(And just when they were figuring out proper product placement! Curses!!)
Well, we can’t say this looks good.
Thanks to a last-minute injury that saw their (cursed) main event scratched, Ray Sefo and the gang were forced to push the featherweight title fight between Georgi Karakhanyan and Lance Palmer from the co-main spot into the spotlight at WSOF 7 last weekend. Viewing audiences apparently did not approve of this unfortunate yet necessary change, or maybe they just had better things to do on a Saturday night. Or maybe we were all tapped out from the epicness that was Fight Night 33. In any case, it appears that none of you heeded our advice and tuned into WSOF 7. Seriously, like none of you (via MMAPayout):
MMA Payout has learned through Nielsen sources that World Series of Fighting’s event on Saturday night received a meager 94,000 viewers. WSOF 7 from Vancouver, BC in Canada competed with a heavy night of college football, boxing and Invicta FC.
One could argue that the lack of “compelling” fights (which, as we pointed out in our breakdown, was not the case with WSOF 7) and multitude of events that transpired last weekend were responsible for the utter failure that was WSOF 7. But as MMA Payout also pointed out, WSOF 6 managed to draw in 161,000 viewers despite competing with both Mayweather-Alvarez and Fight Night 30.
Perhaps most troubling, however, is the complete nosedive WSOF’s ratings have taken over their last few events. While usually remaining in the 200k range, viewership of WSOF events have been in steady decline since WSOF 4, which featured a main event showdown between Tyrone Spong and Angel DeAnda.
It could be a sign that the WSOF talent pool is simply not up to par with that of its peers and fans are reacting accordingly, or it could be a sign that the promotion is simply failing to stir up interest from a marketing perspective. I mean, how many of you have *ever* seen an ad for a WSOF card?
Bring out yer dead, Nation. The deathwatch is on.