There’s been plenty of hype about The Ultimate Fighter 20. Plenty.
It’s the first time in the program’s history that a champion will earn a title through the process of living in the house and fighting a whole bunch in a short period of time.
And maybe, just maybe, people don’t actually care all that much.
To be clear, that’s not a reference to people within the MMA sphere.
Hardcore fans, the type who were watching Invicta back in the UStream pay-per-view days, they care.
Media, who’ve been tasked with live blogging and writing about how horrible TUF‘s been for about five years now, they care.
UFC and FOX executives, hopeful that high stakes might revive that stale product, they care.
But people? Joe Sixpack who can’t find FOX Sports 1 on the dial and isn’t keen to find the UFC without just cause? What if that guy, those people, don’t care?
There’s reason to think that might be the case.
For all the hype leading up to TUF 20, the months of updates from Dana White about how crazy the show will be and the months of fans who’d checked out committing to checking back in thanks to said hype, the ratings weren’t that good.
Actually, they were kind of bad.
Maybe not bad for a random season of middleweights coached by two dudes fighting just for the sake of it, but for a season with a belt on the line coached by the two best lightweights on Earth?
Not great at all.
It’s certainly too early to hit the panic button, but it has to raise some questions.
What are the implications for TUF as an entity if this season busts? Will it even continue to exist if a world title can’t garner some mainstream attention?
What does it mean for women’s MMA and, more specifically, the strawweight division if good fights and interesting back stories can’t get people watching?
Did we all overestimate the appeal of the women’s wing of the sport thanks to Ronda Rousey’s self-promotion and White’s about face on the matter?
It’s too early to answer any of those questions, but it’s never too early to start letting them gestate. If, when the answers reveal themselves over the course of the season, they’re negative, then there will be some major cause for concern.
Nobody wins with TUF 20 being more about hype than about viewership.
Women’s strawweight is rich with talent, the TUF franchise has been stale and this is a genuinely sound attempt to revitalize it, and with the UFC doing so many shows there’s value in having another title in the mix with some capable individuals chasing it.
Unfortunately, if no one is watching, none of that matters.
So for those who’ve been waiting for this season, understand that, though you’re doing your part, it’s going to take more interest from the casual fan for TUF 20 to have the impact it should.
What’s happening on Wednesday nights for the next few months has the potential to impact the lives of female athletes all over the world, fans of the sport who’ve been wanting more from TUF and the UFC for a while now, and the promotion itself both today and in the future.
Those are pretty high stakes, and they’re stakes that have only been heightened by the amount of publicity the season’s been getting since long before it ever started.
Without more eyes though, TUF 20 could be one of the more undeserving busts in UFC history.
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