UFC 142 will be a bloodbath in the pay-per-view market, and not just because of “Tebowmania” and the NFL playoffs.UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo has historically failed to be a draw as have fighters from the lighter weight classes in general (per…
UFC 142 will be a bloodbath in the pay-per-view market, and not just because of “Tebowmania” and the NFL playoffs.
UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo has historically failed to be a draw as have fighters from the lighter weight classes in general (perhaps casual fans are less inclined to pay to watch fighters that they can supposedly bench press).
And it’s not like the co-main event—Vitor Belfort vs. Anthony Johnson—is a fight that will produce the stuff of legends.
The card just doesn’t have the power to wow the casual fans.
But is this lack of “wow factor” just coincidental or part of a larger, worrying trend?
The year 2011 wasn’t the best for the UFC in terms of PPV buys and the organization is set to have even more events in 2012.
The UFC only has a finite amount of star power to spread out over the calendar year. Their marquee stars such as UFC welterweight champion Georges St.Pierre and UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones won’t be able to headline each card.
That will mean that many cards will be headlined by fighters who just don’t have the ability to draw a large amount of buys.
The UFC’s PPV numbers will continue to underperform while they will still oversaturate the market in defiance.
Why should fans have to shell out so much money for pay-per-views that just aren’t worth the price tag?
They shouldn’t and fans are starting to realize this; the UFC brand name doesn’t warrant the steep and numerous price tags anymore.
Fans will watch UFC programming when it’s on for free on FOX (or Fuel or FX) and will only break into their precious (and ever-shrinking) pile of disposable income when they feel it’s warranted.
There have simply been too many PPV’s of a quality that don’t warrant the steep price. The fans voted with their wallets in 2011; they will no longer be bled dry.
Gina Carano‘s debut film, Haywire (which was said to be written and made for her by renowned director and MMA fan, Steven Soderbergh) had its red-carpet premiere this weekend. Access Hollywood was out seeking some.
Gina Carano‘s debut film, Haywire (which was said to be written and made for her by renowned director and MMA fan, Steven Soderbergh) had its red-carpet premiere this weekend. Access Hollywood was out seeking some good Gina Carano acting reviews from her co-stars. Such positive comments about Carano included, “She’s a proper fighter” said Ewan McGregor and “She’s maybe the second best athlete that I ever worked with” said Channing Tatum.
We are pretty proud of our beautiful Gina Carano who is again helping to bolster the MMA sport by starring in her own mainstream action film and we’re also proud because we’re 97 percent sure that she doesn’t take steroids. After the video, check out Carano’s date to the premiere. Think he could have worn a suit, eh? What a scrub.
Surely the writers that pose such questions must be pulling this old woman’s leg! How could any true fan of the sport ever ask such a ludicrous question?Readers who do not remember the Grandma Dee articles that I used to write might doubt that I …
Surely the writers that pose such questions must be pulling this old woman’s leg! How could any true fan of the sport ever ask such a ludicrous question?
Readers who do not remember the Grandma Dee articles that I used to write might doubt that I was ever an MMA fan, but they would have to read the articles in my archives to discover how wrong that notion is.
Actually, if I had my way, I would have all political races decided in the octagon. Any fool can talk a good, or at the very least, confusing enough game that voters would elect them, but how many would duke it out to win the right to represent the USA in the Arena of Nations that is our current world?
Yet, I digress. This is more a matter of body types, height, weight, and appropriate opponents.
Georges St-Pierre should not be duped into a fight with someone he is not suited to fight just because “the fans are demanding it.” The fans have become ignorant ninnies!
When doctors fight the formidable disease known as cancer, they don’t use just any drug. To have a therapeutic effect, a drug suited to the particular cancer is necessary.
So why is it so hard for the common folks to understand what Georges, having an extensive knowledge of anatomy, physiology, and kinesiology, knows for a fact?
Georges is not built to compete against Anderson in a MMA fight. There are weight classes already in place due to the above dynamics. True, some fighters vary in height and type build, but the playing field is leveled by them being the same weight.
But, oh, the “fans” want to see it! Well tough noogies!
As mentioned, I would like for presidential candidates to win their election in a cage fight, but that doesn’t mean it is going to happen, now does it?
The word “ducking” infers a type of cowardice that GSP simply does not possess. Common sense and his knowledge of the aforementioned sciences have made it crystal clear to him that such a contest would be impractical as well as ill advised. Don’t fans have any common sense?
Is this a human version of cockfighting as some have insisted? Has our society stepped backwards into bear baiting and bloodlust? Well, if this is the case, let them have video games and bar them from ever watching an MMA event again.
MMA is not a circus consisting of sideshows and freaks; it is a serious sport with rules and consequences for ignoring them. Please, people, leave this contest alone. Georges and Anderson each are in suitable weight classes, so the question is actually moot.
It’s funny, but now a week has passed and the retirement of Brock Lesnar hasn’t quite sunk in yet. It doesn’t yet feel “real,” the same way Tom Cruise not acting in a fat suit and Canada losing to Russia (RUSSIA!!!!!! *sha…
It’s funny, but now a week has passed and the retirement of Brock Lesnar hasn’t quite sunk in yet. It doesn’t yet feel “real,” the same way Tom Cruise not acting in a fat suit and Canada losing to Russia (RUSSIA!!!!!! *shakes fist*) at the IIHF Hockey Championships doesn’t feel “real.”
You can’t blame us MMA fans. “Retirements” in Mixed Martial Arts usually last as long as it takes the fighter to write “I’m back again, b*tches!” on Twitter. Yes, I’m looking at you, BJ.
But sadly, it looks like Brock Lesnar has finally rode off into the Minnesota sunset for the last time…and by ride off, I mean walk off with 150 pounds of Bison meat on your back while toting the special “light game hunting” .50 cal machine gun.
The big guy’s departure has spawned two pretty strange reactions from MMA fans. The first is a bunch of eulogizing, memorializing, and waxing poetic about what a “warrior” Brock was, and how sad we’ll all be to see him go.
This is such a 180 from where fans were when Brock first debuted in the UFC that I wondered if I hadn’t accidentally slipped into an alternate dimension or something. I guess surviving diverticulitis, being a jerk to Frank Mir and eating some nauseating beatings in your last three fights can warm even the coldest of hearts.
And the second question: where do we go from here? As a man, Brock was huge; as a PPV draw, he’s a veritable giant. No one in the UFC can touch his drawing power on PPV, save for this Canadian guy with a funny accent who may or may not be sitting the whole year out.
Well, as luck may have it (or not), I’ve got some thoughts on who, after Brock, could be the “next big thing” PPV-wise.
See what I did there? That’s wit. Or alcohol-induced brain damage. Same difference, really.
So without any further ado, let’s get to the list, starting with…
Alistair Overeem
Yeah, it’s tough to get any more obvious than this for numero uno. Still, if you believe any of the spin coming off UFC 141, that Ubereem took all of Lesnar’s power when he beat him, Highlander-style.
After all, THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE draw at heavyweight…okay, there can be lots, but that somehow felt appropriate. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to listen to some Queen while combing my mullet.
Still, what sounds right now like bet hedging spin from the UFC (“Stay tuned, Brock Fans, cause this Dutch guy with the funny name is the new human dump truck you’ll all be cheering for!”) is soon to become gospel truth I believe.
After all, Overeem is a guy people have been saying for years would be a huge draw in the States…provided he actually started competing there.
Oh, and providing that horsemeat didn’t register on any piss tests.
As of now, we’re two for two people!
MMA, and certainly Dana White, is still looking for our version of Mike Tyson. Someone who can draw big money on the strength of his name alone…oh, and his soul-destroying power, ability to hype a fight, and a healthy dollup of batsh*t crazy.
Chuck Liddell fit the bill for a while, but a white guy with a beer gut is never going to fill the same shoes as a 265′er who looks like he has muscles in his sh*t. Overeem, on the other hand, seems tailor made to step into that role…assuming he beats Junior dos Santos, that is.
Nick Diaz
My next choice might come as a bit of a surprise, but to me it comes on the heels of another retirement: Tito Ortiz.
Ok, so Tito isn’t technically “retired” as much as he “isn’t.” Supposedly, he’s getting (or at least asking for) one more “retirement match” Independence Day weekend. Someone get Chuck Liddell or Rich Franklin on the phone, pronto.
Tito’s departure leaves another hole in the UFC’s PPV strategy, even if Ortiz hadn’t drawn huge numbers in awhile. But he still drew. I mean Chuck vs. Tito 3 was a viable main event in 2010, one that sold out a 19,000-seat arena.
And in his prime, Tito was an absolute monster on PPV. Just look at how many of the all-time MMA PPV’s were Ortiz beating on Ken Shamrock’s corpse, or helping Chuck Liddell work on his punch combos.
And through it all, he achieved this success through a simple formula: be the guy fans love to hate, right up until they’re cheering for you.
Nick Diaz could easily be that guy.
All that’s waiting is for audiences (and I’m talking big audiences here, not you, me, and your pal Daryl with the cool TapouT bandanna) to finally be exposed to him. He’s the kind of personality (not to mention fighter) that demands attention. With the right promotion (and continued success) Nick Diaz’s name could become something casual fans can’t ignore. He could sell whole cards with his personality (just like Ortiz) and help get other guys “over” just by being in the ring with them (also like Ortiz).
Also, Nick Diaz on top of the MMA world just seems like a roller coaster of controversy waiting to happen. I can’t wait.
Chael Sonnen
Of all the guys I’ve mentioned so far, no one has been anointed as “the man” by UFC brass more than the trash talkin’ gangster from Oregon.
It’s pretty obvious by now that the UFC is going to push Sonnen as someone you need to care about come hell, high water, failed drug tests, lying to government officials, non-functioning gonads, real estate fraud, and public comments so crass and offensive that even Miguel Torres’ Twitter account was embarrassed.
Sonnen’s even getting his own segment on the UFC’s weekly television show, called “Piper’s Pit” “Chael’s Corner”.
So face it folks, Chael Sonnen isn’t going anywhere. And if you tire of his routine now, just wait until he’s back in contention for a title, or introducing himself to America on network TV.
You can’t deny Sonnen is a lightning rod of fan interest, and that he makes for good entertainment both in and out of the cage. Despite carrying the label of “lay and prayer”, Sonnen hasn’t been in a boring fight in the last few years. Even Filho vs. Sonnen 2 was a kind of MMA black comedy.
But what’s more, Sonnen’s “persona” (you know, that thing he does every time he opens his mouth) taps into a greater truth about the fight game: people want to cheer, and they want to boo. It’s pro-wrestling wisdom to some; to others, it’s just common sense in the fight business.
Muhammad Ali understood this, and it’s a big reason we remember him today as “The Greatest.” And anyone who praises Ali’s trash talk while deriding Sonnen’s is a hypocrite of the first order.
Mark my words: Chael Sonnen will, in whatever capacity, headline one of the biggest MMA PPV’s of 2012. Count on it.
Jon Jones
By all rights, Jon Jones shouldn’t even be in this conversation. In a world that makes sense, we’d be talking right now about how Jones is the king of the world, the biggest star in our sport, and a guy who makes the Earth stop on it’s axis every time he fights.
Instead, fans are talking about what Jones needs to do to become truly popular with fans. We’re wondering why he can’t quite cross the line from “good” to “great” performances on PPV despite name opponents and impressive outings.
We’re talking about why a significant portion of the MMA fan world absolutely hates his guts. We’re talking about how fake he is, how he might be a cheater, and why we don’t like his Christianity. We’re talking about how a guy who absolutely trucked Shogun, Rampage and Machida is “ducking” Rashad Evans.
It’s absolute insanity.
I was at UFC 140 in Toronto, and it’s no exaggeration at all to say Jones was one of the most hated men fighting on the card that night. He was soundly booed at the weigh-ins, during his entrance, and when he was introduced. Only after he dropped Lyoto like a carp did fans feel it necessary to give him a round of applause.
It’s mystifying, but I still think Jones can (will, should) be an absolute monster on PPV. The fight that could make him such is the long (loooooooooooooong) awaited fight with Rashad Evans. I think a great many fans have been put off by that fight not happening, and buy the line of reasoning that every fight Jones takes is a “duck” fight to avoid Evans.
That fight should happen in 2012, and Jones should (finally) explode as a result of it. Still, knowing fate, Jones will come down with an injury, Rashad will fight someone else, then pull his hamstring right as Jones is cleared to compete. And so it goes.
Minowaman
Okay, I’m mostly kidding here, but part of me thinks Minowa’s gimmick would really go over well in the UFC. One missile dropkick is all it would take to get Minowaman over with American fans. I think. Also have him competing against 350-pound Bond villains. Or midgets. Now we’re talking.
When you think of an MMA fighter, you may think of a guy who is violent, aggressive and has a lot of pent-up anger. Then there are those fighters like UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, who come off as one of the nicest people in th…
When you think of an MMA fighter, you may think of a guy who is violent, aggressive and has a lot of pent-up anger.
Then there are those fighters like UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, who come off as one of the nicest people in the world.
For the amount of damage some guys do in the cage, they show just as much class and respect outside of it.
Here’s a look at some of MMA’s most classy fighters.
And Hendricks didn’t just finish Fitch, he obliterated Fitch with a knockout punch that completely shakes up the welterweight division in mixed martial arts. Fitch no longer even has a claim for the No. 2 spot in the Top 10, where he has resided for years on many lists (though not on mine), and Hendricks has a strong claim not just to be in the Top 10, but to be towards the top.
So how high does Hendricks go? And how far does Fitch drop? And how does the rest of the welterweight division look at a time when Georges St. Pierre is in the midst of an extended layoff? We rank the Top 10 below.
Top 10 welterweights in MMA (Editor’s note: The individual fighter’s ranking the last time we did welterweights is in parentheses.)
1. Georges St. Pierre (1): GSP had demonstrated his dominance over the division so completely that even with a long layoff, he deserves to stay on the top. Unless he has a setback in his recovery from ACL surgery he’s expected to face the winner of the upcoming Nick Diaz–Carlos Condit fight in the summer or fall of 2012.
2. Nick Diaz (2): Condit will be the best opponent Diaz has ever faced, but I like Diaz to win the interim welterweight title fight in February. The big question after that will be how long Diaz has to wait for his shot at GSP.
3. Josh Koscheck (4): With two losses to St. Pierre, Koscheck won’t get another title shot any time soon, so he’s in more of a gatekeeper role in the UFC right now. Koscheck draws Mike Pierce at UFC 143.
4. Johny Hendricks (NR): The quick knockout of Fitch moves Hendricks all the way up to No. 4 in the welterweight Top 10. As an NCAA champion wrestler who hits hard, Hendricks has the right skill set to beat St. Pierre, although he probably won’t get the chance to do that any time soon. The UFC should keep Hendricks active against good competition, and if he keeps winning he’ll be ready for a title shot once the Diaz-Condit winner has faced GSP.
5. Carlos Condit (5): Condit likes to stay active, so it’s disappointing for him that circumstances outside his control led to him fighting just once (and for only half of one round) in 2011. He’ll be chomping at the bit for Diaz.
6. Jake Ellenberger (6): The silver lining of the St. Pierre injury is that it has given new contenders in the welterweight division time to establish themselves. It used to be the case that St. Pierre was No. 1 and he had beaten all of the other elite 170-pounders. But now the division has sorted itself out to the point that Koscheck is the only one of the five best welterweights after St. Pierre has previously faced him. Diaz, Hendricks, Condit and Ellenberger would all be new opponents for St. Pierre.
7. Jon Fitch (3): Fitch fought twice in 2011, his draw with B.J. Penn and his loss to Hendricks. Once viewed as a guy who just wins and wins consistently, Fitch hasn’t won since he beat Thiago Alves in August of 2010.
8. Rory MacDonald (7): MacDonald should dispatch Che Mills in March, and after that he’d make a lot of sense as a future opponent for Hendricks or Ellenberger. Someone from that group will emerge as a welterweight title contender in late 2012 or early 2013.
9. B.J. Penn (8): Penn is taking some time off following his loss to Diaz, and there’s been talk that he just doesn’t have the desire to fight anymore. But when he’s on his game he’s still one of the elite mixed martial artists at either 155 or 170 pounds.
10. Jake Shields (9): With losses to St. Pierre and Ellenberger, Shields went 0-2 in 2011. He should get started with a much better 2012 by beating Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 144.
UFC 142 will be a bloodbath in the pay-per-view market, and not just because of “Tebowmania” and the NFL playoffs.
Johny Hendricks