It hasn’t even been a month and already details are starting to leak out about the UFC’s second fight on FOX.
It was revealed just recently that the next program will be two hours long and have four fights on the card.
Fans who complained about the fact that there was only one fight on the first UFC event on FOX should be overjoyed. There were rumbles of discontent from fans who wanted to see more fights, but it has to be remembered that this wasn’t technically part of the FOX deal. It was a way for the UFC to introduce itself to new casual fans.
And that is exactly what it did. The build-up to the fight presented Junior Dos Santos and Cain Velasquez as both decent people and quality human beings instead of two vicious fighters who were about to beat on each other.
It helped ease first-time viewers into the sport without getting much negative attention. Now that the first event is over and the UFC has made a good first impression, fans can start seeing a somewhat typical fight card.
Last time, the UFC pulled in 8.8 million viewers.
Though the event might have been hurt by the quickness with which the fight finished, 64 seconds, it remains to be seen if it actually will hurt the UFC’s return to network TV.
It most likely won’t and the UFC putting on more fights will probably help it. As the fights progress more people will turn in and realize that the event has already started with viewership peaking at the main event.
The other thing helping the UFC is the fact that FOX has stood behind them firmly after how the last event went. Having such incredible support from such a well-known and established brand like FOX will help the UFC to dispel a lot of the myths and rumors that have long-plagued the sport.
It will also help to remove some of the stigma that has been a part of the sport for so long. Not only will people be able to see more fights, but they will see that a major franchise like FOX is okay with it being put on their station.
Perception is a lot of what plagues MMA and most people might be stuck with the perception that it is still like it was in the ’90s. The working relationship between FOX and the UFC can help dispel that.
As the two brands get closer together more people will continue to tune in.
The best bet that UFC on FOX 2 will pull better numbers is the fact that the UFC is brilliant when it comes to marketing itself and knows how to do it well.
Dana White, the president of the UFC, uses Twitter constantly. The UFC has a Facebook page. Many fighters even have Twitter accounts.
As the media world evolves people have better access to search out knowledge on anything in the world.
Those who watched the UFC and had never heard of it before or became interested after seeing it have the opportunity to go out and check out the promotion’s Web site, Facebook or a number of different sites.
All of these different parts lead to one thing: more viewers and better fights on free TV.
And hopefully it just keeps getting bigger.
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