The ratings for Saturday’s UFC on FOX show were well below average for the series, but they weren’t as bad as the initials numbers that came out Sunday morning indicated.
The show delivered a 1.6 rating and 2.5 million viewers. Of the 10 previous shows on the network, it beat out three of them and was behind the other seven. However, of the five specials that took place outside of football season over the past three years, it was the second highest rated and most-viewed, trailing only last year’s April show. That show had a far stronger lineup with Benson Henderson defending the lightweight title against Gilbert Melendez, the Strikeforce champion in the division when the promotion closed, plus support of Daniel Cormier vs. Frank Mir and Josh Thomson vs. Nate Diaz.
The overnight numbers for Saturday were the lowest the show had done to date, with 1.99 million viewers. The reason for the major difference is because the overnights only measure the 8-10 p.m. time slot across the country, meaning that whatever programming aired in that slot on the West Coast (where the UFC show aired from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.) was figured into that number, nor was most of the main event figured in.
The Fabricio Werdum vs. Travis Browne main event, most of which took place after 10 p.m., did a 2.0 rating and 3.3 million viewers. The inclusion of the main event also took the show from third place in the 18-49 demo for the night to tying ABC for first place on network TV. It was second in Males 18-49 overall, behind NBA playoff coverage on ESPN. Had the main event itself been considered a separate half hour show, it would have been in the top five in Males 18-34 among prime time shows for the past week among all network broadcasts.
While down from a 1.9 rating and 3.22 million viewers for the Jan. 26 airing, headlined by Benson Henderson vs. Josh Thomson, the UFC on FOX events always do significantly better during football season, since they are heavily promoted on NFL and college broadcasts with a high concentration of adult male viewers.
Last year’s two shows outside of football season were the April show, which did a 2.2 rating and 3.74 million viewers, and a July show headlined by Demetrious Johnson vs. John Moraga for the flyweight title, which did a 1.5 rating and 2.38 million viewers.
The prelims on FS 1 did a 0.49 rating and 521,000 viewers. That’s down from a 0.60 rating and 713,000 viewers in January.
The ratings for Saturday’s UFC on FOX show were well below average for the series, but they weren’t as bad as the initials numbers that came out Sunday morning indicated.
The show delivered a 1.6 rating and 2.5 million viewers. Of the 10 previous shows on the network, it beat out three of them and was behind the other seven. However, of the five specials that took place outside of football season over the past three years, it was the second highest rated and most-viewed, trailing only last year’s April show. That show had a far stronger lineup with Benson Henderson defending the lightweight title against Gilbert Melendez, the Strikeforce champion in the division when the promotion closed, plus support of Daniel Cormier vs. Frank Mir and Josh Thomson vs. Nate Diaz.
The overnight numbers for Saturday were the lowest the show had done to date, with 1.99 million viewers. The reason for the major difference is because the overnights only measure the 8-10 p.m. time slot across the country, meaning that whatever programming aired in that slot on the West Coast (where the UFC show aired from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.) was figured into that number, nor was most of the main event figured in.
The Fabricio Werdum vs. Travis Browne main event, most of which took place after 10 p.m., did a 2.0 rating and 3.3 million viewers. The inclusion of the main event also took the show from third place in the 18-49 demo for the night to tying ABC for first place on network TV. It was second in Males 18-49 overall, behind NBA playoff coverage on ESPN. Had the main event itself been considered a separate half hour show, it would have been in the top five in Males 18-34 among prime time shows for the past week among all network broadcasts.
While down from a 1.9 rating and 3.22 million viewers for the Jan. 26 airing, headlined by Benson Henderson vs. Josh Thomson, the UFC on FOX events always do significantly better during football season, since they are heavily promoted on NFL and college broadcasts with a high concentration of adult male viewers.
Last year’s two shows outside of football season were the April show, which did a 2.2 rating and 3.74 million viewers, and a July show headlined by Demetrious Johnson vs. John Moraga for the flyweight title, which did a 1.5 rating and 2.38 million viewers.
The prelims on FS 1 did a 0.49 rating and 521,000 viewers. That’s down from a 0.60 rating and 713,000 viewers in January.
Back in 2008, after Chuck Liddell, UFC’s most popular fighter, had lost his light heavyweight title to Rampage Jackson, a rematch between the two would have at least challenged the company’s all-time business records.
After Liddell beat Wa…
Back in 2008, after Chuck Liddell, UFC’s most popular fighter, had lost his light heavyweight title to Rampage Jackson, a rematch between the two would have at least challenged the company’s all-time business records.
The result was a devastating knockout win by Evans. The possible biggest fight up to that time disappeared, never to return again.
A lot of promoters would have been crushed, so close and yet so far from a fight that would have increased the attention and popularity of a growing sport. Dana White on that night in Atlanta, while he was clearly upset his friend was knocked out in a scary way, the impression was that losing the potential Jackson vs. Liddell title fight didn’t seem to even faze him.
When you promote, you have to choice to protect top fighters with mismatches, or risk big matches and understand the chips will fall where they may. Time after time, UFC has taken that risk, even when assured of big money fights if they just had everyone sit tight.
They risked the second Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen fight, one of the bigger fights in company history, by putting Sonnen in with Mark Munoz, who after an injury, became Michael Bisping, and Sonnen nearly lost that fight and his shot at Silva.
They risked a Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans grudge match, easily Jones’ most anticipated fight of his career, by putting Evans in with Phil Davis.
They risked Nick Diaz vs. Georges St-Pierre with Diaz and Carlos Condit. In that case, even with the loss, they still made the money fight and the public backed up the illogical title shot by making it GSP’s most anticipated fight of his career.
They risked Ronda Rousey vs. Miesha Tate with a Tate vs. Cat Zingano fight, which also went the other way, but Zingano’s injury led to UFC’s biggest female fight to date still happening.
The perfect fight for a debut in Mexico, the company’s next major expansion market, would have been Cain Velasquez (13-1) vs. Fabricio Werdum (18-5-1) for the heavyweight title. Velasquez, born to Mexican parents, is the most popular fighter south of the border. He gets mobbed at his public appearances in the country. Werdum, who lived in Spain for years, learned Spanish fluently. He’s the UFC’s Spanish language announcer. He’s both familiar to the fan base and can most effectively promote the show.
Werdum could have easily been sat out to protect the fight. But with so many shows and a limited amount of top stars, the game is now always about all hands on deck. And even though the Diaz-GSP fight says differently, it is likely the only way Werdum would have gotten a shot at Velasquez in Mexico had he lost, was if it was a close fight and Browne would have been injured.
Werdum dominated Travis Browne for five rounds to take a decision Saturday night on FOX at UFC’s debut in Orlando, Fla.
While nothing is official, White is so insistent on debuting in Mexico with Velasquez as the headliner, so much so that they delayed original plans for a debut in Mexico City earlier this year for a show when the heavyweight champion required surgery on his left shoulder in December due to a torn labrum.
UFC wanted to go in with the biggest splash possible, a heavyweight title defense by the Mexican-American champion. Velasquez is hopeful of being ready by November. He has been in the gym of late, but even four months later, can only punch and kick with his right arm and foot.
White has talked of Mexico as being the next major breakthrough market, with a debut season of Ultimate Fighter Mexico, which will be taped in a few months, likely late summer, in Las Vegas. Velasquez has been talked about to coach one team. White hasn’t confirmed Werdum coaching the other, but smiled when the idea of it was brought up. It’s obviously the scenario that makes the most sense. In many ways, it’s the exact battle plan from nine years ago in the U.S., with Liddell and Randy Couture coaching the first season and leading to what was then the biggest fight the company had ever promoted.
Let’s look at how Fortunes changed and where they are going for the big winners on Saturday night’s show in Orlando.
FABRICIO WERDUM – Werdum, because of his submission skill, may be the biggest threat to Velasquez to date. Velasquez’s game plan has always been about getting the fight to the ground. He’s never been outwrestled in a fight, has never lost a round that was judged, and has never been in danger of being submitted.
But Werdum has submitted both Fedor Emelianenko and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, who one could make the case are two of the three best heavyweights in MMA history, along with Velasquez. Werdum also showed a strong standing attack, with punches and knees, through five rounds with Browne. Certainly, five rounds with Browne is not equivalent to five with Velasquez. But Werdum came in about ten pounds lighter than expected with Browne, and seemed both quicker and in better condition than in the past.
Although Werdum’s record at this point has its blemishes from years ago, if he does beat Velasquez, one would have to move him into a conversation as being among the best ever. That’s not bad for a guy who was once cut by the UFC, thought to just be a stepping stone opponent for Emelianenko, and was the underdog against Browne.
MIESHA TATE – Whoever was going to win the Tate vs. Liz Carmouche fight on Saturday was the one with luck on their side.
Carmouche clearly won the first round. Tate (14-5) won the third round even stronger. So the entire fight came down to round two.
Carmouche got two takedowns. Tate struck more effectively and had a guillotine attempt. Tate, after the fight, readily admitted she expected Carmouche to be read as the winner. But the judges reasonably could have scored the round either way.
The UFC women’s bantamweight division of late has had more talk about fighters who aren’t signed, Gina Carano, Cris “Cyborg” Justino and Holly Holm. While Tate perked up when asked about a fight with her and Carano, that makes no business sense. If Carano is going to fight, for as much as the idea of someone who hasn’t won a fight in five years getting a title shot will be criticized, Rousey is the way to go.
For Tate, the logical direction would be either Sarah Kaufman (17-2), who beat Leslie Smith on Wednesday, Sara McMann (7-1), or if she is ready, Cat Zingano (8-0). As much as Tate is the second most well-known woman fighter on the roster, after two title losses to Rousey, she’s in a weird kind of limbo state if she keeps winning.
DONALD CERRONE – Cerrone (23-6, 1 no-contest) captured his 14th career performance bonus, the most in Zuffa history on Saturday. That breaks down to nine in UFC and five in WEC.
Cerrone is a man of high highs and low lows, often in the same fight. He was getting blitzed in the early minutes by Edson Barboza, yet finished him in the blink of an eye with a knockdown from a jab and a choke.
That gave him three wins in a row, picking up bonuses in all three fights. The name bandied about and asked to him after the fight is Khabib Nurmagomedov, who took the measure of Rafael dos Anjos earlier in the show. Dos Anjos handed Cerrone his last loss on Aug. 28.
But the idea that seems to fit better would be Josh Thomson (20-6). Both are fighters with histories of great fights, and who should be in the pack for a 2015 title shot with some wins this year. Thomson had the contract in hand for a title shot with Anthony Pettis, which fell through when Pettis was injured. Thomson then lost to Benson Henderson, in a fight he broke his hand in during the first round, but many thought he should have gotten the decision in.
Both have had a lot of experience on major televised fight cards, and histories of exciting fights. The next FOX show is July 26, in Thomson’s home city of San Jose. With Cerrone making a strong impression on FOX, it would make sense to carry over that momentum.
YOEL ROMERO – Romero (8-1) has always been an intriguing fighter, simply because he won an Olympic silver medal in wrestling and has multiple wins on the international stage against Cael Sanderson, America’s greatest wrestler of the last 15 years.
But in MMA, it was his striking, not his wrestling, that was his in-cage calling card. Every Romero win until Saturday came by knockout or TKO. From a wrestling standpoint, on Saturday he was a sleeping giant, showing more of it than in any fight to date, to the point Joe Rogan was fantasy booking him with middleweight king Chris Weidman as he was rag dolling Brad Tavares.
At first, the reaction would be that Romero isn’t ready. Tavares was top 15, but Romero has no wins against anyone that should put him into the immediate title picture. But it is an intriguing match up, as Romero’s credentials as a wrestler, and explosiveness, trump that of Weidman.
But like every Romero conversation, age quickly comes into play. He turns 37 in less than two weeks, so time is not on his side. Tim Kennedy, coming off his win over Michael Bisping, would make sense as a foe. It may be one fight early for someone like Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, who has looked impressive of late and should be ready about the same time as Romero after his elbow surgery in early March.
KHABIB NURMAGOMEDOV – Sporting the best won-loss record in the UFC today, at 22-0, Nurmagomedov clearly won all three rounds from top ten fighter dos Anjos on Saturday.
The two-time world champion in Sambo has been a takedown machine in his two plus years in the organization. It would seem the perfect opponent for him would be Nate Diaz (17-9), a fight UFC tried to make, but Diaz is sitting out in a contract squabble. Assuming he is out of the picture, Cerrone is a possibility. Thomson would be very difficult, since both are teammates and training partners at AKA in San Jose.
TJ Grant remains a wild card, a top contender who was ready for a championship match when problems from a severe concussion put him on the shelf. There’s no timetable for Grant to return, so his best bet, if not Cerrone, may be to wait to see if Benson Henderson beats Rustam Khabilov on June 7 in Albuquerque, N.M.
Rich Franklin announced on Facebook today that he will be headed to Singapore to meet with officials from the ONE FC promotion for a Vice President position. He noted that he had discussed the job opportunity with Dana White and Lorenzo Fe…
Rich Franklin announced on Facebook today that he will be headed to Singapore to meet with officials from the ONE FC promotion for a Vice President position. He noted that he had discussed the job opportunity with Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta at the end of 2013.
Former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin confirmed Saturday that he is in talks about taking a job as Vice President of the Singapore-based ONE Fighting Championship promotion.
“I have been in talks with ONE FC about taking a job with them,” Franklin wrote on his Facebook page Saturday morning. “They offered me a position as VP. I will be heading to ONE FC headquarters in the next few weeks to work out the details. I met with Dana (White) and Lorenzo (Fertitta) at the end of last year and they gave me their blessing. I will keep you posted.”
Franklin, 39, was one of the building block stars of the UFC as middleweight champion when the promotion first got on Spike TV. The former high school math teacher headlined the first nationally-televised live UFC fight card on April 9, 2005, scoring a first round stoppage of Ken Shamrock in 2:42, on a show far better remembered for the semifinal where Forrest Griffin beat Stephan Bonnar in one of UFC’s all-time most famous fights.
In his next fight, on June 4, 2005, in Atlantic City, he stopped Evan Tanner in the fourth round to win the UFC middleweight title. He also coached the second season of The Ultimate Fighter, against Matt Hughes, which made him among the company’s most popular fighters for the next several years. He made two successful title defenses before losing on October 14, 2006, in Las Vegas, to Anderson Silva.
Franklin, who has a 29-7 record with one no contest, hasn’t fought since being knocked out by Cung Le on November 10, 2012. Over the last year, he had talked about doing one last fight as a retirement bout.
ONE FC, based in Kallang, Singapore, is the most successful major arena promotion outside of the UFC. The group has television deals with ESPN Star Sports in Asia, as well as television deals in Indonesia, Singapore, The Philippines, Cambodia and Malaysia.
The promotion ran seven live events last year, in Malaysia, Singapore and The Philippines, all at major arenas, including twice drawing crowds of approximately 16,000 fans at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City, Philippines. The promotion has a number of notable stars under contract including Ben Askren, Shinya Aoki and Bibiano Fernandes.
Wednesday’s FS 1 night of UFC action did 641,000 viewers for the main card, and 595,000 viewers for the TUF 19 series debut. The live show was slightly above most of the recent Wednesday shows, but the TUF premiere, not surprisingly, was …
Wednesday’s FS 1 night of UFC action did 641,000 viewers for the main card, and 595,000 viewers for the TUF 19 series debut. The live show was slightly above most of the recent Wednesday shows, but the TUF premiere, not surprisingly, was down 22 percent from the much hyped Rousey vs. Tate season.
One thing we’ve established is that Wednesday night is not the best night for UFC business.
It’s harder to draw both live and on tape, particularly on the West Coast, where the UFC is traditionally strongest, because the matches begin in the early afternoon on a work day.
Originally, when UFC moved to Fox Sports 1, the idea was Wednesday would become UFC destination night, with Ultimate Fighter, UFC Tonight and shoulder programming, and about two dozen live events per year. But it became clear that strategy wasn’t working when it came to live fight cards. And, for the most part, they’ve gotten away from it.
UFC’s televised shows are now mostly on Saturday, with Wednesday shows, like this past week, used to help spark interest in the opening night of the new seasons of Ultimate Fighter. The experiment with a Sunday night show on March 23 also proved to be successful with 936,000 viewers.
The numbers for Wednesday’s show fit right into the pattern, with a slight increase over recent shows. The prelims did 263,000 viewers from 5-7 p.m. Eastern and 2-4 p.m. Pacific. The main card from 7-10:19 p.m., headlined by Tim Kennedy’s five-round decision win over Michael Bisping did 641,000 viewers. The two-hour season opener of the Ultimate Fighter season 19, with B.J. Penn and Frankie Edgar as coaches, did 595,000 viewers airing from 10:20 p.m. to 12:20 a.m. Eastern.
The numbers across the board are slightly up from the two prior FS 1 nights booked similarly.
The first, on Sept. 4, to kick off TUF season 18, with Ronda Rousey vs. Miesha Tate, saw the live Fight Night from Brazil headlined by Glover Teixeira vs. Ryan Bader, did 220,000 viewers for the prelims, 539,000 for the main card, and 762,000 for the TUF season opener.
Keep in mind there was far more promotion for that season of Ultimate Fighter.
The second, on Jan. 15, to kick off TUF Nations, and with a live show headlined by Luke Rockhold vs. Costas Philippou, did 220,000 viewers for the prelims, 629,000 for the main card and the series coached by Kyle Noke and Patrick Cote did 371,000 viewers on the first night.
There was a Nov. 6 Fight for the Troops headlined by Kennedy vs. Rafael Natal that did 641,000 viewers, identical to this past week, although November is a better time period for ratings than April.
The Road to the Octagon special, previewing Saturday’s FOX card, aired at 5 p.m. Eastern and 2 p.m. Pacific on April 12 on FOX, did 691,000 viewers.
Michael Bisping had long talked about not wanting to end his career as the guy with the most wins in UFC history to never get a title shot. After his loss to Tim Kennedy on Wednesday night, that is very likely how he’ll end up.
The last few days have once again shown that you never know what you’re going to get with a UFC show.
On Friday in Abu Dhabi, there were four first-round finishes in eight fights in a show that seemed to breeze by. On Wednesday in Quebec City, Canada, there were nine fights that went to a decision, the third most in UFC history. Unlike Friday, a night filled with explosiveness, Wednesday felt like another night at the office.
It was the climax of an Ultimate Fighter season that nobody except the hardest of the hardcores was watching. There were only a few strong title contenders on the show, and all came through, except one.
Michael Bisping, in hyping his fight with Tim Kennedy, talked of Kennedy as a stepping stone for him to get that elusive title match that he’s come one fight from getting on three different occasions. Coming off a year layoff due to a detached retina in his right eye, and at 35, he didn’t look quite as quick or as sharp.
In the end, the difference in the fight was Tim Kennedy’s ability to not just get takedowns, but keep Bisping flat on his back in a way none of his previous opponents were ever able to do and take a unanimous decision on scores of 49-46, 49-46 and 50-45.
Given his age, and the depth in the middleweight division, the odds are now strong that Bisping will be exactly what he’s feared for a few years – the guy who ends his career with the most wins in UFC history of anyone who has never gotten a championship match. With the company running so many shows, and him being an established name who is good at promoting fights, he may still have a long tenure left, if that’s what he chooses. But it’s likely as the utility player, like the role Rich Franklin has had for many years. But Franklin had his day in the sun that Bisping is less likely than ever to get.
Here’s a look at how the Fortunes Changed for Five on the show:
TIM KENNEDY – As much as he was verbally beating himself up, Kennedy scored a strong win over the No. 5 ranked contender in his division. Most likely, the win will move Kennedy to the No. 6 spot on the contenders ladder, behind the injured Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida, Vitor Belfort, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and Luke Rockhold.
Kennedy (18-4), has only lost twice, to Souza and Rockhold, both by five-round decisions in Strikeforce title fights, in the last six-plus years. When asked after the show what was next, he hinted he would start calling people out on Twitter in a few days. Kennedy said that the winner of the May 31 fight in Berlin, Germany, between Mark Munoz (13-4) and Gegard Mousasi (34-4-2) would be who he would want.
Munoz would be a new opponent, but Kennedy has more to gain looking at Belfort, Souza or Rockhold, because a win over any of the three could get him a title shot. A win over Munoz keeps him one step below contention.
MICHAEL BISPING – The loss changed Bisping’s fortunes in a serious way. His best case scenario would be to attempt to talk his way into a fight with Rockhold, provided Rockhold beats Tim Boetsch on April 26 in Baltimore. Last year, Bisping made a remark on television about getting the better of Rockhold when they had trained together. Rockhold didn’t take kindly to what he said, and indicated wanting to fight Bisping. Such a fight would probably be a television main event, keeping Bisping in the spotlight.
If not, he’s more likely to be facing another fighter coming off a loss, whether it be in the Rockhold vs. Boetsch or Munoz vs. Mousasi matches. But those fights for him would be all risk with no reward. Wins wouldn’t put him in the thick of things, and a second loss would put a real damper on his career going forward.
DUSTIN POIRIER – After Poirier (16-3) finished Akira Corassani in the second round by overwhelming him with punches, he made it clear that he wanted Cub Swanson next. Swanson faces Jeremy Stephens on June 28 in San Antonio, but if Swanson wins, he’s likely to get a featherweight title fight next.
Poirier, at 25, is already the winningest fighter in the short history of UFC’s featherweight division. He’s won eight of ten fights since early 2011, when the division was introduced. If Swanson isn’t available, a good opponent for him would be Clay Guida. Guida is a name fighter, coming off a win last Friday over Tatsuya Kawajiri. Poirier needs a major win for people to take him as a serious top-tier fighter.
K.J. NOONS – There was an interesting test case on Wednesday. One of the weird realities of the sport is its version of the nuclear arms race. Almost everybody drops ten to 20 pounds the last week of the fight, and then tries to put it back on after weigh-ins. The idea is that you don’t want to be physically smaller than your opponent in the cage, so the goal is to weigh far more than the weight class limitation at fight time. And since almost everyone does it, unless someone is incredibly talented, if they don’t, it risks them getting outmuscled.
That means almost everyone is miserable in the days leading up to the fight. It means they are putting their bodies through the grinder when they’d be better off resting. It also means, at least in theory, by taxing ones system just before fight time, that fighters will have just a little less stamina when it comes down to crunch time in their fights.
Noons and Sam Stout, both lightweights, bumped into each other a few days before fight time. Stout’s side suggested that they go to the UFC and ask if the fight could be made a welterweight fight. As it turned out, neither guy looked any different in the cage, but they were able to rest their bodies. In theory, they’d have more energy and be able to put on a better show. But it didn’t make a difference.
Noons knocked Stout out with a right to the jaw standing and a left on the ground in just 30 seconds.
“It’s an odd thing,” said Dana White about the request. “It doesn’t happen a lot. I’m not opposed to it happening here, but it’s not a trend we want to start.”
SARAH KAUFMAN – Kaufman (17-2, 1 no contest), in a sense, avenged a win in outstriking Leslie Smith for three rounds. At an Invicta show one year ago, Kaufman got her hand raised via split decision over Smith in a fight many thought should have gone the other way. There was no questioning who won here.
Kaufman’s striking was both quicker and crisper throughout the fight. But she did have an edge, going through a full training camp while Smith took the fight just over a week ago, and the conditioning difference was noticeable late.
Kaufman, who has wins over both Miesha Tate and Liz Carmouche, is in a weird position. Because Ronda Rousey beat her in 54 seconds with an armbar in a Strikeforce title match, it’s going to be tough for her to get a title shot as long as Rousey is champion. With the decisive win, it would look like she could either face the winner of the Tate vs. Carmouche fight on Saturday, or face Sara McMann, coming off McMann’s loss to Rousey.
Michael Bisping had long talked about not wanting to end his career as the guy with the most wins in UFC history to never get a title shot. After his loss to Tim Kennedy on Wednesday night, that is very likely how he’ll end up.
The last few days have once again shown that you never know what you’re going to get with a UFC show.
On Friday in Abu Dhabi, there were four first-round finishes in eight fights in a show that seemed to breeze by. On Wednesday in Quebec City, Canada, there were nine fights that went to a decision, the third most in UFC history. Unlike Friday, a night filled with explosiveness, Wednesday felt like another night at the office.
It was the climax of an Ultimate Fighter season that nobody except the hardest of the hardcores was watching. There were only a few strong title contenders on the show, and all came through, except one.
Michael Bisping, in hyping his fight with Tim Kennedy, talked of Kennedy as a stepping stone for him to get that elusive title match that he’s come one fight from getting on three different occasions. Coming off a year layoff due to a detached retina in his right eye, and at 35, he didn’t look quite as quick or as sharp.
In the end, the difference in the fight was Tim Kennedy’s ability to not just get takedowns, but keep Bisping flat on his back in a way none of his previous opponents were ever able to do and take a unanimous decision on scores of 49-46, 49-46 and 50-45.
Given his age, and the depth in the middleweight division, the odds are now strong that Bisping will be exactly what he’s feared for a few years – the guy who ends his career with the most wins in UFC history of anyone who has never gotten a championship match. With the company running so many shows, and him being an established name who is good at promoting fights, he may still have a long tenure left, if that’s what he chooses. But it’s likely as the utility player, like the role Rich Franklin has had for many years. But Franklin had his day in the sun that Bisping is less likely than ever to get.
Here’s a look at how the Fortunes Changed for Five on the show:
TIM KENNEDY – As much as he was verbally beating himself up, Kennedy scored a strong win over the No. 5 ranked contender in his division. Most likely, the win will move Kennedy to the No. 6 spot on the contenders ladder, behind the injured Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida, Vitor Belfort, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and Luke Rockhold.
Kennedy (18-4), has only lost twice, to Souza and Rockhold, both by five-round decisions in Strikeforce title fights, in the last six-plus years. When asked after the show what was next, he hinted he would start calling people out on Twitter in a few days. Kennedy said that the winner of the May 31 fight in Berlin, Germany, between Mark Munoz (13-4) and Gegard Mousasi (34-4-2) would be who he would want.
Munoz would be a new opponent, but Kennedy has more to gain looking at Belfort, Souza or Rockhold, because a win over any of the three could get him a title shot. A win over Munoz keeps him one step below contention.
MICHAEL BISPING – The loss changed Bisping’s fortunes in a serious way. His best case scenario would be to attempt to talk his way into a fight with Rockhold, provided Rockhold beats Tim Boetsch on April 26 in Baltimore. Last year, Bisping made a remark on television about getting the better of Rockhold when they had trained together. Rockhold didn’t take kindly to what he said, and indicated wanting to fight Bisping. Such a fight would probably be a television main event, keeping Bisping in the spotlight.
If not, he’s more likely to be facing another fighter coming off a loss, whether it be in the Rockhold vs. Boetsch or Munoz vs. Mousasi matches. But those fights for him would be all risk with no reward. Wins wouldn’t put him in the thick of things, and a second loss would put a real damper on his career going forward.
DUSTIN POIRIER – After Poirier (16-3) finished Akira Corassani in the second round by overwhelming him with punches, he made it clear that he wanted Cub Swanson next. Swanson faces Jeremy Stephens on June 28 in San Antonio, but if Swanson wins, he’s likely to get a featherweight title fight next.
Poirier, at 25, is already the winningest fighter in the short history of UFC’s featherweight division. He’s won eight of ten fights since early 2011, when the division was introduced. If Swanson isn’t available, a good opponent for him would be Clay Guida. Guida is a name fighter, coming off a win last Friday over Tatsuya Kawajiri. Poirier needs a major win for people to take him as a serious top-tier fighter.
K.J. NOONS – There was an interesting test case on Wednesday. One of the weird realities of the sport is its version of the nuclear arms race. Almost everybody drops ten to 20 pounds the last week of the fight, and then tries to put it back on after weigh-ins. The idea is that you don’t want to be physically smaller than your opponent in the cage, so the goal is to weigh far more than the weight class limitation at fight time. And since almost everyone does it, unless someone is incredibly talented, if they don’t, it risks them getting outmuscled.
That means almost everyone is miserable in the days leading up to the fight. It means they are putting their bodies through the grinder when they’d be better off resting. It also means, at least in theory, by taxing ones system just before fight time, that fighters will have just a little less stamina when it comes down to crunch time in their fights.
Noons and Sam Stout, both lightweights, bumped into each other a few days before fight time. Stout’s side suggested that they go to the UFC and ask if the fight could be made a welterweight fight. As it turned out, neither guy looked any different in the cage, but they were able to rest their bodies. In theory, they’d have more energy and be able to put on a better show. But it didn’t make a difference.
Noons knocked Stout out with a right to the jaw standing and a left on the ground in just 30 seconds.
“It’s an odd thing,” said Dana White about the request. “It doesn’t happen a lot. I’m not opposed to it happening here, but it’s not a trend we want to start.”
SARAH KAUFMAN – Kaufman (17-2, 1 no contest), in a sense, avenged a win in outstriking Leslie Smith for three rounds. At an Invicta show one year ago, Kaufman got her hand raised via split decision over Smith in a fight many thought should have gone the other way. There was no questioning who won here.
Kaufman’s striking was both quicker and crisper throughout the fight. But she did have an edge, going through a full training camp while Smith took the fight just over a week ago, and the conditioning difference was noticeable late.
Kaufman, who has wins over both Miesha Tate and Liz Carmouche, is in a weird position. Because Ronda Rousey beat her in 54 seconds with an armbar in a Strikeforce title match, it’s going to be tough for her to get a title shot as long as Rousey is champion. With the decisive win, it would look like she could either face the winner of the Tate vs. Carmouche fight on Saturday, or face Sara McMann, coming off McMann’s loss to Rousey.
Michael Bisping and Tim Kennedy, who headline Wednesday night’s The Ultimate Fighter: Nations Finale at the Colisee Pepsi in Quebec City, Quebec, actually have a lot in common. That’s also a statement that may infuriate both of them. Both …
Michael Bisping and Tim Kennedy, who headline Wednesday night’s The Ultimate Fighter: Nations Finale at the Colisee Pepsi in Quebec City, Quebec, actually have a lot in common. That’s also a statement that may infuriate both of them.
Both are polarizing middleweight fighters with good win-loss records. Both are talked about as being among the most overrated and underrated fighters in the company, depending on who one listens to. Both like to talk, which has played a big part in this main event happening. Both have had a lot of wins, but both have yet to get that one signature win that puts them right there for a UFC title shot. Both are difficult to finish. Both are good at almost every aspect of MMA, but not incredible at any. Both are durable, hard nuts to crack, and known for conditioning. And both abhor steroids in the sport.
But Kennedy has frequently stated Bisping is a dirty fighter. Bisping, after three years, is tired of hearing about it.
The first known interaction between the two on Twitter dates back to May 17, 2011, when Kennedy wrote, “It is disrespectful and unprofessional to illegally knee someone in the face while they have their knees on the ground,” directing it at Bisping, who did so to Jorge Rivera in one of Bisping’s most heated grudge matches of his career. The next day, Bisping shot back, “What the f*** has it got to do with you and why you piping up now? You missed the bandwagon. It left two months ago.”
“To be honest, I had no clue who Tim Kennedy was,” Bisping said about their first interaction, when Kennedy was still a Strikeforce fighter. “He wasn’t on my radar. I didn’t actually know who he was. I’m not trying to sound funny. I didn’t know him until he started making comments on Twitter. I was thinking, `Who the hell is this guy? Then Strikeforce fighters were absorbed into UFC and he won a fight in UFC.”
Originally, Bisping was looking at a higher-ranked opponent, someone like Lyoto Machida, trying to get that win to earn him a title shot. That was back when Weidman was expected to face Belfort.
But he eventually changed his opinion and asked for Kennedy.
“I can only take so much, so I said, `Let’s do it.'”
“To be honest, he tries to be funny constantly, but he’s just not,” said Bisping. “He’s not a funny guy. He comes across as a bit of a dork, kind of goofy. It’s hard to take him seriously.”
While Bisping is strong at hyping fights, the dirty fighter charge has him mad.
“He’s just a flat out liar,” Bisping said. “He said that I always grabbed over the top of the cage. I don’t think I’ve ever grabbed over the top of the cage once, even in practice. He said how I always kick people in the groin, I always eye gouge, I always knee people when they are down. I kneed a guy once. I got a point taken off and it’s the only point I’ve had taken off in my entire UFC career.”
For the record, Bisping has had two points taken off, one against Josh Haynes in 2006 and one against Rivera in 2011.
“He thinks he’s won this big mind battle,” said Bisping. “He thinks I’m a puppet and he pulled my strings. The fact is, he’s a stepping stone. I’ve faced way better competition than this guy. He’s another night at the office. I’m excited to be fighting in UFC, earning money again. I’m excited to be training again, but as far as Tim Kennedy, he doesn’t excite me.”
“He beat Roger Gracie in a terrible fight,” Bisping continued. “Then he was supposed to fight Machida, and Machida would have kicked his head off his shoulders. He dodged a bullet there. Then he fought (Rafael) Natal. He knocked him out and he has two wins in the UFC. He’s built up some momentum, and now the momentum ends. I don’t want to hear his name again after Wednesday. I don’t want to be associated with people like that.”
Still, Bisping is expecting a long, tough fight. Kennedy (17-4), went five rounds in losses to Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza and Luke Rockhold. He was only stopped once, back in 2001 by Scott Smith, and that was due to a doctor’s ruling.
“I don’t think he’s been knocked out or submitted,” said Bisping. “He’s got a good chin. So he’ll be my punching bag for 25 minutes. Can I get a stoppage? Who knows? I can’t guarantee it. I’ll have extra aggression because of all the crap that he’s talked. He seems very resilient and in good condition. I don’t expect it to be a complete walk in the park, but I don’t ever expect that from any fighter in the UFC.”
“He’s got okay takedowns,” said Bisping. “He went to the floor with Roger Gracie so he’s got to be confident in his ability there. He’s quite powerful. If he lands clean, you have to be careful. But he’s got a basic game. I always come in great condition. He’s certainly going to be able to go 25 minutes hard and push the pace, but that’s it. I’ve fought better wrestlers. I’ve fought guys better at jiu-jitsu. And I’ve fought better strikers. He’s got nothing I haven’t seen before.”
For both fighters, time is closing in on their ability to make that move to the top. Bisping (24-5) had his career mortality staring him in the face over the past year due to a detached retina, which nearly left him blind in his right eye. He just turned 35, while Kennedy will turn 35 on Sept. 1.
Bisping was told prior to his eye surgery that he would be able to fight again, so the detached retina wasn’t as scary at first. But later, when more problems surfaced in the eye, things weren’t so positive.
“There were days I was certainly a lot more skeptical,” he said. “I thought I’d never fight again.
“There were some very worrying times. I’m only 35. I just turned 35. I’m still a young man. I was upset that I might have to find a new career.”
The worst came when he was at a kickboxing event, sitting with UFC fighter Ross Pearson. His right eye was bothering him and he asked Pearson if he looked okay.
“He said, `To be honest, it looks really red.’ I started panicking. I drove home.”
When he got there, he could barely see.
“I called my doctor and he said let the blood drain away. In the morning, everything was fine. I had internal bleeding inside my eye.”
The story of Bisping’s career has been to get one fight away from a title shot, and then lose. It’s happened four times in the last five years. There was the UFC 100 knockout loss to Dan Henderson in one of the more memorable fights in UFC history. There was a close decision loss to Wanderlei Silva in 2010. There was an even closer decision loss to Chael Sonnen in 2012, and then there was last year’s loss to Vitor Belfort. B
isping was outspoken about steroids before all of this, but considering Henderson, Sonnen and Belfort were all on testosterone replacement therapy when they beat him, one could see why he’d feel the way he does.
For a few years, Bisping has said there is a distinction he never wanted to be, which was to leave the sport as the guy with the most UFC wins who has never gotten a title shot. He already holds that distinction today, as the only man with 14 wins or more who has never received that final destination. But he doesn’t blame the organization, noting he’s been one step away several times.
“Obviously, the middleweight division is the most exciting it’s ever been,” said Bisping. “With Anderson Silva not having the title, it gives everyone a sense or urgency to be the next champion. It’s (Chris) Weidman, unless Machida beats him. Anderson is going to be out for a while. Belfort is going to be out for a while. There’s a bunch of good guys, and I think I’m right up there with them. I’ve won seven of my last nine, and both losses were to guys on TRT. One of them was a questionable decision. Vitor beat me fair and square, but I’ve always been in the top ten and have never turned down a fight. If I beat Kennedy, I’ll have won eight out of ten, so it’s not out of the realm of possibilities that I’d get a title shot.”
His prediction for July 5, on who will end the night as champion, is Machida.
“For me, I’m leading toward Machida, for sure,” he said. “I think he’ll be too fast. Weidman is very powerful. He’s kind of slow. His takedowns are good and he got Anderson down, but Anderson’s is known for being a little weak in takedown defense. Machida has very good underrated wrestling and I think Machida is a tougher match up for Weidman. With his speed, I can see him picking Weidman apart all night long. Weidman is a young fighter. He’s still learning. He’s still improving. He may get faster, but he just had two knee surgeries so that may hurt him doing agility drills right now.”
