Tag: UFC 150

The ‘FOX Boost’ Is a Myth: There’s No Formula to Create New UFC Stars


(Benson Henderson peers warily at the buyrate for UFC 164. / Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

By Matt Saccaro

Congratulations are in order for FOX and the UFC. They took a terrible draw in Benson Henderson and made him into merely a bad draw.

Henderson was partially responsible for one of the worst pay-per-view buyrates in recent UFC history — an estimated 190,000 buys for UFC 150 against fellow failure-to-move-the-needle Frankie Edgar. Henderson was so bad that the UFC kept him off PPV for an entire year after UFC 150, instead preferring to use their shows on FOX to build him up. After these shows, the UFC decided to put Henderson back in a PPV main event at UFC 164, presumably in order to see if FOX turned the ho-hum fighter into a star.

I noted the importance of UFC 164’s PPV performance in a previous article:

If UFC 164 can boast a decent buyrate, then the theory that the UFC can use FOX to create the next generation of stars will be proven true, and the UFC’s future will be a little more secure. But if UFC 164 fails as hard as UFC 150 did — if promoting a fighter TWO TIMES on one of the biggest networks on television failed to make that fighter a draw — then the UFC is in trouble. That would mean one champion who would be dead weight on a card, in addition to the champions from the lighter men’s weight classes who have all yet to establish themselves as major PPV draws.

UFC 164 didn’t perform as poorly as UFC 150. It drew an estimated 270,000 buys.

“That’s great! It’s about a 42% increase over last time,” you say? Yeah, that’s true, but let’s look at it another way.


(Benson Henderson peers warily at the buyrate for UFC 164. / Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

By Matt Saccaro

Congratulations are in order for FOX and the UFC. They took a terrible draw in Benson Henderson and made him into merely a bad draw.

Henderson was partially responsible for one of the worst pay-per-view buyrates in recent UFC history — an estimated 190,000 buys for UFC 150 against fellow failure-to-move-the-needle Frankie Edgar. Henderson was so bad that the UFC kept him off PPV for an entire year after UFC 150, instead preferring to use their shows on FOX to build him up. After these shows, the UFC decided to put Henderson back in a PPV main event at UFC 164, presumably in order to see if FOX turned the ho-hum fighter into a star.

I noted the importance of UFC 164’s PPV performance in a previous article:

If UFC 164 can boast a decent buyrate, then the theory that the UFC can use FOX to create the next generation of stars will be proven true, and the UFC’s future will be a little more secure. But if UFC 164 fails as hard as UFC 150 did — if promoting a fighter TWO TIMES on one of the biggest networks on television failed to make that fighter a draw — then the UFC is in trouble. That would mean one champion who would be dead weight on a card, in addition to the champions from the lighter men’s weight classes who have all yet to establish themselves as major PPV draws.

UFC 164 didn’t perform as poorly as UFC 150. It drew an estimated 270,000 buys.

“That’s great! It’s about a 42% increase over last time,” you say? Yeah, that’s true, but let’s look at it another way.

First, 270k buys for UFC 164 is still way below the 2013 average. Just because Henderson can draw flies to shit now, whereas before he couldn’t, doesn’t mean FOX is a star maker.

Second, Henderson main-evented two FOX shows: UFC on FOX 5 and UFC on FOX 7. The former drew 4.4 million average viewers and the latter garnered 3.7 million average viewers. Together, that’s 8.1 million people that saw Benson Henderson fight for free on FOX.  But the vast majority of these same people still refused to pay for a PPV headlined by Benson Henderson, a UFC “superstar” and world champion.

Again, there was a difference of 80,000 buys between UFC 150 — Bendo’s last PPV appearance before UFC 164 — and UFC 164 itself. And around 8 million people saw Bendo on free TV after UFC 150, but only 80,000 more people ordered UFC 164 than ordered UFC 150.

You know what that means?

It means that only 1% of the combined viewers of UFC on FOX 5 and UFC on FOX 7 were converted into PPV buyers.

That’s bad no matter how you spin it — unless you’re taking the “nearly 50% increase in buys!” angle which is the only way to look at the situation positively. Of course, the numbers given are estimates, so the actual percentages may be slightly higher or lower.

However, that doesn’t mean that the story the estimates convey is inaccurate. Placing a fighter on FOX doesn’t automatically make him or her a Brock Lesnar-level draw, or even an average-level draw. FOX can amplify a fighter’s reach and fan base but it can’t make viewers pay to see a fighter. FOX isn’t a panacea for a fighter that’s not selling PPVs. The only “stars” FOX will help make will be the ones who would’ve drawn well anyway due to their natural charisma or fighting style or simply because they have “it.”

So let’s put this talk of the vaunted FOX boost to rest, OK?

UFC 150: Jake Shields Win over Ed Herman Overturned to No-Contest

This past week, Jake Shields said that he had tested positive for a banned substance and would be suspended for six months. Now, he has had his win over Ed Herman—incorrectly referred to as Dave Herman in the linked article—overturned to a …

This past week, Jake Shields said that he had tested positive for a banned substance and would be suspended for six months. Now, he has had his win over Ed Herman—incorrectly referred to as Dave Herman in the linked article—overturned to a no-contest.

Shields originally beat Herman by unanimous decision at UFC 150, making a successful middleweight return after a relatively unimpressive foray into the UFC welterweight division.

Now, Shields will have to deal with the six-month suspension as well as the no-contest on his record.

His suspension was retroactive to the date of UFC 150, August 11, so he will be eligible to return in mid-February.

In addition to his suspension, he will have to pay a fine of $5,675.

Five thousand dollars for the standard fine, plus he’s also been ordered to pay a 10 percent “additional surcharge” by the Executive Director of the Department of Regulatory Agencies.

Finally, he has to pay an additional $175 for administrative costs. As of today, October 15, he has two weeks to pay those fines.

 

Tim McTiernan is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. For the latest news on everything MMA, follow him on Twitter @TimMcTiernan.

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Jake Shields’ Positive Drug Test Does Not Overshadow Need for Killer Instinct

Jake Shields may have popped dirty for a prohibited substance at UFC 150, but it doesn’t change what Shields must do to come back strong in six months.As we know, UFC 150 saw Shields defeat Ed Herman by unanimous decision in his return to middleweight….

Jake Shields may have popped dirty for a prohibited substance at UFC 150, but it doesn’t change what Shields must do to come back strong in six months.

As we know, UFC 150 saw Shields defeat Ed Herman by unanimous decision in his return to middleweight. Herman found himself controlled on the ground by the top game we’ve come to expect from Shields. To Shields’ credit, he did attempt to end the fight by submission multiple times, and he did tire Herman out to the point where the TUF 3 runner-up found himself legitimately unable to do anything in retaliation to the efforts of the former Strikeforce middleweight champion.

However, while Shields brought his fight to Herman, even hardcore MMA fans found themselves less than satisfied with the performance of the champion—noting that a fighter on Shields’ level should have hunted with greater persistence for the kill against Herman.

Regardless of the substance taken by Shields, the positive drug test—which will likely cause the result of that UFC 150 affair to change from a unanimous decision to a no-contest—will not draw outrage from fans, who suspect the cause of the positive drug test to be marijuana simply because of Shields’ affiliation with the Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu camp, which claims former Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz and UFC on Fox 5 headliner Nate Diaz as team members.

On that subject, allow me to state outright that no one should put much stock in Shields “not playing fair”, as it holds zero significance in Shields’ overall performance. While Shields should deserve some props for manning up, admitting to his own fault, apologizing for his actions and taking his punishment like a true professional, he still needs to find his killer instinct.

Had Shields taken any sort of PED, surely his performance would have looked a bit different from what fans saw in Denver. Of course, if Shields did take any PEDs, and I believe he did nothing of the sort, his performance would never suggest it as it looked like a typical Jake Shields performance. It did not deliver a verdict that made many care that Shields competed on the card, but it did prove another case of why those who don’t care for Shields’ style should persist in attempting to stop him as Ellenberger did.

Perhaps now is the time for Shields to squash whatever bug bit him and caused him to remain content with grinding out wins when fans know what he can do to win fights. He’s done it before, but does he wish to do it again, even though his proverbial “machine” has no visible malfunctions at the moment? If not, Shields may travel a longer road than what he would prefer in his quest to finally take some UFC gold home.

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Wha?!!: Jake Shields Suspended for Six Months Following Positive Test for Banned Substance at UFC 150


(We don’t mean to insinuate, but…) 

Before you even go there, no, Ambien is not a banned substance. At least not to our knowledge. But the truth is, not much has been revealed in the few hours since it was made public that Jake Shields was just suspended for six months after testing positive for a banned substance in his UFC 150 post-fight drug test. The situation is a bit bizarre to say the least, with no details currently available as to the alleged substance that Shields was busted for, or why it took two months for this test to be made public, or when the suspension was handed out. All that we know is that Shields’ has already released a statement apologizing for actions:

To my friends, fans and the UFC,

Prior to my professional bout at UFC 150 in Denver, Colorado, I used a substance prohibited by Colorado Boxing Commission rules.

This was a mistake that I fully regret. I have shared this issue with my family and the UFC and I have apologized to them and now I also apologize to you, the fans. I promise this will never occur again in my fighting career.

I accept the Boxing Commission’s decision for a six-month suspension, which will expire in February. I ask that you accept my apology. I will be back fighting soon, and hope that the fans of MMA will support me until that time.

Given Shields’ training partners, one might assume that the substance Shields was busted for would be of the herbal variety. You know, the sticky icky. Feeling irie on fight night, mon. Nawmsayin? Anyone?


(We don’t mean to insinuate, but…) 

Before you even go there, no, Ambien is not a banned substance. At least not to our knowledge. But the truth is, not much has been revealed in the few hours since it was made public that Jake Shields was just suspended for six months after testing positive for a banned substance in his UFC 150 post-fight drug test. The situation is a bit bizarre to say the least, with no details currently available as to the alleged substance that Shields was busted for, or why it took two months for this test to be made public, or when the suspension was handed out. All that we know is that Shields’ has already released a statement apologizing for actions:

To my friends, fans and the UFC,

Prior to my professional bout at UFC 150 in Denver, Colorado, I used a substance prohibited by Colorado Boxing Commission rules.

This was a mistake that I fully regret. I have shared this issue with my family and the UFC and I have apologized to them and now I also apologize to you, the fans. I promise this will never occur again in my fighting career.

I accept the Boxing Commission’s decision for a six-month suspension, which will expire in February. I ask that you accept my apology. I will be back fighting soon, and hope that the fans of MMA will support me until that time.

Given Shields’ training partners, one might assume that the substance Shields was busted for would be of the herbal variety. You know, the sticky icky. Feeling irie on fight night, mon. Nawmsayin? Anyone?

……..

Pot. I’m guessing Shields partook in a little of the doobage. Thanks for making me spell it out.

If you recall, Shields’ UFC 150 unanimous decision win over Ed Herman was his first fight at middleweight in nearly two years, so the likelihood of a diuretic being responsible for the test should be relatively low. Unless Shields decided to hop on the TRT bandwagon without informing the UFC (which, honestly, is a very possible scenario), all roads lead to Mary Jane here. Think about it, you’ve all been at a party where someone partook in stuff he/she clearly never normally do just to try and impress his/her friends. And peer pressure is a real bitch when your friends are two incoherent, ass-kicking, pothead delinquents like the Diaz brothers. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

We will have more on this story as details become available (and I stop rambling about the perils of youth). In the meantime, I can only offer Shields and you readers this one bit of advice.

Happy Friday, Potato Nation. Always remember to pass to the left. OK, that’s my last bit of advice.

–J. Jones

Power Ranking the UFC’s Top PPV Draws

UFC 147 was plagued by card changes and was widely considered to be the worst pay-per-view offering of the last few years. MMAmania.com predicted that the event was “set for massive failure” and they were right. Only 175,000 viewers bought the irr…

UFC 147 was plagued by card changes and was widely considered to be the worst pay-per-view offering of the last few years. MMAmania.com predicted that the event was “set for massive failure” and they were right. Only 175,000 viewers bought the irrelevant event and who could blame them.

But what about UFC 150? 

An early report from MMAmania.com indicates that the card headlined by a championship fight between popular stars Benson Henderson and Frankie Edgar would pull in only 190,000 buys.

Are the elite fighters of the lightweight division unable to pull in viewers? Jonathan Snowden seems to think so. His article on the poor buyrates generated by main events in lighter weight classes has a lot of interesting points, but it begs a question: If the little guys don’t draw, who does?

In the interest of optimism, here is a look at the top 10 PPV draws currently in the UFC. 

All pay per view numbers in this article come to you via MMAPayout.com Blue Book.

Begin Slideshow

Sign of the End-Times: UFC 150 Pulls an Estimated 190k Pay-Per-View Buys


(“Sorry Frankie, but based on the terms of your pay-per-view bonus scale — as clearly stated in your contract — you actually owe us $10,000.“)

It wasn’t just UFC 150‘s live-gate that fell way below expectations. According to a new report from Dave “Doom ‘N’ Gloom” Meltzer, last weekend’s Edgar vs. Henderson 2 card pulled in an estimated 190,000 pay-per-view buys. Judging by the MMAPayout.com Blue Book, that would make UFC 150 the second worst-performing UFC PPV since February 2006. And what’s the #1 worst-performing card of the last six years? The UFC 147: Silva vs. Franklin 2 show from just two months earlier, which took in only 175k buys. (UFC 149: Faber vs. Barao didn’t fare much better last month with a modest 235k buys.) Sorry Fric and Frack, Christmas has been canceled this year.

A couple caveats:
Keep in mind that there was a technical issue on Saturday night where DirecTV subscribers were unable to order the UFC 150 broadcast by phone or computer, although they could still order it via their remotes, according to reports. Plus, Bendo vs. Frankie ran up against the penultimate night of the 2012 Olympics, which may have stolen a few more viewers.

That being said…


(“Sorry Frankie, but based on the terms of your pay-per-view bonus scale — as clearly stated in your contract — you actually owe us $10,000.“)

It wasn’t just UFC 150‘s live-gate that fell way below expectations. According to a new report from Dave “Doom ‘N’ Gloom” Meltzer, last weekend’s Edgar vs. Henderson 2 card pulled in an estimated 190,000 pay-per-view buys. Judging by the MMAPayout.com Blue Book, that would make UFC 150 the second worst-performing UFC PPV since February 2006. And what’s the #1 worst-performing card of the last six years? The UFC 147: Silva vs. Franklin 2 show from just two months earlier, which took in only 175k buys. (UFC 149: Faber vs. Barao didn’t fare much better last month with a modest 235k buys.) Sorry Fric and Frack, Christmas has been canceled this year.

A couple caveats:
Keep in mind that there was a technical issue on Saturday night where DirecTV subscribers were unable to order the UFC 150 broadcast by phone or computer, although they could still order it via their remotes, according to reports. Plus, Bendo vs. Frankie ran up against the penultimate night of the 2012 Olympics, which may have stolen a few more viewers.

That being said…
We’re talking about a UFC event featuring a damned title fight. Granted, Frankie Edgar has never been one of the UFC’s more bankable stars — his two headlining appearances against Gray Maynard in 2011 drew 260k and 225K buys, respectively — but maybe that should have spurred the UFC to stack the supporting card with a few more big names. Instead, UFC 150 featured a passable co-main of Donald Cerrone vs. Melvin Guillard, and some watery bullshit underneath.

While BloodyElbow is taking the UFC apologist stance — “Hardcore fans buying 200,000 for the ‘smaller’ PPVs and clearing 750,000-1,000,000 for the 3-5 ‘mega-shows’ a year while building the brand on Fox…is working fine,” according to Brent Brookhouse — I tend to disagree. This was not the goal the UFC had in mind. They wanted growth, plain and simple, not a different-yet-still-effective business model. Fans are indeed voting with their wallets. And if PPV cards can vary so wildly in terms of quality, star-power, and excitement level, you’ll start seeing more fans become cautious with their money.

What do you think? Is the fact that the UFC just pulled their two lowest PPV totals in recent history cause for alarm? Will it send a message to the UFC to change their card frequency — or the fighters they use to headline a card? Or is this really all just part of the plan?