(26. Stare at this picture of Dana White for 45 minutes. / Photo via Getty)
The gap between fights on FS1 broadcasts is massive. We realized it was senseless to just watch all the commercials. Instead, let’s all be productive with our time. Here’s a list of several (but not all) things you can do during the huge amount of time in between fights.
1. Watch several fights from a previous UFC PPV on Fight Pass.
2. Go get ice cream or pizza.
3. Perform the recommended amount of daily exercise.
4. Read a chapter from the latest trendy YA novel.
5. Try to educate the heathens next to you at Buffalo Wild Wings about the finer points of MMA.
6. Do DDP Yoga.
7. Read a chapter from Matt Hughes‘ autobiography (don’t worry, it’s not exactly War and Peace).
(26. Stare at this picture of Dana White for 45 minutes. / Photo via Getty)
The gap between fights on FS1 broadcasts is massive. We realized it was senseless to just watch all the commercials. Instead, let’s all be productive with our time. Here’s a list of several (but not all) things you can do during the huge amount of time in between fights.
1. Watch several fights from a previous UFC PPV on Fight Pass.
2. Go get ice cream or pizza.
3. Perform the recommended amount of daily exercise.
4. Read a chapter from the latest trendy YA novel.
5. Try to educate the heathens next to you at Buffalo Wild Wings about the finer points of MMA.
6. Do DDP Yoga.
7. Read a chapter from Matt Hughes‘ autobiography (don’t worry, it’s not exactly War and Peace).
8. Calculate how much interest you’ll earn from your savings account this year.
9. Come up with a better tagline for the upcoming TUF than “Easy on the eyes, hard on the face.”
10. Try to explain the concept of _______ to the average MMA fan (there’s a lot of different ways to go with this one).
11. Try to explain “Alpha Male Shit” to a person with a functioning brain.
12. Illegally download the terrible action film they’re hawking on the broadcast that night, watch it in three-minute installments.
(Something tells me they won’t be using this as Lytle’s profile photo, but I want them to anyway.)
Ever since Chael Sonnen’s untimely departure from FOX, MMA fans have been waiting on baited breath to see who would be hired as the next Guy Who Awkwardly Shouts Things At Us Between Fights (I believe the official title they use is “UFC Analyst”). Would it be the recently fired Brandon Vera, who holds a wealth of UFC experience and knowledge of home invasion defense techniques? Or maybe MMA legend BJ Penn (when he finishes crying)? Dear God, could it be BAS RUTTEN?!
Well as it turns out, FOX’s newest analyst is…beloved UFC veteran, legendary bonus-hunter and one-time Indiana State Senate hopeful Chris Lytle! According to a press release sent out earlier today, “Lights Out” will join Daniel Cormier, Kenny Florian and host Karyn Bryant in the FS1 studios starting with next week’s Fight Night 45: Cerrone vs. Miller:
UFC on FOX analysts Kenny Florian, Daniel Cormier and host Karyn Bryant welcome former UFC welterweight contender Chris Lytle to the analyst desk as he makes his debut at the UFC FIGHT NIGHT WEIGH-IN on Tuesday, July 15 and works the PREFIGHT and POSTFIGHT coverage on FOX Sports 1 as well. Jon Anik and Brian Stann call the fights on FOX Sports 1 live from the Revel Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, while Victor Dávila and Fabricio Werdum call the action for FOX Deportes.
Wednesday night coverage begins with the UFC FIGHT NIGHT PREFIGHT SHOW at 6:00 PM ET, with Bryant, Cormier, Florian and Lytle previewing the evening’s action. Heidi Androl interviews fighters in Atlantic City. The two-hour UFC FIGHT NIGHT PRELIMS begin on FOX Sports 1 (7:00 PM ET) and feature four exciting bouts. FOX SPORTS LIVE offers extended postfight coverage immediately following the conclusion of UFC FIGHT NIGHT, with interviews of the fighters.
(Something tells me they won’t be using this as Lytle’s profile photo, but I want them to anyway.)
Ever since Chael Sonnen’s untimely departure from FOX, MMA fans have been waiting on baited breath to see who would be hired as the next Guy Who Awkwardly Shouts Things At Us Between Fights (I believe the official title they use is “UFC Analyst”). Would it be the recently fired Brandon Vera, who holds a wealth of UFC experience and knowledge of home invasion defense techniques? Or maybe MMA legend BJ Penn (when he finishes crying)? Dear God, could it be BAS RUTTEN?!
Well as it turns out, FOX’s newest analyst is…beloved UFC veteran, legendary bonus-hunter and one-time Indiana State Senate hopeful Chris Lytle! According to a press release sent out earlier today, “Lights Out” will join Daniel Cormier, Kenny Florian and host Karyn Bryant in the FS1 studios starting with next week’s Fight Night 45: Cerrone vs. Miller:
UFC on FOX analysts Kenny Florian, Daniel Cormier and host Karyn Bryant welcome former UFC welterweight contender Chris Lytle to the analyst desk as he makes his debut at the UFC FIGHT NIGHT WEIGH-IN on Tuesday, July 15 and works the PREFIGHT and POSTFIGHT coverage on FOX Sports 1 as well. Jon Anik and Brian Stann call the fights on FOX Sports 1 live from the Revel Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, while Victor Dávila and Fabricio Werdum call the action for FOX Deportes.
Wednesday night coverage begins with the UFC FIGHT NIGHT PREFIGHT SHOW at 6:00 PM ET, with Bryant, Cormier, Florian and Lytle previewing the evening’s action. Heidi Androl interviews fighters in Atlantic City. The two-hour UFC FIGHT NIGHT PRELIMS begin on FOX Sports 1 (7:00 PM ET) and feature four exciting bouts. FOX SPORTS LIVE offers extended postfight coverage immediately following the conclusion of UFC FIGHT NIGHT, with interviews of the fighters.
Excuse me while I whip this out…
While typically, I couldn’t care less what the FS1 team has to say about how so-and-so looked on the scale or they keys to victory for whatshisface, the addition of Lytle to the booth has me intrigued to say the least, and not just because I’ve been hugging the dude’s nuts since back in the day.
Most fighter-analysts on FS1 serve little other purpose than bringing the momentum of a fight card to a grinding halt with the same rote advice and friendship-based predictions we have heard a thousand times over. Lytle, on the other hand, possesses a unique understanding of the game — with his professional boxing background, ridiculously underrated submission skills, and knowledge of how to turn every fight into an epic brawl — and could become a valuable member of the FS1 team if properly utilized. I say slap a “Fight of the Night Analyst” title on him and have Lytle dole out advice on what each fighter could do to make their fight not suck so much, for starters.
DC: “After a rocky first round against Thales Leites, Francis Carmont evened things up in the second with some solid takedowns and top control. What should he do heading into the third, Chris?”
CL: “Well, if I was him, I’d abandon this whole takedown bullshit and just start heaving right hands at Leites like my fists were baseballs, you know what I’m saying?”
……..
DC: “Back to Mike and Joe, who are calling the action.”
The UFC will be heading to Connecticut on September 5th. The card will air on FS1. Normally we wouldn’t cover such a banal, uninteresting announcement, but something makes it very special: September 5th also marks the date of Bellator’s season 11 debut, and it’s also being held in Connecticut to boot—a mere 10 miles away.
To say this is a big deal is an understatement. Perhaps Bellator’s rumored 100k PPV buys for Bellator 120 turned the UFC’s head, and now they view the promotion as a threat? And what about ratings? Will Bellator and SpikeTV be able to out-draw the UFC and FOX Sports 1?
(Photo via Getty)
The UFC will be heading to Connecticut on September 5th. The card will air on FS1. Normally we wouldn’t cover such a banal, uninteresting announcement, but something makes it very special: September 5th also marks the date of Bellator’s season 11 debut, and it’s also being held in Connecticut to boot—a mere 10 miles away.
To say this is a big deal is an understatement. Perhaps Bellator’s rumored 100k PPV buys for Bellator 120 turned the UFC’s head, and now they view the promotion as a threat? And what about ratings? Will Bellator and SpikeTV be able to out-draw the UFC and FOX Sports 1?
It’s difficult to answer any of these questions at the current moment, especially since neither the UFC nor Bellator has announced a main event. The only fight announced for Bellator 123 is Brennan Ward vs. James Irvin, which isn’t super-appealing in all honesty.
It seems that the only way Bellator can hope to compete with the UFC is if they—forgive the use of this cliche—stack Bellator 123. They’ll have to put Rampage Jackson on the card, and perhaps even Tito Ortiz as well. But if Bellator puts its top draws on the card for free, it’ll cost quite a bit. The UFC is going head-to-head in order to force Bellator into a pace its roster can’t sustain, it would appear.
These are just musings, of course. We have very little information right now. We’ll be sure to update you when we get more.
Cards like UFC Fight Night 32 are contributing to the death of MMA’s popularity in the US.
In case you haven’t noticed, the UFC’s numbers have been atrocious lately. UFC 165, a card headlined by the light heavyweight champion of the world and future of the company Jon Jones, drew a paltry 325,000 buys. Cain Velasquez vs. Junior Dos Santos III—the finale to the greatest trilogy in UFC heavyweight history—drew a slightly higher number at UFC 166.
Cards like UFC Fight Night 32 are contributing to the death of MMA’s popularity in the US.
In case you haven’t noticed, the UFC’s numbers have been atrocious lately. UFC 165, a card headlined by the light heavyweight champion of the world and future of the company Jon Jones, drew a paltry 325,000 buys. Cain Velasquez vs. Junior Dos Santos III—the finale to the greatest trilogy in UFC heavyweight history—drew a slightly higher number at UFC 166.
UFC Fight Night 30, the lone Fight Night that’s been featured on FOX Sports 2, only drew 122,000 viewers and was outdrawn by World Series of Fighting 6, which scored 161,000 viewers.
What about that event stood out? What about that event made people say, “I need to keep watching the UFC”?
The card was stacked with middling Brazilian fighters and prospects only the hardcore fans and journalists knew or cared about. Fans will say that the card was great because there were finishes, but that’s a short-sighted and extremely myopic view. Yes, four of the six bouts on the main card were finishes, but what’s a finish worth when nobody is watching?
The casual fan, the group on which the UFC’s growth and popularity in the United States is dependent, doesn’t care about finishes. The casual fan cares about names, about stars. The guy who wears tapout and does bicep curls in the squat rack talks about Kimbo Slice and Brock Lesnar, not about the intricacies of a setup for an armbar or a triangle.
Ask yourself this: What did UFC Fight Night 32 do to regain the swaths of casual fans who have tuned out of MMA since 2013?
Obviously, the UFC can’t put all the good stuff on free television because they make money on their PPVs. Still, that brings up another question. What “good stuff” do they have left to put on free TV that’ll draw what they were drawing on Spike?
Their stars are fading. Instead of creating new ones, they’re vomiting a stream of generic, EA sports create-a-fighters onto television screens across America. They’re expecting the casual fan to watch because it’s the UFC and the UFC is a good brand and they’re fights and fights are exciting. Everyone loves fights, right? It’s in our blood to love fighting. Or so the tired MMA-triumphalist rhetoric goes.
But it’s become apparent that that logic isn’t true. People aren’t tuning in for the novelty of “this UFC thing” anymore. They’ve moved on either because they’re waiting for Chuck Liddell’s or Kimbo Slice’s or Brock Lesnar’s next fight, or because the sport is too hard to follow, or because they never see it on TV because they don’t watch FS1, or because they see cards like UFC Fight Night 32 and just don’t care anymore.
This issue becomes even more complicated when you consider the question of overseas expansion. UFC Fight Night 32 was, obviously, a Brazil-centric card. The UFC is also eyeing expansionin many other countries. But is the UFC pursuing this goal because the US market is drying up, or is the US market drying up because of the UFC’s obsession with international growth?
The answer, for now, is elusive. When we see how the UFC closes out the year, we’ll know the bubble has burst if we see the UFC’s popularity in the US continue to wither.
(I *begged* them to have “Oh Yeah” playing in the background of this scene, but did they listen to me? Nooooooo.)
Yesterday, we mentioned that the Ultimate Fighter 18mid-season recap episode which aired on October 23rd was the least-viewed episode in the history of the series. To be specific, it received an average of only 476,000 viewers, a 24% drop from the previous low-water mark of 624,000 average viewers, brought in by TUF 16 episode 5. It was a poor showing, without question, but you can’t expect much out of a clip-show, especially since it was competing against the first game of the World Series. Surely, the numbers would bounce back the following week, when there was an all-new episode with a women’s fight on the schedule.
Actually, the numbers sunk even further. On October 30th, TUF 18 episode 9 — which featured the forcible ejection of Cody Bollinger and a savage performance by Sarah Moras — received a viewer average of only 452,000, a 5% drop from the freakin’ clip show. Obviously, the numbers were hurt once again by having to compete with Game 6 of the World Series, but it’s safe to assume that the UFC will never put together a mid-season recap episode for TUF ever again, because that shit is apparently ratings suicide. (By the way, is there really that much crossover between MMA fans and baseball fans? I can’t think of two more dissimilar sports, but I guess a lot of people were watching the MLB post-season this year. I don’t know. I wasn’t one of them.)
The recent TUF ratings news is just the latest in a string of bad viewership numbers for the UFC…
(I *begged* them to have “Oh Yeah” playing in the background of this scene, but did they listen to me? Nooooooo.)
Yesterday, we mentioned that the Ultimate Fighter 18mid-season recap episode which aired on October 23rd was the least-viewed episode in the history of the series. To be specific, it received an average of only 476,000 viewers, a 24% drop from the previous low-water mark of 624,000 average viewers, brought in by TUF 16 episode 5. It was a poor showing, without question, but you can’t expect much out of a clip-show, especially since it was competing against the first game of the World Series. Surely, the numbers would bounce back the following week, when there was an all-new episode with a women’s fight on the schedule.
Actually, the numbers sunk even further. On October 30th, TUF 18 episode 9 — which featured the forcible ejection of Cody Bollinger and a savage performance by Sarah Moras — received a viewer average of only 452,000, a 5% drop from the freakin’ clip show. Obviously, the numbers were hurt once again by having to compete with Game 6 of the World Series, but it’s safe to assume that the UFC will never put together a mid-season recap episode for TUF ever again, because that shit is apparently ratings suicide. (By the way, is there really that much crossover between MMA fans and baseball fans? I can’t think of two more dissimilar sports, but I guess a lot of people were watching the MLB post-season this year. I don’t know. I wasn’t one of them.)
The recent TUF ratings news is just the latest in a string of bad viewership numbers for the UFC…
Yes, UFC 166 had to compete with the MLB post-season, and UFC 165 may have suffered from its proximity to the blockbuster Mayweather/Canelo boxing match. But excuses aside, those are terrible numbers for title fights in the UFC’s two heaviest weight classes. Over on BloodyElbow, Nate Wilcox suggests what the real culprit might be, and adds some interesting historical context to the numbers:
It seems obvious to me that the moves from Spike TV where preview shows for UFC PPVs sometimes drew over a million viewers to FX/Fuel TV and now FS1/FS2 has dramatically reduced the UFC’s promotional reach.
It’s also worth noting that when UFC 99 did 360,000 buys in the summer of 2009 that was considered the “floor” for UFC ppv buys. It was an event taking place in Germany and airing in the U.S. in the mid-afternoon and featuring a non-title fight between Rich Franklin and Wanderlei Silva. If you’d told me in 2009 that four years later the UFC HW and LHW titles would draw comparable PPV numbers I’d have laughed in your face.
