Tag: pay-per-view buys

UFC 177?s PPV Numbers Confirm That Nobody Cares About Little Bantamweights, Either


(“I’m not mad at you, TJ, I’m just disappointed.”)

Let’s be honest, UFC 177 was all but doomed to be a pay-per-view failure before it even got out of the gate. The only fight with even a trace of heat on it was the main event, an all-too-soon rematch between Renan Barao and TJ Dillashaw, which lost one of its players the day before the event was scheduled to take place. Toss in the fact that the card was reduced to just 8 fights after Henry Cejudo went and Henry Cejuodo’d and you’ve got yourselves the makings of a real stinkeroo right there.

And while it’s true that UFC 177’s PPV figures are supremely underwhelming — MMAFighting’s Dave Meltzer pinpoints the number around 125,000 buys — the card really performed better than it had any right to. Despite losing its main event at the last minute, UFC 177 still outperformed UFC 174, which final estimations pinned between 95,000 to 115,000 buys. In any case, UFC 177 marks just the third time in the modern era that a UFC pay-per-view has scored below 200,000 buys, along with 174 and UFC 163: Aldo vs. Korean Zombie, which netted just 180,000 buys.

The concerning issue here is that the amount of exposure given to the lighter weight classes through FOX events has had little impact on the pay-per-view numbers generated by its most reliable stars — specifically, Demetrious Johnson, who has headlined three UFC on FOX events but has yet to see any increase in his PPV sales despite his success. As Meltzer explained…


(“I’m not mad at you, TJ, I’m just disappointed.”)

Let’s be honest, UFC 177 was all but doomed to be a pay-per-view failure before it even got out of the gate. The only fight with even a trace of heat on it was the main event, an all-too-soon rematch between Renan Barao and TJ Dillashaw, which lost one of its players the day before the event was scheduled to take place. Toss in the fact that the card was reduced to just 8 fights after Henry Cejudo went and Henry Cejuodo’d and you’ve got yourselves the makings of a real stinkeroo right there.

And while it’s true that UFC 177′s PPV figures are supremely underwhelming – MMAFighting’s Dave Meltzer pinpoints the number around 125,000 buys — the card really performed better than it had any right to. Despite losing its main event at the last minute, UFC 177 still outperformed UFC 174, which final estimations pinned between 95,000 to 115,000 buys. In any case, UFC 177 marks just the third time in the modern era that a UFC pay-per-view has scored below 200,000 buys, along with 174 and UFC 163: Aldo vs. Korean Zombie, which netted just 180,000 buys.

The concerning issue here is that the amount of exposure given to the lighter weight classes through FOX events has had little impact on the pay-per-view numbers generated by its most reliable stars — specifically, Demetrious Johnson, who has headlined three UFC on FOX events but has yet to see any increase in his PPV sales despite his success. As Meltzer explained:

Johnson headlined three of the four FOX events in 2013, doing 4.22 million viewers against John Dodson (although a major part of that show’s success was Rampage Jackson fighting for the first time in years on a free television show), 2.38 million against John Moraga and 2.8 million against Joseph Benavidez. That’s three main events, as well as three FOX preview specials with him as the featured player. It was also three wins.

Nobody should have benefited more from FOX exposure in the past year. But to the general public, none of that meant a whole lot. At the end of the day, it was not a fight that the masses wanted to pay to see.

On Saturday night after UFC 175, Dana White talked about how UFC business is changing to being a worldwide promotion, and that people are going to not be watching every show and he’s accepting of that. He said that the Johnson vs. Bagautinov fight did exactly what they projected and they were not unhappy with the number, saying that the featherweight division is new, praising Johnson as champion and saying he would have no qualms about headlining another pay-per-view show with him.

So basically, the story remains much the same for “Mighty Mouse”, one of the most technically brilliant yet financially underwhelming fighters alive, as well as the lighter weight classes in general (UFC 173, which was a much more stacked card by any standards, just barely broke the 200k mark). We hate to say that Michael Bisping was right, but it sure is starting to seem that way. In other words, TJ Dillashaw needs to start dressing in custom-tailored suits and insulting every fighter he comes across if he ever wants to be considered a star. Let’s hope his fight with Dominick Cruz is able to inject some much-needed life back into the division.

–J. Jones 

Update: Bellator 120 Pulled Over 100,000 Pay-Per-View Buys [WHAAAAAT?]


(Looks like Bjorn is dick-ridin’ all the way to the bank. / Photo via TheExaminer)

Earlier this week, initial estimates pegged Bellator 120: Rampage vs. King Mo as earning 65,000 pay-per-view buys — a number that exceeded the basement-level expectations of most observers. But it turns out that Bellator 120 wasn’t just a moral victory. As first reported by Sherdog (and later confirmed by MMAFighting), Bellator’s inaugural pay-per-view card did over 100,000 buys, making it an unqualified success

Sherdog’s report was based on an anonymous source “speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release buy-rate data.” The source explained that the buyrate information will be readily available in Viacom’s SEC filings later this year.

In a statement released to MMAFighting, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney played it cool: “I won’t be discussing specific PPV buy rates, but what I can say is that with one of our main events falling out just seven days before our first PPV, a six figure plus buy rate is a good starting point. But, it’s just that, a starting point. My focus is to continue working with our partners at Spike to create the type of big event experience that we created on the 17th.”


(Looks like Bjorn is dick-ridin’ all the way to the bank. / Photo via TheExaminer)

Earlier this week, initial estimates pegged Bellator 120: Rampage vs. King Mo as earning 65,000 pay-per-view buys — a number that exceeded the basement-level expectations of most observers. But it turns out that Bellator 120 wasn’t just a moral victory. As first reported by Sherdog (and later confirmed by MMAFighting), Bellator’s inaugural pay-per-view card did over 100,000 buys, making it an unqualified success

Sherdog’s report was based on an anonymous source “speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release buy-rate data.” The source explained that the buyrate information will be readily available in Viacom’s SEC filings later this year.

In a statement released to MMAFighting, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney played it cool: “I won’t be discussing specific PPV buy rates, but what I can say is that with one of our main events falling out just seven days before our first PPV, a six figure plus buy rate is a good starting point. But, it’s just that, a starting point. My focus is to continue working with our partners at Spike to create the type of big event experience that we created on the 17th.”

The only other non-Zuffa MMA PPV to hit a six-figure buyrate was Affliction: Banned in July 2008, and that card featured Fedor Emelianenko, three former UFC heavyweight champs (Tim Sylvia, Andrei Arlovski, Josh Barnett) and a host of other recognizable MMA veterans. Bellator hit 100k even after losing its main event. That’s kind of astounding. Rampage and Tito can still put asses in seats, I guess.

So what’s the ceiling for Bellator’s pay-per-view potential? With a stronger card, can they approach the 140k-150k range that the UFC has pulled for its least popular PPV shows? And if so, then what? Will 2014 be the year when Bellator can legitimately call itself a competitor to the UFC?

‘Bellator 120: Rampage vs. King Mo’ PPV Did an Estimated 65,000 Buys


(Image via Spike)

According to a new figure being floated by Dave Meltzer, Bellator’s “Rampage vs. King Mo” event on May 17th did an estimated 65,000 pay-per-view buys.

In a way, that’s a success — despite losing its main event a week out from the show, Bellator 120 cleared the somewhat arbitrary 50k buys figure that was being touted as its break-even mark. It’s not a great number, but it certainly could have been worse. (See: Bodog, Fedor vs. Lindland, 13,000 buys.)

On the other hand, 65,000 buys is still less than half of what the UFC produces on its worst day. The question is, will MMA fans who stayed away from Bellator 120 be swayed into buying future Bellator PPV cards now that we know how bizarrely entertaining they can get? If you’re not psyched about the promotion’s upcoming Super Hulk Tournament, you’re just not a real fan.


(Image via Spike)

According to a new figure being floated by Dave Meltzer, Bellator’s “Rampage vs. King Mo” event on May 17th did an estimated 65,000 pay-per-view buys.

In a way, that’s a success — despite losing its main event a week out from the show, Bellator 120 cleared the somewhat arbitrary 50k buys figure that was being touted as its break-even mark. It’s not a great number, but it certainly could have been worse. (See: Bodog, Fedor vs. Lindland, 13,000 buys.)

On the other hand, 65,000 buys is still less than half of what the UFC produces on its worst day. The question is, will MMA fans who stayed away from Bellator 120 be swayed into buying future Bellator PPV cards now that we know how bizarrely entertaining they can get? If you’re not psyched about the promotion’s upcoming Super Hulk Tournament, you’re just not a real fan.

The Pay-Per-View Buyrate Estimates for UFC 169 and UFC 170 Are Not Awesome


(Ronda Rousey might actually be the biggest star the UFC has. Unfortunately, that’s not saying much. / Photo via Getty)

According to Dave Meltzer’s latest pay-per-view buyrate column on MMAFighting.com, the first two UFC PPV events of 2014 didn’t exactly blow the doors down.

Let’s start with UFC 169: Barao vs. Faber 2 on February 1st, which featured two championship fights (including a featherweight title bout between Jose Aldo and Ricardo Lamas in the co-main event), and a solid heavyweight feature between Alistair Overeem and Frank Mir. That show took in just 230,000 buys, by Meltzer’s estimates — the lowest total for a UFC PPV since last summer, when UFC 161 and UFC 163 completely crapped the bed. It’s worth noting that the first time Urijah Faber and Renan Barao headlined a pay-per-view (UFC 149), it pulled in a nearly identical number. Maybe the California Kid isn’t quite the superstar we’ve made him out to be.

Holding an event on a weekend when so much attention was focused on the Super Bowl gives the UFC a convenient excuse as to why UFC 169 may have underperformed. But it still doesn’t bode well for the promotion’s ability to sell pay-per-views for events headlined by male fighters under 155 pounds. UFC 169 featured Renan Barao, Urijah Faber, Jose Aldo — the only absent sub-155 star was Dominick Cruz — and they still barely cleared the UFC Mendoza Line of 200k buys.

The good news (or bad news, depending on how you look at it) is that Ronda Rousey is a bigger draw completely on her own than Barao, Faber, and, Aldo put together…


(Ronda Rousey might actually be the biggest star the UFC has. Unfortunately, that’s not saying much. / Photo via Getty)

According to Dave Meltzer’s latest pay-per-view buyrate column on MMAFighting.com, the first two UFC PPV events of 2014 didn’t exactly blow the doors down.

Let’s start with UFC 169: Barao vs. Faber 2 on February 1st, which featured two championship fights (including a featherweight title bout between Jose Aldo and Ricardo Lamas in the co-main event), and a solid heavyweight feature between Alistair Overeem and Frank Mir. That show took in just 230,000 buys, by Meltzer’s estimates — the lowest total for a UFC PPV since last summer, when UFC 161 and UFC 163 completely crapped the bed. It’s worth noting that the first time Urijah Faber and Renan Barao headlined a pay-per-view (UFC 149), it pulled in a nearly identical number. Maybe the California Kid isn’t quite the superstar we’ve made him out to be.

Holding an event on a weekend when so much attention was focused on the Super Bowl gives the UFC a convenient excuse as to why UFC 169 may have underperformed. But it still doesn’t bode well for the promotion’s ability to sell pay-per-views for events headlined by male fighters under 155 pounds. UFC 169 featured Renan Barao, Urijah Faber, Jose Aldo — the only absent sub-155 star was Dominick Cruz — and they still barely cleared the UFC Mendoza Line of 200k buys.

The good news (or bad news, depending on how you look at it) is that Ronda Rousey is a bigger draw completely on her own than Barao, Faber, and, Aldo put together. Meltzer reports that UFC 170: Rousey vs. McMann on February 22nd collected an estimated 340,000 pay-per-view buys, with a much weaker supporting card than UFC 169 had. (Two words: Durkin Cummins.) When you consider that Rousey also helped UFC 168 become the first million-selling pay-per-view since 2010, it’s undeniable that the women’s bantamweight champ has become an essential part of the UFC’s business.

Of course, 340k buys doesn’t sound like a huge number — and it isn’t, if you compare it to, say, 2009, when every single UFC pay-per-view did 350k buys or better. Or, if you compare it to Rousey’s first UFC headliner against Liz Carmouche in February 2013, which pulled 450k buys, driven by the novelty value of the UFC’s first women’s title fight. But UFC 170′s PPV performance is more impressive when you compare it to recent UFC title fights featuring guys who are allegedly stars in allegedly marquee divisions. UFC 164: Henderson vs. Pettis did 270k buys. UFC 165: Jones vs. Gustafsson did between 300k-325k buys, and UFC 166: Velasquez vs. Dos Santos 3 drew “in the same range or very sightly up.” Ronda Rousey edged them all out, and she did so against a opponent (Sara McMann) who was a virtual unknown to casual fans, who Rousey had no personal rivalry with, in a fight that was thrown together on less than two months’ notice. That’s kind of amazing, actually.

So, is Ronda Rousey the biggest star the UFC has ever had, as UFC president Dana White likes to say after huffing gas? Well, she could have a solid argument for being the biggest UFC star that the UFC has right now. Although it should be mentioned that UFC 170′s live gate of $1,558,870 fell well below expectations.

Lets be real: 2014 is going to be a rough one for the UFC, pay-per-view wise. Anthony Pettis and Cain Velasquez won’t return until the end of this year, and Johny Hendricks will most likely be out until the fall. Ronda Rousey literally has nobody to fight right now, and the male featherweight/bantamweight/flyweight divisions simply don’t draw. UFC 173 has a cool poster, but probably not blockbuster potential. Anderson Silva won’t return this year, and Georges St-Pierre’s return depends on the UFC overhauling its drug-testing policies, which ain’t gonna happen any time soon.

And so, 340k buys represents a new high-water mark, which only a small handful of UFC PPVs will be able to clear this year. Most likely, the buyrate trend will continue to drop as the UFC shifts its attention to small-scale international shows, while the burned-out North American fanbase is content to watch the UFC’s free FOX/FS1/FS2 events and skip the ones that cost $55 simply because there’s a belt on the line in the main event.

The next UFC pay-per-view is UFC 172: Jones vs. Teixeira on April 26th — a light-heavyweight title fight that will probably pull around 300k buys. That’s just the way it is, now.

–BG

Friday Link Dump: Update on Donald Cerrone’s ‘Boat Rage’, Palhares Gets First Welterweight Opponent, 35 Fun Facts About Kobe Bryant + More

(New “Possibilities” commercial from Nike. Jon Jones shows up at 0:43)

UFC: Donald Cerrone Cooperating With Authorities on Alleged Boating Incident (MMAJunkie)

Bjorn Rebney: ‘Tito Ortiz and Rampage Are 2 of the 4 Faces on MMA Mt. Rushmore’ (BleacherReport)

Frighteningly Unsafe Underground Combat League Still Plugging Along (BloodyElbow)

Rousimar Palhares Cuts to Welterweight, Meets Mike Pierce at UFC Fight Night 29 (Sherdog)

Ratings Report: UFC 163 and UFC 161’s Low PPV Numbers Are Just Latest Indicator of Trend (MMAFighting)

*swoon* (Facebook.com/CagePotato)

Free Fight: Martin Kampmann vs. Jake Ellenberger (YouTube.com/UFC)

The Bella Twins Are Total Divas (MadeMan)

35 Things You Didn’t Know About Kobe Bryant (Complex)

Bob Harper: Diet Trumps Exercise (Men’s Fitness)

Bizarre Crimes You Won’t Believe Actually Happened (DoubleViking)

What to Do When Someone Is Treating You Like an Asshole (EgoTV)

15 Of The Funniest Reactions To Ben Affleck As Batman (Break)


(New “Possibilities” commercial from Nike. Jon Jones shows up at 0:43)

UFC: Donald Cerrone Cooperating With Authorities on Alleged Boating Incident (MMAJunkie)

Bjorn Rebney: ‘Tito Ortiz and Rampage Are 2 of the 4 Faces on MMA Mt. Rushmore’ (BleacherReport)

Frighteningly Unsafe Underground Combat League Still Plugging Along (BloodyElbow)

Rousimar Palhares Cuts to Welterweight, Meets Mike Pierce at UFC Fight Night 29 (Sherdog)

Ratings Report: UFC 163 and UFC 161′s Low PPV Numbers Are Just Latest Indicator of Trend (MMAFighting)

*swoon* (Facebook.com/CagePotato)

Free Fight: Martin Kampmann vs. Jake Ellenberger (YouTube.com/UFC)

The Bella Twins Are Total Divas (MadeMan)

35 Things You Didn’t Know About Kobe Bryant (Complex)

Bob Harper: Diet Trumps Exercise (Men’s Fitness)

Bizarre Crimes You Won’t Believe Actually Happened (DoubleViking)

What to Do When Someone Is Treating You Like an Asshole (EgoTV)

15 Of The Funniest Reactions To Ben Affleck As Batman (Break)

Wanderlei Silva Turns Down Chael Sonnen Fight (?!), Wants PPV Points That He Apparently Doesn’t Deserve


(“I call dis de Tiger Claw. If do right, no can defense.”)

Less than five years ago, Wanderlei Silva would have accepted a fight with Chael “Too Sweet to be Sour” Sonnen in the parking lot of a Yogoberry for free (which is oddly enough what Lyoto Machida has resorted to these days). But they say that time has a way of healing all wounds, which is why “The Axe Murderer” suddenly seems hesitant to fight his one-time “BangBus” co-star without the added incentive of moar monies. Specifically, those tasty pay-per-view points that Sonnen is always getting in on.

In a text sent to MMAFighting, Dana White discussed Silva’s demands for a potential fight with Sonnen and took a huge, steaming dump on them in less than 100 characters. Now that’s how you efficiently run a business!

[Silva] said he won’t fight him unless he gets PPV [points] so I guess he’s gonna retire.

Yeah, you hear that Wandy? Only true mixed martial artists get a slice of the pay-per-view-point pie. I’m talking about the Brock Lesnars and the James Toneys of the world, you bum! Now go home and get your fucking shinebox!


(“I call dis de Tiger Claw. If do right, no can defense.”)

Less than five years ago, Wanderlei Silva would have accepted a fight with Chael “Too Sweet to be Sour” Sonnen in the parking lot of a Yogoberry for free (which is oddly enough what Lyoto Machida has resorted to these days). But they say that time has a way of healing all wounds, which is why “The Axe Murderer” suddenly seems hesitant to fight his one-time “BangBus” co-star without the added incentive of moar monies. Specifically, those tasty pay-per-view points that Sonnen is always getting in on.

In a text sent to MMAFighting, Dana White discussed Silva’s demands for a potential fight with Sonnen and took a huge, steaming dump on them in less than 100 characters. Now that’s how you efficiently run a business!

[Silva] said he won’t fight him unless he gets PPV [points] so I guess he’s gonna retire.

Yeah, you hear that Wandy? Only true mixed martial artists get a slice of the pay-per-view-point pie. I’m talking about the Brock Lesnars and the James Toneys of the world, you bum! Now go home and get your fucking shinebox!

We know Wanderlei hasn’t exactly been knocking off top competitors (or even fighting above .500) since entering the UFC in 2007, but the man is still a legitimate draw who has shed more blood for the sport than perhaps anyone else and deserves to be paid accordingly. He’s also coming off a double award winning performance against Brian Stann at UFC on FUEL 8 that is almost sure to go down as the greatest fight of 2013. For White to dismiss his request so effortlessly seems rather disrespectful to say the least.

On the other hand, Silva is currently making around $200,000 to show these days, so perhaps White thinks that figure is more than enough compensation for an aging relic. One who just retired an American hero in the greatest fight we will see this year.

–J. Jones