fag. The last wec event didn't do too hot but it had more action than all the fights the ufc had in 09

UFC 110 was free in Australia on Free TV! Thats why the numbers were so bad! hahaha
Seriously i cant belive 110 got less numbers then 109! 110 was a way better card! and im not just saying that cause im Aussie!

You're a fool if you think they don't rake in a ton of money on these "low" selling events

250k buys is $11M in straight PPV revenue, not counting live gate, merchandise, sponsors, overseas TV deals....even if the PPV companies take half, they've got $6M just on PPV. Let's pretend they had no other source of income, do you really think UFC spent $6M on the last card? The fighter salaries probably just barely capped $1M.

One of the BE commenters said it best...."UFC is making half a gazillion dollars instead of a gazillion dollars"

Bud. 105 was free on Spike.

good points made by most posters in this thread. perhaps the ufc should simply listen to their customers?

not sure why it has not been noticed, but ufc105 is missing from the list... i have to assume that card(w/couture, vera, swick and hardy) did almost as well as ufc106.

definitely more weight classes is the most important change that i would like to see coming soon. i honestly feel that pride had a better set of weight classes, but that could be improved too. in fact i would like to see a class for every 10 pounds from 135-215 plus 235 & 265. that would allow the ufc to have nmore than enough title fights to spread around and a few extra to have available for super cards or even a broadcast station tv card.

ben Says:
Thu, 03/11/2010 - 14:02

I know everything in business is supposed to be cyclical, but I think this proves that Strikeforce has permanently killed off the UFC, and will be the world's #1 MMA promotion until the end of time.

Ummmmm...huh....NO! Strikeforce has permanently killed off UFC?? Puhleeeaaasse. Ben... you know your shit, but I gotta strongly disagree with you here. Yes, everything is cyclical in business, but so is the economy - and the recession is a huge factor in low PPV buys. Poor economy, lack of title fights and huge drawing fighters on post-UFC100 cards are the reasons for the downward trend in PPV numbers.

For you to say this somehow signals an end to UFC's reign and Strikforce's rise is reeeeaaaching... really reaching.

Wow!....lots of good comments here.

WEC: I don't think it needs to get rolled into the UFC. I like the idea of having it as a "farm league". But it makes no sense for Zuffa to cut the heavier weight divisions! WEC should represent all weights and be an agressive training ground.

Also, as a rabid DirecTV subscriber, I can't tell you how miffed I am that Versus got cut from my programming. This is BS. Zuffa needs to get the WEC on SPIKE PRONTO!

Title Fights: We would see more title fights if more belt holders would actually GET INTO THE CAGE! For God's sake, just a few months ago, Anderson Silva said he wanted to fight 6 times this year! HAVE HIM DO IT! Seems the only guy who is willing to fight all the time, and it pains me to say it, is Josh Koshchek! There is no reason Penn, GSP and A. Silva can't fight at least 3 or 4 times a year.

Also, if the UFC wants their belts to have ANY MEANING, they should follow through on their promises to belt conteders. Henderson smashed Bisping. He should have fought Silva by now. END OF STORY!

I don't mind Zuffa playing around with matchmaking every now and then, but come on! If you want to grow the "next big thing" as a fighter, people need to follow the guy up the ranks.

111 is the first one I'll be buying in a while. Shit shows will not get my money.

When I washed the shampoo out of my eyes, Dana was just standing there, fully-clothed, in my shower.

I agree with everyone who said to fold in the WEC and also add a few more weight classes overall. More belts = more potential stars and more PPVs with belts on the line.

In addition, I'd say they need to start doing 5 round fights to determine #1 contender. It would make a main event genuinely important. All of my friends who are casual fans always bitch about a card not having any fights that "matter". If there were a clear ranking system (at least for the top two or three spots - like we currently have in the heavyweight class, fer instance), people would think the fights were more important.

The PPV's with no title fights still had some "name" fighters that the UFC is supporting. Even though the PPV numbers are lower, so is the payout for the lesser name fighters. The whole world (basically) recognizes the UFC as the premier fighting organization, but we got all these ideas on how "WE" would make it better. Enjoy the fights and STFU!

Boys, that shit ain't sweat.

Love the 235 lbs Division idea, makes good sense from a competitive standpoint...

As per the PPV drop I know myself and my group of friends would pool money together get a PPV, a big take out from the local wing or sushi place and a few cases of beer. But many of us have been laid off so the fun money is gone. Either keep the cel phone another month or PPV. Many friends have to look/move for work in other locations and make decisions to keep the lights on and the mortgage paid or go drinking and get PPV.

UFC need to understand this and fit the pricing...

Gracie 2.0 - One of the many reasons I'll never pay to see a UFC fight.

Agree with you viva hate, have a look at the pricing, if there's no title on the line why should you pay top dollar for that? and combining WEC/UFC is a no brainer, maybe run a scedule of strong non title PPV's on a monthly basis at no more than $25, then three monthly a top dollar show with at least one if not multiple titles on the line, just a thought

If fighters are going to be in a "MAIN EVENT" non title fights. It should ALWAYS be five rounds.

"Wec is far more exciting to me than any ufc fights"

Strobing lights are so amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OK, so according to those PPV numbers at $50 a pop they pulled in $280,000,000. The live gate revenues from each event are more than enough to cover the prize money for the fighters and all other expenses for that matter. If Zuffa is't turning a profit now they never will. They are going to have to re evaluate their business model.

maybe they would have more buys if they didnt have 3 PPV's per month. I dont know about you guys but i cant afford to buy 3 a month. They need to start doing more free fights and spread out the PPV so when there is a PPV everyone doesnt want to miss it.

I would love to see the fights on the WEC PPV but no way am i paying UFC prices for a WEC.

I think you guys are right about the Direct TV and VS. That has got to be killing them.

Wow, i just read my post and all the others and realized i'm really fucking boring and average. That stings a little.

Dana White after falling for the old "Tinkle Sprinkle" trick from by R. Kelly.

I don't know when the Cruiserweight division became so popular, but it's nice to know that so many agree with me...finally.

And i'm still waiting for someone to explain/advance a theory as to why the WEC/UFC rollup hasn't happened. (And if it's some legal mumbo-jumbo about contractual delas with Spike and Versus then fuck. Fuck shit ass titties fuck tampon Barbara fucking Streisand.)

While i don't necessarily agree that more belts automatically equals better PPV's (a good fight is a good fight regardless of title implications), it would streamline things a bit for Zuffa, the fighters, and the fans. I imagine it would also lessen the pay disparity between the UFC and WEC fighters.

@ Fedor vs. Bas- right on!

Cruiser weight would be perfect. All the rest of the weights have a much smaller window that fighters fit into and after looking at guys like Dos Santos and Gonzaga, who have skills but also who I don't think can ever make as solid a mark in the UFC against guys like Mir, Carwin, and Lesnar IN PART because of the size discrepancies- a 235 belt would be perfect.

I also think the UFC should absorb the WEC. Then put more fights on a card to boost the value of spending $50 per card. If the card had 15 fights on it (not 9 like UFC 110), with a blend of WEC and UFC talent- I'd pay $60. Pay a little more for a little more and the fighters could maybe pick up paychecks that are a little more equal to their skill. Couture would get much less pay- since he sucks and all, and Faber, Brown, Cruz, Bowles, Torres, Aldo, and others like them would all pick up more $$$. It'd also open up a whole new world of matchups since the cross from 145 to 155 isn't that big a transition to make. Penn vs. Faber? Dare I dream of such madness?

UFC 109 was the first card I didn't watch on PPV since UFC 69 (Serra vs. GSP I) in 2007 and probably won't be the last one I skip this year I'm ashamed I paid for Ortiz vs. Griffin. Liddell vs. Ortiz is not a strong headliner either, not sure if that is going to be the main event and what kind of other fights will subsidize the card. If it's as "strong" as UFC 109 was though- I'm out.

I'm not paying for UFC events that they just throw together anymore. If I wanted to watch something worthless, I could watch a Strikeforce squash match for free on CBS (Lashley is the king of getting squash fights, Putting Sokadojou against Moussasi, Herschel Walker against the guy who's own trainer didn't think he could do it.) Or when Strikeforce has their shit on Showtime- it was only $10 or $12 per month to add Showtime to our cable subscription.

Fewer events for a higher quality. Or higher quality events (with more fights) at the same volume as today; I'll keep paying for them if they're good.

I called this a long time ago right after ufc 100 and before the injuries that I thought the UFC was in trouble. And I got my shit jumped for it.

Even if we claim we want to watch fights every weekend, 12 ppv cards a year is too much. Boom, 600 bucks. Half of those cards are non title cards. Toss in Fight Nights, Ultimate Fighter, and whatever else Spike is willing to air, and you start to become over saturated. Then there's Sopcast and the like...

Used to be, you would salivate to watch a good mma fight. Unless you owned the DVD's, there wasn't a lot of on demand footage of it. Getting to watch a UFC event seemed special. You can't walk out the door without tripping over a UFC fight anymore.

I also think the UFC carries too many fighters to sustain momentum. Half the fighters they do carry have the charisma of construction paper.

I'll say this.

EVERY SINGLE PPV CARD SHOULD HAVE A TITLE FIGHT!

Easy. You've got FIVE BELTS. Rotate those mother fucking title fights god damnit! Belt holders should defend twice a year minimum. Obviously, you have to shuffle a bit should injuries occur, but this is redonkulous, recession or not.

All PPV events should have a title fight. Got a card with no title fight? Put that fucker on Spike.

I think that the UFC needs to experiment with some new ideas when it comes to events with no title fights. Why not charge less? Maybe decrease the PPV buy to $30. Here is some math of what would need to be done.

So currently on average non title fights bring in the following:

$45X 370,000=$16,650,000

So if the UFC decrease the PPV by $15 to $30 we decrease that 16 million.

$15X370,000= $5,550,000

$5,550,000?$30=185,000

The UFC would need to bring in an additional 185,000 viewers to make up that money but hey it could be worth a shot. Of course, knowing the UFC if they used this logic they would also charge more for events with multiple title fights. Just throwing out an idea for them.

Leaving out 100 (which was clearly an anomaly) and the average is only around 440,000 so the rest of the numbers don't look so bad.

I agree about adding new weight divisions. Close out the WEC, and add their featherweight and bantamweight divisions to the UFC. Then unify their lightweight champ with the UFCs. In addition to all that, split the heavyweight division in half, making heavyweight 206-235, and super heavyweight at 236-265. Now we have three new divisions with title fights. Between each belt being defended 2-3 times a year, and #1 contender fights, we'll be looking at some stacked pay per views.

And before anyone makes it, the boxing oversaturation argument won't apply. The problem with boxing is that theres multiple titles for the same fucking weight divisions across multiple companies who show their title fights across multiple networks(HBO, Showtime). It's confusing as fuck to follow boxing. The UFC is far more streamlined. Wanna know whats on their next card, go to their website, and you'll see everyone fighting, with links to their profiles, and notes on whats being broadcast and whats not. Compare that to boxing. I know Yuri Foreman, the current WBA super-welterweight champ, and I had to google news his name just to find out what pay per view he would be fighting on. And even then, I couldn't find an official match listing for that show(Cotto Vs. Pacquiao). It's retarded, and the UFC is far more fan friendly.

Wec is far more exciting to me than any ufc fights. The guys are faster more athletic and everyone of them is hungry. Bring in the cruiser class and the lil guys. Screw this wec ppv shit, wtf are they thinkin and this mumbles shit oh god, dana is turning the ufc into everything he said he wouldnt

Scroll up and read what knucklesamitch wrote. Then attribute that to me. 'Cause my story is the same.

I think the idea of dividing HW into HW and Super HW divisions would be the smartest thing the UFC has ever done. Make HW max out at 235 or something, then you got the super heavyweights filling the void of everything higher than that.

Dana, quit tweeting for a few and get on that shit.

Why pay for something you can get for free?

It has to be said...

LOLZ @ Phattousai

Why not bring up the fact the VS and directv had a falling out now us directv subscribers can't watch anything on VS. I bet that doesn't help the wec's numbers.

I agree w/ Fedor vs. Bas and Get off me... adding another weight class would solve the problem of the giant gap between light heavies and the (super) heavies as well as provide another pool to try and put together a title fight. Then you fold the WEC in to UFC and you will have a far less chance of this drought of decent competition we've been seeing.

The more titles the more title fights right!?

That's not sweat on DW's face...

Doesn't this also reflect the economy. Less jobs equal less ppv buys.

I think the Masters Division should have lower PPV prices. Those pensioners have a limited income to spend on watching the idols from their youth fighting again.

I know everything in business is supposed to be cyclical, but I think this proves that Strikeforce has permanently killed off the UFC, and will be the world's #1 MMA promotion until the end of time.

I agree with the hypotheses and I think the droop is the result of many reasons; recession, internet, ppv's a little douchey, going to the bar is way more worth it, too many events/too few mainstream names, etc.. Hell, I think football season even had something to do with it, but whatever, this is MMA, not f-ing economics class.

Is that Dana?
He totally looks like one of those dudes from the home alert commercial there. All sweaty and everything.

"Hello this is ADT home security, we've received an alarm from your residence. Are you okay ma'am?

Yes, Dana White just tried to break into my house but the alarm scared him away.
Stay on the phone ma'am, where sending the authorities right away."

No shit, the damn fights cost 45 dollars to buy and we're in a recession. Maybe they should absorb the WEC to have more belts/non-boring fights, or have a discount on shitty non title cards, or maybe they should stop diluting their product and only put PPV cards on when there's a title fight and increase the number of fight nights or free UFCs on spike.

Maybe it's because their fighters are mostly unlikable douches. There are way more fighters that I dislike than fighters that i like in the UFC. If by some fluke GSP loses then I will officially hate every UFC titleholder (Lyoto doesn't count, that belt's in limbo as far as i'm concerned)

After seeing those numbers, the Toney signing makes a little more sense. I think Dana's just trying to make a quick buck off him then dump him when he's used up.

This just proves there should be another belt at another weight class.

Use the Cruiser Weight at 235. There are now enough Heavy Weights, and enough BIG HW's that could not make the cut to 235. But all these great fighters walking around at 245-255 would cut down and be cometative against guys there own size.

Keep the Brocks & Carwins up at 265, and the Couture & Big Nog's at 235.

Also, if you factor out the ridiculous lineup of UFC 100, the average for title fight PPV's is actually closer to 650,000.

@Phattosai

LOL

More reason to bring WEC and UFC together, this would guarantee a title fight per event.
I am sure we all have that friend or friends who are invited to every show, but only grace us with their company when a recognized champ is defending his* title.
Most here knew Bitchtiz vs Griffin was gonna draw poorly and despite being a very solid main event Nog vs. Couture card drew terrible figures. I thoughtNog v. Couture was going to be boring but was pleasantly surprised, by the looks of it most people didn't take the chance.

*Cyborg fighting in the women's div. included.

I only pay for the PPVs at home when it's going to be an awesome card...UFC 100, and UFC 110 being good examples. For UFC 101-109 I went to the local bar where my $50 got me a UFC PPV, buffalo wings, and burger, and beer specials.

Yeah UFC needs to stack every card and let the injuries sort out whos actually gona fight and by then it'll be just a good card

Um, when you have a consistent string of PPV events through a bad recession, you have to expect that people aren't going to buy the events that aren't worth going without beer for a week.

Yea, I read an article with a similar topic in last weeks issue of No Fucking Shit Magazine.