It was a nice little theory we had there. Real nice.
Anyone with a rooting interest in MMA was kind of looking at it the same way: If the UFC gives away the fights of a guy who’s pretty good on Fox, they’ll be able to monetize him on pay-per-view once …
It was a nice little theory we had there. Real nice.
Anyone with a rooting interest in MMA was kind of looking at it the same way: If the UFC gives away the fights of a guy who’s pretty good on Fox, they’ll be able to monetize him on pay-per-view once people are hooked.
Definitely sound reasoning on paper.
Think of all the free samples you get in the mail, or the fact that you can go to Costco on a Saturday afternoon and end up with a full meal from the bite-sized samplers at the end of every aisle.
Giving people a taste for free often works when the endgame is getting them to buy that thing later on down the line.
This time, though, there has to be reason for concern.
Why? According to reports within the arena, people at UFC 174 were leaving before the main event was even over, indicating that the free samples hadn’t done much of a job over the past year or so.
Headliner Demetrious Johnson, infallible flyweight champion and, for the purposes of this comparison, the sample you got in the mail or at the end of the aisle, was still plying his trade when the fans decided they’d had enough.
His one-sided trouncing of Ali Bagautinov, another technical master class for Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan to tell you all about, wasn’t interesting enough to keep the fans in their seats.
Battling an early rush for cabs in the Vancouver rain was more appealing than watching what you’d paid (handsomely) to watch.
Now sure, that in and of itself isn’t the end of the world. It’s bad, but it could have happened to anyone, and just as easily could have happened on one of the Fox shows, as opposed to with Johnson headlining his first pay-per-view.
However, the question here is not necessarily about people leaving the venue early, but rather what that action represents for UFC in the greater scheme of things.
The UFC has put considerable time and effort into making Johnson a known commodity. Millions upon millions of people have now seen him bouncing around the Octagon at breakneck pace, peppering challengers with all manners of physical demolition.
Going into Saturday, he’d had spectacular finishes in his last two bouts and hadn’t been in a truly bad fight for as long as he’d been in the UFC.
What did all that get him? 14,000 people who paid to watch him couldn’t be bothered to see it through. If that was the attitude of the people who were already in the door, what’s to be expected of people in their living rooms as they decided whether or not to part with their $60?
There’s no way to say for sure, but no one could believe it to be positive without a little hand-wringing and collar-tugging.
It’s weird how that happens in sports. How a guy doesn’t resonate no matter how badly the powers that be want to make him a star. It’s that much worse in MMA, the ultimate singles sport, one where you live and die solely by your own performances and personality.
And when those powers that be give those performances and that personality away for nothing, expecting it to pay off in the long run? Well buddy, it better. If not, there’s no telling how long the losses will be felt or how deep they’ll run.
Demetrious Johnson confirmed his flyweight division dominance at UFC 174’s main event, defeating Ali Bagautinov by unanimous decision on Saturday.
Mighty Mouse is definitely among the best pound-for-pound MMA fighters on the planet, and he showed a div…
Demetrious Johnson confirmed his flyweight division dominance at UFC 174‘s main event, defeating Ali Bagautinov by unanimous decision on Saturday.
Mighty Mouse is definitely among the best pound-for-pound MMA fighters on the planet, and he showed a diverse arsenal with no discernible weaknesses against an outmatched Bagautinov. With more challengers at his weight bound to eagerly step forward, Johnson figures to have plenty of takers to further prove himself in his current weight class.
“I’m the king,” said Johnson after the bout, per MMA Junkie’s Steven Marrocco. “I’ll stay the king as long as I can, and I’ll keep knocking them down.”
This fight was so one-sided—Johnson won each of the five rounds on all three judges’ cards—that fans at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, Canada, even headed for the exits early. Fans didn’t want to even see Johnson cap off an outcome that was well in hand from the beginning.
MMA Show News’ David Kano shared a similar sentiment with regard to flyweights as the headliner:
MMA analyst Robin Black couldn’t get enough of Johnson’s virtuosic display, though:
There is also still room for Johnson to improve, as devastating as he’s been. Sometimes his footwork isn’t the best, not quite matching up with his splendid speed. He also has enough force on his strikes to not even need devastating punch combinations.
Bagautinov simply played into Johnson’s hands, not requiring him to adjust his game plan. UFC on Fox noted how Bagautinov‘s best strategy didn’t work even in the first round, which was a bad sign of things to come:
Backpedaling frequently toward the edges of the Octagon, the Puncher King didn’t quite live up to his moniker. Johnson capitalized by pummeling him against the cage and giving Bagautinov little opportunity to counter. According to FightMetric, Johnson landed 61 percent of his significant strikes compared to Bagautinov‘s meager 29 percent.
Considering that Bagautinov had won with relative ease in his previous 11 fights before facing Johnson, there aren’t many more candidates capable of even giving Johnson a stiff test.
But the fact that fans left early suggests Johnson isn’t quite the main event draw that UFC president Dana White was looking for.
Now that Johnson has successfully defended the UFC Flyweight Championship for the fourth time, he should disprove any of his doubters that he has the ability to step into the bantamweight threshold. Perhaps fighting at a heavier weight will help Johnson’s profile.
Johnson seems to be on a different level in improving his MMA record to 20-2-1. With how much of a world-class fighter Bagautinov is reputed to be, anyone keen on tangling with Johnson next should be at least slightly fearful. One strike could change everything, yet Johnson appears too fast to allow a knockout blow to come his way.
The UFC’s official flyweight rankings have John Dodson as the best option to square off with Johnson next, but he lost to Mighty Mouse by unanimous decision in January 2013. Although Dodson is a compelling personality, even a career performance may not be enough to knock off Johnson.
There is almost nowhere for Johnson to go but down, or to stay stagnant, barring a move to bantamweight. However, dominating at the highest level of a sport can’t be getting old just yet. Johnson figures to make good on his post-fight testimony and be crowned as the perpetual UFC flyweight champion.
Demetrious Johnson has been absolutely impressive since joining the flyweight ranks.
He quickly became the UFC’s first champion in the new division and has simply dominated since acquiring the title.
After outlasting John Dodson in five rounds, submitt…
Demetrious Johnson has been absolutely impressive since joining the flyweight ranks.
He quickly became the UFC’s first champion in the new division and has simply dominated since acquiring the title.
After outlasting John Dodson in five rounds, submitting John Moraga, knocking out Joseph Benavidez quickly and picking apart Ali Bagautinov through five rounds on Saturday, Mighty Mouse appears to have officially cleaned out the division.
Brian Stann pretty much summed up Johnson’s most recent fight with this tweet:
With lightning-fast footwork, blazing speed, pinpoint accuracy and superior endurance, Johnson is easily the most well-rounded fighter in the flyweight division—and perhaps in the upper echelons of the UFC as a whole.
TJ Grant sure had some high praise for Johnson against Bagautinov:
Nick Newell and Abel Trujillo chimed in as well:
In Johnson’s current weight class, a lack of worthy competition looms large going forward.
He’s become a fan favorite due to his quick, exciting and well-versed style of fighting, but he needs to be challenged.
That challenge must come from the bantamweight ranks.
There’s been plenty of movement atop the 135-pound rankings, as Dominick Cruz, RenanBarao and TJ Dillashaw have each held the title within the past six months.
Johnson wouldn’t necessarily have to go right to the top against Dillashaw for a superfight—although that would be extremely entertaining—because of the vast amount of talent residing in the bantamweight division.
Back in December, Johnson was interviewed on the Sherdog Radio Network’sCheap Seats about his thoughts on a bantamweight superfight:
I appreciate it and I appreciate all the love fans give me, but there’s a lot of work that needs to be done at 125. I need to dominate and clean out the entire division and then I can start thinking about going up to 135. Like I said, I’m happy to be at 125. I love training hard. I love the weight cut and I love fighting guys that are five-three and five-four.
Well, according to those comments, it’s about time for a move.
After all, Johnson is certainly up to the task, according to another comment from his interview: “I think if Dana White was to approach me with a superfight and said, ‘Hey, you and Dom or Barao—whoever the champion at 135 is—we’ll make a lot of money if you guys do this fight,’ [I’d say], ‘Sounds good, let’s make it happen.'”
UFC 174 was a let down, and that could very well be an understatement.
The undercard of the event never looked stellar, but it did exceed its expectations and included three finishes.
Jason Saggo TKO’d Josh Shockley on the UFC Fight Pass prelimina…
UFC 174 was a let down, and that could very well be an understatement.
The undercard of the event never looked stellar, but it did exceed its expectations and included three finishes.
Jason SaggoTKO’d Josh Shockley on the UFC Fight Pass preliminary card, TaeHyun Bang stopped Kajan Johnson in the opening FX preliminary bout and KiichiKunimoto capped off the prelims with an upset submission over Daniel Sarafian.
However, folks had already turned their attention to a main card that looked like it could deliver on paper.
Ovince St. Preux vs. Ryan Jimmo would set the winner on the path towards a top 10 fight in the light heavyweight division. A lot was at stake, but an injury marred the bout. Jimmo broke his arm at some point and was forced to verbally submit.
Next on the docket was the return of Andrei Arlovski to the UFC. He would take on Brendan Schaub in a sure-fire thrill ride in the heavyweight division.
False.
Arlovski and Schaub failed to deliver much action at all. It was a painful 15 minutes.
Schaub was looking for one specific combination to end the fight, and that made it easy for Arlovski to avoid. The former UFC champion was not very active in the bout at all. It was a tentative bout with low output. A disappointment to say the least.
Ryan Bader and Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante was up next. Another high-stakes light heavyweight tilt—another disappointment.
Bader looked very good. He executed a game plan that ensured him a victory. Feijao‘s ineptitude during the fight brought down the excitement, and Bader‘s inability to do much damage was equally as draining for the fans. It was just another 15 minutes of waiting for something special to happen.
Surely the co-main event would deliver? Partially.
Rory MacDonald was the fan-favorite. The hometown kid put on one of his best career performances. However, he failed to truly hurt Woodley and put a stamp on the performance. Instead, it was 15 minutes of domination. After the first five, we got the gist of the fight.
Watching MacDonald was entertaining, but the fight itself was not due to how one-sided it was.
The same can be said for the main event between Demetrious Johnson and Ali Bagautinov.
The fans in the arena were heading for the doors after the fourth round. It looked like Miami Heat fans heading for the exit during a blowout. Everyone knew Johnson had it in the bag, and no one expected a finish at this point. There wasn’t any reason to stick to the edge of your seat. It was time to beat the traffic.
UFC 174 ended without much to talk about. No one put themselves on the map.
UFC President Dana White did not even show up at the post-fight press conference. It was that kind of night. Everyone was frustrated by how the event came off.
We cannot expect every single event to be a winner, but even with the lackluster offerings we hope to come away feeling we spent our time well. UFC 174 was not time well spent. The winners were fans who couldn’t catch the show and had to read the results. They saved time.
UFC 174 was forgettable. Now that it is over, we will all turn our attention towards bigger fights down the pipeline and hope that future UFC events provide us with a better slate of action.
UFC 174 hit Vancouver on Saturday, and it did not provide a lot of excitement. It was a lackluster showing from the UFC, but it ultimately did provide a few talking points.
Demetrious Johnson retained his UFC flyweight title by defeating Ali Bagautinov…
UFC 174 hit Vancouver on Saturday, and it did not provide a lot of excitement. It was a lackluster showing from the UFC, but it ultimately did provide a few talking points.
Demetrious Johnson retained his UFC flyweight title by defeating Ali Bagautinov by unanimous decision. In the co-main event, Rory MacDonald bested TyronWoodley for 15 minutes to put his name right at the top of the list for a welterweight title shot.
There were nine other bouts on the card, but they did not deliver more than the two featured bouts.
Here are four key takeaways following the UFC’s latest offering.
Mike Easton Is Not a Top Bantamweight
When Easton entered the UFC in 2011 he was considered one of the top 135-pound fighters in the world, and he quickly got off to a three-fight win streak. Things were looking promising. Then the UFC started to book him against consistent top-10 level talent.
The wheels came flying off.
He has dropped four fights straight. Raphael Assuncao, Brad Pickett, TJ Dillashaw and Yves Jabouin have all gotten the best of him.
Easton‘s performance at UFC 174 may have been his worst showing to date. He is not a top bantamweight, and he may not even belong in the UFC following his four defeats. If nothing else, he’s a gatekeeper for the top 15.
Underdogs Are Still Doing Work
Underdogs have done very well for themselves in 2014, and it continued at UFC 174. Through the first eight bouts of the night, five underdogs were victorious.
MMA is a very hard sport to bet on as anything can happen. One slip up can see a big underdog take advantage and win. However, if you roll the dice you may be able to hit quite often on these dogs.
Expect more underdogs to take down fights later this month when the UFC returns with another dual-card weekend.
Ryan Bader May Be Ready For Big Things
I am not quite sure Bader will ever be a title contender, but he is certainly ready for another step up the UFC ladder.
He is a winner of three of his last four fights, and his one loss came against title contender Glover Teixeira—a fight in which he was close to ending, but got caught being over-aggressive.
Why is Bader ready for bigger things?
His UFC 174 performance showed quality fight IQ. He didn’t try to appease fans by throwing his heavy-handed strikes. He had a game plan and stuck to it. He stepped in the cage, dominated the action and took the victory like a quality fighter should.
Bader did a good job of mixing up his attacks. If he continues to fight like that, he very well could inch his way up the UFC rankings.
Demetrious Johnson Is Excellent
This is something we already knew, but coming out of UFC 174, you have to notice just how good Johnson is.
He is an incredible talent. Many talk about his speed, and while that is exceptional as well, it is his technique that is truly marvelous. He is virtually pristine inside the cage. His blend of striking and grappling creates a laundry list of issues for his opposition.
Johnson is simply phenomenal.
It is unfortunate that the UFC cannot generate high-level interest in his fights because he is truly one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet.
No, really. Tyron Woodley had an ad for Dude Wipes plastered on his ass (which was intentional placement by Dude Products, makers of Dude Wipes). Within minutes, “Dude Wipes” was trending worldwide on Twitter. What, pray tell, is a Dude Wipe? Here’s the story, according to the founders:
Whether it was some unexpected physical activity or the aftermath of the lunchtime burrito, we realized, as guys, we are destined to smell. Something needed to be done. So on behalf of Dudekind [Editor’s note: Ugh] we created The Award Winning Dude Wipes™ to combat stank and put you back on your game wherever or whenever nature calls.
If you’re still wiping with just toilet paper, you’re a chump and your ass hates you for it. Any red-blooded American knows Dude Wipes™ are something you never leave the crib without.
Dude Products even created some promotional material:
Being the disheveled, grubby, low-minded, basement dwelling neckbeards we are, Dude Wipes sounded right up our alley! We wanted to buy a pack of the dudeliest wipes on Earth and review them for all MMA fans. Alas, after making a perilous trek through Father’s Day traffic to FOUR separate stores, we couldn’t find any (and we weren’t asking a clerk to check for fucking Dude Wipes).
So instead of reviewing them ourselves, we’re going to post reviews from Amazon–both positive and negative.
Let’s start it off with the most glowing reviews…
(“Official sponsor of Tyron Woodley at UFC 174 (logo on the ass, of course)” / Photo via DudeProducts.com)
No, really. Tyron Woodley had an ad for Dude Wipes plastered on his ass (which was intentional placement by Dude Products, makers of Dude Wipes). Within minutes, “Dude Wipes” was trending worldwide on Twitter. What, pray tell, is a Dude Wipe? Here’s the story, according to the founders:
Whether it was some unexpected physical activity or the aftermath of the lunchtime burrito, we realized, as guys, we are destined to smell. Something needed to be done. So on behalf of Dudekind [Editor’s note: Ugh] we created The Award Winning Dude Wipes™ to combat stank and put you back on your game wherever or whenever nature calls.
If you’re still wiping with just toilet paper, you’re a chump and your ass hates you for it. Any red-blooded American knows Dude Wipes™ are something you never leave the crib without.
Dude Products even created some promotional materials:
Being the disheveled, grubby, low-minded, basement dwelling neckbeards we are, Dude Wipes sounded right up our alley! We wanted to buy a pack of the dudeliest wipes on Earth and review them for all MMA fans. Alas, after making a perilous trek through Father’s Day traffic to FOUR separate stores, we couldn’t find any (and we weren’t asking a clerk to check for fucking Dude Wipes).
So instead of reviewing them ourselves, we’re going to post reviews from Amazon–both positive and negative.
Let’s start it off with the most glowing reviews:
What a great product. Very functional, discreet, and effective. A perfect cure for male “swamp-ass”! . I highly recommended this product. Especially great for boating or camping. – Link.
After receiving this product as a grab bag gift, I am in love. As another reviewer put it, this is not just an after bathroom wipe. I have used the Wipe to stay fresh after the gym, after toiling away in the attic fighting with Christmas decorations and running with the dog. The Dude Wipes clean and refresh my face, my armpits and of course, the “under-carriage”. I have bought more of the Wipes and will NOT be giving them away anytime soon. Throw one in your pocket, your gym bag, your luggage and your overnight bag. You will not regret it. – Link
Soft on me booty and booty hole like angels made of feathers were playing sqaush in me outback the whole time – Link
Exactly what I was looking for. I run half marathons, and I do wear thicker underwear. This product gives me that extra clean filling, and confidence I want when sitting around after a race just chatting with friends. Take one pouch put it in my front pocket, and no one notices it. After race excuse myself to the rest room, and freshen up with just one packet. Yes I do recommend this for anyone from tailgating to actually competing in an event. – Link
I love dude wipes and have been using for over 9 months. I took them to Korea when it was really humid and they fit great in the wallet and perfect for a quick cleanup or mudbutt incidents. I wish the smell was a little less baby wipe ish but other than that great price and quality. – Link
But not all reviewers felt Dude Wipes left their butt holes sparkling clean:
With the nice modern image and masculine name, I expected a wipe that would have some sort of masculine scent to it. Upon receipt, I was surprised to find out they smell very much like an baby wipe. Not worth it. – Link
packaging looks great but the scent is not manly at all. Its like they repackaged women’s wet wipes. I imagined a larger wet wipe that has a manly cologne. – Link
I’ve rated these wipes so low, because they are the exact same flushable wipes you can buy in the walmart aisle for 97 cents. I thought it would be a nice thing to have just get you through to the next shower if you’re on the go and not in anyone’s personal space, but these are really just for wiping your backside post-defecation. Only ten bucks, but don’t waste your money. The description says for wiping your… FACE!? pre and post workout. True, it probably won’t kill you, but I expected more. (I think Old Spice used to make something closer to what I was looking for that I would use after gym class in high school, but these are NOT THAT!).. just some classic “butt wipes” that they’ve apparently mislabeled (intentionally or unintentionally). Just to further my point:
The back of the box says, “Still wiping with just toilet paper and putting yourself through a daily dose of torture?”
The product arrived in an unmarked clear plastic bag, quantity 100 bulk plasti-foil packs, so you will have to find a storage container for about a half gallon’s volume. My frame of reference was the Cottonnelle individual packs I have used for years. Nothing like going through life with two packs in your left front pocket to ensure a day filled with only good experiences. The Dude Wipes are the same size, and will fit the pocket the same way. The fragrance is non-offensive, like Cottonnelle. They say they are flushable but make no septic systems claim, while Cottonnelle does say they are septic tank compatible. Dude Wipes cost me more and I don’t see any reason to prefer them. I do think the wrap is more macho manly that the cute Cottonnelle Golden Retriever puppy, but this is a function I always take care of in solitude….
Less functional with no advantages and a higher cost. My last purchase of this product. –Link
After reading all the reviews, Dude Wipes–as an idea–seem like a convenience guys could use. As a product, however, they appear to be an overpriced marketing gimmick aimed that the kind of Dude Bros who watch MMA (or at least used to watch MMA back during the boom). Still, we’re going to reserve judgement until we can actually get our hands (and butt cheeks) on a set of them. And like we said, the ad placement on Woodley’s butt got the product trending on Twitter, and even got us to write an article about it. So hats off to Dude Wipes, arguably the most successful bizarre sponsor in MMA since Dynamic Fastener.
On a more serious note, what does it say about the UFC’s product when a glorified baby wipe is drawing more attention than the fights?
It was a nice little theory we had there. Real nice.
. I highly recommended this product. Especially great for boating or camping. –