Tag: fertitta brothers

Seven Reasons Why UFC Ratings Are Worse Than Ever

The action in the Octagon has been solid, but ratings are not. Here’s why.

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If you are a mixed martial arts fan, and I assume you are if you’re reading this list, it’s obvious the landscape of MMA has drastically changed in the last several years. So much so, in some instances, the sport is nearly unrecognizable.

It’s fair to point out that all major sports are suffering from a “new era” of content consumption and MMA is no different. But why has MMA, and in particular, the UFC suffered such a drastic decline in viewership these last few years, with cards on FOX Sports 1 and FOX bringing some of the lowest numbers ever and even a superfight-headlined card like UFC 226 earning only a reported 400,000 buys?

We here at Lowkick have compiled a list of the seven reasons why the UFC ratings are worse than ever. Check them out:

Too Many Shows

We could have worded this many different ways, but the fact remains the same, the MMA industry is simply way too oversaturated. There may be only a handful of high-level promotions operation in today’s combat sports climate; the UFC, Bellator, and the PFL come to mind. But rest assured, there are dozens of regional promotions that contribute to the weekly blitz of mixed martial arts.

In 2017 the UFC hosted a total of 39 events (including 12 PPVs, 4 UFC on FOX, 2 TUF Finales). The UFC is scheduled to hit that very same mark this year, once again reaching 39 events in a 12-month span. Compare that to 41, which was the number of events the Endeavor-owned promotion promoted in 2016.

It’s not necessarily that the UFC is solely responsible for the oversaturation of MMA; the numbers just don’t support that claim. But there was a time, not too long ago, that the only MMA on TV was the UFC, and even that was challenging to find the proper channel at times.

The sheer number of events makes each week’s card less special, and both the PPV buys and TV ratings show that.

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Eight Major Missteps Since The UFC Was Sold

In 2001, Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta purchased the struggling UFC organization for just $2 million, and alongside President Dana White they successfully built it into a powerhouse that 15 years later would lead to the largest franchise sale in sporting history. In July of 2016, talent agency WME-IMG purchased the company for a staggering $4.2

The post Eight Major Missteps Since The UFC Was Sold appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

In 2001, Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta purchased the struggling UFC organization for just $2 million, and alongside President Dana White they successfully built it into a powerhouse that 15 years later would lead to the largest franchise sale in sporting history.

In July of 2016, talent agency WME-IMG purchased the company for a staggering $4.2 billion, and a month later officially took the reigns, ushering in a new era for MMA’s leading organization.

At the time UFC was at an all-time high and the new owners couldn’t have picked a better week to take charge, with UFC 202: McGregor vs. Diaz II delivering a record 1.65 million pay-per-view buys that same weekend.

With that in mind, it’s remarkable to think that less than a year later the UFC is now in the midst of a slump, with fans and fighters alike having become increasingly disgruntled under the new regime, while the stats tell their own story: just 800,000 PPVs sold in the first quarter of 2017, compared to almost 2.5 million in 2015 and 2.2 million in 2016.

In this article we’ll look at the reasons for this troubling decline, highlighting eight key missteps by the UFC since the new owners took charge.

Ronda Rousey’s Comeback Fight

Ronda Rousey had a huge role to play in the UFC’s rise in popularity over the past few years, but by the time WME-IMG took the reigns, Rousey’s hype train had been derailed by a devastating KO loss to Holly Holm.

Rousey’s striking deficiencies had been painfully apparent that night, while psychologically it was clear that she’d also been exposed as she suddenly vanished from the limelight afterwards and admitted later that she’d considered suicide.

With that in mind, the smart move would have been to hand Rousey a tune-up fight for her return a year later.

There was going to be a huge level of interest in her comeback no matter who she fought, so why not give her an opportunity to earn a confidence-boosting win that could lead to higher stakes match-ups the following year?

Instead the UFC made a critical strategic error by throwing Rousey straight back into a title shot with newly crowned champion, Amanda Nunes, a superior striker and ruthless finisher riding high on a wave of confidence.

On paper it was a terrible match-up for Rousey, and in reality it proved to be even worse as Nunes took just 48 seconds to dismantle her by TKO.

That humiliating loss has cost the UFC dearly as it appears to have convinced the superstar to bring her career to a premature conclusion.

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Rumor: UFC Could Be Sold Today In $4 Billion Range

The talk about Zuffa LLC selling the UFC has been brewing in the MMA community for quite awhile now, and it’s also taken a step up in recent weeks. Now, however, reports have surfaced from MMA Fighting’s Dave Meltzer that the UFC may be sold as soon as today (June 16, 2016), with the price

The post Rumor: UFC Could Be Sold Today In $4 Billion Range appeared first on LowKick MMA.

The talk about Zuffa LLC selling the UFC has been brewing in the MMA community for quite awhile now, and it’s also taken a step up in recent weeks.

Now, however, reports have surfaced from MMA Fighting’s Dave Meltzer that the UFC may be sold as soon as today (June 16, 2016), with the price reportedly targeted at or around $4 billion for complete ownership of the company:

“The bidding period is expected to end this week, on or around 6/16, regarding a sale that is expected to be in the $4 billion price range for 100 percent ownership of the UFC.”

Three potential buyers are in the running for the MMA frontrunner, with William Morris Endeavor/IMG, China Media Capital, and the Dalian Wanda Group being named the candidates. White has vehemently denied that the UFC is for sale in the media as always, but did note that they were “fielding offers.”

White owns 9% of the company himself, the Fertittas own 81%, and the remaining 10% is owned by a third party investor. If and when the UFC is sold, it’s hard to imagine the company being run without White as the public face, but there is a distinct possibility that both White and the Fertittas would relinquish their heavily involved roles with the company if it were sold.

Meltzer did reveal that the bidders may want White to stay on as head man, possibly even while keeping some of his ownership stake.

The UFC recently enlisted financial giant Goldman Sachs to assist with a potential sale, signifying that they were serious about unloading the world’s name brand for MMA. Nothing is official as of now, but the company’s recent signing of former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar to compete at UFC 200 could certainly be a play to bolster numbers, which have been soaring since a down 2014, up for the potential sale.

The UFC could also reject any or all bids and retain ownership, so it appears today and the next few days could be a critical negotiating period for the future direction of the company.

Either way, the UFC and obviously MMA as a whole is going to change in a big way if the UFC does accept one of the supposedly forthcoming bids and decide to sell. We’ll keep you updated on any developments as they arise.

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