UFC 141 will mark the return of the biggest star in MMA when former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar steps back into the cage after a 14-month layoff due to complications with the intestinal disease diverticulitis. The heavyweight juggernaut will go head-to-head with former Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem in the main event on Dec. 30 in Las Vegas.
The long-awaited collision between these mammoths will be the second time that two consensus top-five heavyweights will headline a UFC event in the final two months of 2011, the first being the UFC on FOX main event between Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos earlier this month.
Initial estimates for the ratings of the inaugural UFC on FOX event saw the event checking in with a disappointing 4.6 million viewers. This number was later updated to over 5.5 millions and finally stuck at an impressive 8.8 million fans who tuned in to see the heavyweight main event.
UFC president Dana White heard from critics who disliked the concept of the first show only having one fight, but responded by informing fans that there would be a full fight card for the second UFC on FOX event.
“I don’t think you’re going to see a title fight, but I don’t think you’re going to be disappointed in what you’re going to see,” White told Heavy. “We’re giving you some good fights.”
Being that Lesnar is already booked to fight only about a month before UFC on FOX 2, it seems highly unlikely that the former champion will headline the next event on network television.
However, there will obviously be future UFC on FOX events and while Lesnar is unquestionably the company’s biggest pay-per-view draw, the reality is that his popularity may actually fit the company best when it comes to attracting new fans in the form of a future main event fight on FOX.
The former WWE superstar has overtaken everyone in the sport as the most recognizable face in mixed martial arts history. His brick-like physique and entertaining skills on the microphone are a perfect mixture to stir up controversy. But whether you love him or hate him, there is no doubt that everyone who has heard of him has an opinion on Lesnar.
Velasquez and Dos Santos did a great job of carrying the flag of the UFC into the mainstream with their fight on Nov. 12, but the truth is that neither of them have quite broken into the mainstream yet. They are both growing in popularity, but certainly neither has become a household name like Lesnar.
Lesnar’s incredible popularity and ability to reach the masses is something that the UFC could make great use of on FOX. As the promotion attempts to pull in more of the casual audience and entice them to become long-term fans of the sport, they will eventually need to promote an already-established superstar in the main event.
Who would fit that bill better than Lesnar?
It seems unlikely that the UFC will make use of free television to promote too many championship fights from here on out, but it would make for a perfect place to promote large non-title fights such as a rematch between Lesnar and Velasquez or a third fight between Lesnar and Frank Mir.
If the UFC was happy with the 8.8 million fans who tuned in for the first event on FOX, they would be ecstatic to see the ratings skyrocket as well over the 10 million fans tune in to watch the biggest star in mixed martial arts.
With Lesnar being the biggest pay-per-view draw for the UFC, they may opt to avoid putting him on free television. However if the company takes a chance, the short-term loss in pay-per-view revenue could be greatly outweighed by the long-term gain in fans that could come from putting Lesnar on network television.
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