Tag: UFC on Fox 1

UFC on Fox 1 Was a Necessary Evil

UFC on Fox 1 made its debut on Saturday night and as the ratings reportedly reflect, it was a well observed affair. The event was said to pull in 5.7 million viewers of the key.

UFC on Fox 1 made its debut on Saturday night and as the ratings reportedly reflect, it was a well observed affair. The event was said to pull in 5.7 million viewers of the key target 18-34 and 18-49 male demographic. And it won over the female demo with 1.7 million women viewers over 18.  By all measures, it seems congratulations are in order. Yet, for the UFC to achieve any of this mainstream success, they were going to have to piss off a few die hard MMA fans.

As expected, several MMA fans voiced their complaints, having felt cheated to lose a televised Main Card in lieu of documentary style footage profiling Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos. Dana White told critics to “shut up” in a post fight presser, but further explained it was a necessary touch to give some back story on the Heavyweights, as a method to educate new viewers on the sport and the two men they were about to watch battle. As a pre-existing fan, I appreciated the insertion of biographical portions to the show. And maybe Dana’s right about needing to catch the rest of the mainstream world up to the sport. The reports indicate, the show pulled in record-breaking numbers for a televised MMA event. But, I wonder where the new fans came from. I can’t imagine we converted any avid American Idol or Glee fans. And I’m pretty sure we already own the Sons of Anarchy and Cops fans. Maybe it’s those tricky, on-the-fence House fans we attained.

The Heavyweight title fight lasted all of 1 minute and four seconds, and honestly it probably should have been stopped a few seconds earlier. But, I understand the pressure on Big John McCarthy to have to be really super sure the [former] Champ was unable to defend himself before he jumped in on the UFC’s only fight to air on their huge network debut. Fortunately, Velasquez looked virtually unscathed after the fight.

The biggest complaint before (and after) the Fox event was that the Fight of the Night, Clay Guida vs. Benson Henderson did not air on live television. I don’t care to join in the criticism. What for, at this point? But it did kind of suck to cram around our friend’s lap top for 15 minutes. A less obvious but still relevant complaint was that nobody got to see the return of Brittney Palmer. What the hell? She lives in LA. Why wasn’t she there? But we can’t really whine about not seeing her, when we weren’t able to see much of the ring girls, anyway with that short bout.

So in the weeks and months to come, we will hear about the huge success that was UFC on Fox 1, because of the necessary format changes original fight fans were forced to acclimate to. Let’s try to remember there were some positive changes too, like the production value, which was quite similar to Fox’s NFL coverage. Then of course, there was the change of the Heavyweight guard as dos Santos became the new Champion. And last, there was my favorite change of all…not having to pay for the pay-per-view! Hell, let Pepsi and Coke and Doritos pay for us to watch fights, instead! I’m looking forward to Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen II. Can we get that on Fox, please?

UFC on FOX Results: Dos Santos vs. Velasquez Highlights Why MMA Is so Great

Sixty-four seconds. That’s how long it took for there to be a new champion when Junior dos Santos knocked out Cain Velasquez during Saturday night’s UFC on FOX event. After months of hype and a ton of money spent on advertisements throug…

Sixty-four seconds. That’s how long it took for there to be a new champion when Junior dos Santos knocked out Cain Velasquez during Saturday night’s UFC on FOX event.

After months of hype and a ton of money spent on advertisements throughout the past few weeks, it all came down to the unbelievable punching power possessed by our new Brazilian champion, dos Santos, who landed a huge punch to the temple of Velasquez before pouncing on him with ground-and-pound to finish the fight.

Knockouts are the kind of ending that fans typically love to see. Decisions are too boring for many “casual” fans, and submissions generally require quite a bit of work on the ground, which is also often-times too boring. Knockouts never fail to deliver with excitement.

However, for some reason, there seemed to be a fairly significant portion of “new fans,” and even some older ones, who were upset that the Velasquez-dos Santos fight ended so quickly.

Part of me can understand this mentality, especially if MMA is something that the viewer is brand new to. It can be hard to really understand the more integral parts of the sport when there is absolutely no ground game involved and a potentially 25-minute fight ends in approximately one minute.

But for anyone who has seen the sport at all before, it’s completely unacceptable to be complaining about a knockout! I mean, really, what more do you want?

The sports of mixed martial arts is great largely because of its unpredictability. There are very obvious winners and losers with just about every other sport, but when two athletes step into the cage in a mixed martial arts bout, it often times simply comes down to who makes fewer mistakes. One simple slip can lead to one punch or kick, it can lead to a submission, it can lead to a million different things.

At UFC on FOX, Velasquez left himself open, and dos Santos pounced on his opportunity. Shouldn’t we be praising that instead of complaining about how short the fight was?

I’m completely in agreement that it would have been great to have more than one fight on the card for a situation like this, but it’s not the end of the world. If anything, it highlights what’s so great about MMA—you just never know what’s going to happen.

If you don’t like how the fight finished, as Dana White said in the post-fight press conference, please “shut up” and let the rest of us enjoy it. We don’t need your negativity. We simply want to enjoy our favorite sport, and we’re never going to disrespect someone for finishing the fight too early.

What a ridiculous complaint.

Be sure to stay tuned to Bleacher Report for all things UFC on FOX. B/R is your home for post-fight analysis of the Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos fight card. Also, be sure to check out our fight card hub page for news and opinion on the entire UFC on FOX fight card.

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UFC on FOX Results: Junior Dos Santos vs. Anderson Silva Breakdown

Junior dos Santos looked awfully impressive in the UFC’s debut on FOX, finishing reigning heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez in a mere 64 seconds. JDS once again showed that his MMA boxing is something special and that few, if any, fighters in th…

Junior dos Santos looked awfully impressive in the UFC‘s debut on FOX, finishing reigning heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez in a mere 64 seconds. 

JDS once again showed that his MMA boxing is something special and that few, if any, fighters in the heavyweight division will be able to stand and trade with the heavy-handed Brazilian.  

Interestingly, one of “Cigano’s” main sparring partners is Black House teammate Anderson Silva.

While a fight with the reigning UFC middleweight champion is incredibly unlikely, given JDS’s recent title win, it is compelling to sit down and think about what a super fight between these two exceptional strikers would look like.

Let’s take a look at how this fantasy fight could play out.   

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UFC on FOX: Are Kimbo Slice, Brock Lesnar Still MMA’s Biggest Heavyweight Stars?

Last night’s UFC on FOX event might be the most important night in the history of the Zuffa-owned promotion. The return to network television will help enlighten an entirely new group of fans who may have previously viewed mixed martial arts …

Last night’s UFC on FOX event might be the most important night in the history of the Zuffa-owned promotion. The return to network television will help enlighten an entirely new group of fans who may have previously viewed mixed martial arts as “barbaric.”

The main event between Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos exposed many of these fans to the current heavyweight title scene, with these two fighters being the top of the class at the current moment. Even though the fight only lasted one minute, it’s hard to deny that the No. 1 heavyweight in the world—Junior dos Santos—got all the exposure that a champion should.

Unfortunately for him and the UFC, the truth is that although he and Velasquez got way more coverage going into their fights, neither of them is close to being in the top two biggest draws in the history of the heavyweight division in MMA.

That title goes to former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar—and Kimbo Slice.

Don’t confuse what I’m trying to say here—by no means am I saying that Slice or even Lesnar are better than dos Santos—they’re simply bigger stars… and the numbers prove it.

Brock Lesnar has never fought on free TV for the UFC, so it’s hard to really compare his numbers directly to what Velasquez and dos Santos did last night, but his pay-per-view numbers completely shatter anything that Velasquez or dos Santos have done.

The UFC has seven pay-per-views in its history that have gone over 1 million buys. Four of them have involved Brock Lesnar in the main event. Meanwhile, Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez have only combined to be in one main event of a PPV that has gone over one million buys—and it happened when Velasquez fought Lesnar.

Until Velasquez or dos Santos is able to headline an event and bring in a huge crowd, it’s hard to believe that either of them is a bigger star than Lesnar is right now… It’s even harder to believe that they are as popular as Lesnar was in the height of his popularity.

As for Kimbo Slice, the former backyard brawler has been involved in some of the most-watched MMA events in the history of the sport. He may not be very skilled, he may not have ever been a champion, but he was the definition of a superstar in the sport of mixed martial arts.

Slice headlined a fight card for EliteXC in May 2008 against James Thompson, on the CBS network. At 4.85 million viewers, the fight card was watched by nearly twice as many viewers as the following EliteXC on CBS event that did not feature Kimbo. In fact, that number was slightly better than original estimates which suggested that UFC on FOX had only 4.64 million viewers (this number was later corrected to 5.7 million viewers).

… and that was without the UFC promoting the event!

Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez are rightfully ranked above both Lesnar and Slice, but although they have the UFC fully invested in them, so it may very well happen at some point, they have a long way to go before they can compete with either Lesnar or Slice in terms of being stars.

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UFC on FOX: Power Ranking the Current UFC Champions

The UFC champions are the seven best fighters in the world, but there is division even among them; all champions are not created equal. And now with the events of UFC on FOX, there is a new champion to add to the mix.So how do the champions rank? …

The UFC champions are the seven best fighters in the world, but there is division even among them; all champions are not created equal. 

And now with the events of UFC on FOX, there is a new champion to add to the mix.

So how do the champions rank? Which one is above all the others? Read and find out!

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Event Snapshot: Taking a Look Back at UFC on Fox 1

The following is a first-person account of the sights, sounds, and other observations from the UFC’s first event on Fox, which took place on Nov. 12 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. As I approached the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium for the …

The following is a first-person account of the sights, sounds, and other observations from the UFC’s first event on Fox, which took place on Nov. 12 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

As I approached the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium for the UFC on Fox weigh-ins, I stopped to catch up with a few acquaintances that were also in town for the event.  Shortly thereafter, I decided to walk to the nearby convenience store, and the magnitude of the event was quickly put into perspective for me. 

The line to enter the venue, which had consisted of only a few people when I arrived, had lengthened to the point that it wrapped around the entire outside of the venue.  Furthermore, the stranglehold that champion Cain Velasquez has over the Southern California fight fans was more than obvious, as Dethrone shirts and Mexican flags were adorned by nearly every fan in line.

With the potential for inclement weather, the venue may not have had the same luster as the famed Santa Monica pier, but the packed house did not seem to mind the switch.  Although the venue was set up for a standing audience, the crowd filled in the lower bowl and the theater style seating at the back of the auditorium. 

Prior to the fighters hitting the scales, the UFC 141 press conference added to the excitement in the building.  Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem (who will battle Dec. 30 to determine the next heavyweight title challenger) thrilled the crowd with their predictions of Velasquez retaining his title over Brazilian Junior Dos Santos.

A chorus of boos greeted Dos Santos as he stepped onto the stage for weigh-ins.  The always-smiling slugger took it in stride and took his place on the side of the stage, awaiting the staredown.  As the champion was introduced, the crowd erupted, an early preview of the electricity the actual fight would generate.  The traditional face-to-face confrontation was tame, but Dos Santos made his mark by telling the crowd to “be ready for war tomorrow.”

Having traveled far and wide covering this sport, I have  witnessed my fair share of venues, crowds and circumstances surrounding events.  The promotion’s network debut was certainly a different situation.  In order to accommodate the various time zones and to avoid interfering with a star-studded boxing pay-per-view, the event was tabbed with a 1:45 PM local start time (even earlier than a typical event on the West Coast). 

Unfortunately, the selected venue was less than accommodating for the crowd that had arrived early to catch the undercard.  Lengthy security lines prevented a large number of fans from finding their seats before the first fight was over.  As such, the venue had a similar feel of a Las Vegas event for the first few bouts.

“Tito! Tito! Tito!” echoed through the mostly empty arena during the night’s second fight.  The former light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz and his famous spouse, Jenna Jameson, had arrived before the fights began and had taken their front row seat.  This marked the crowd’s first, but certainly not last, instance of paying more attention to who was in the crowd rather than the action inside the cage.

As the action continued, a stretch of decisions, coupled with a head butt and what some may have felt was a phantom tap, seemed to put the crowd into a bit of a dull haze.  But when the former heavyweight champ Lesnar made his way to his seat, deafening boos rained down from the crowd of Velasquez supporters. 

And when the ever-controversial middleweight Michael Bisping attempted to find his seat during the Dustin Poirier-Pablo Garza bout, you would have never known there was a fight happening.  The British fighter acknowledged their reaction by giving them the universal sign for “number one.”  Sadly, I think a large portion of the crowd missed the slick submission Poirier applied as a result.

By the time the final streamed fight (between Clay Guida and Benson Henderson) was set to begin, the Honda Center was completely full.  Numerous celebrities and fighters littered the crowd on all sides of the Octagon.  The anticipation for the main event was building before the two lightweights stepped into the cage for war.  Finally, the Southern California crowd remembered that it had paid to attend a mixed martial arts event, not just a celebrity extravaganza.

The war between Guida and Henderson took the night’s action to another level.  Chants of “Guida! Guida!” bellowed throughout the bout, but it wasn’t enough to propel the Chicago-based fighter to victory. Everyone in the crowd expressed their appreciation for the hard-fought battle.  Despite a lengthy interval between the Guida-Henderson fight and the main event, the eager crowd worked itself into a frenzy before the walkouts of the two heavyweight combatants.

When the lights dropped and the entrance music of Junior Dos Santos began, a thundering roar was released by the crowd.  And as champion Cain Velasquez made his way to the Octagon, the atmosphere was something that I have only witnessed a handful of times while covering this sport.  The previous instances involved fights ending, so I was full of anticipation to see the reaction when this fight ended.

Bruce Buffer’s trademarked introductions set the stage for the biggest fight in UFC history (thus far) and the fervor inside the Honda Center is an experience that I will never forget.  In just 64 seconds, the Brazilian Dos Santos stunned the packed house by finishing off the champion and claiming the belt.  

Unlike when Velasquez won the belt in the same venue at UFC 121, the life was nearly gone from the crowd, sans the minority of Brazilian fans in attendance.  As the new champion openly wept in joy inside the cage, the crowd made their way toward the exits.  While most of those in attendance were shocked that their favorite fighter had been dethroned, they can take solace in the fact that they had witnessed a major milestone in the history of the UFC.

 

Rob Tatum is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. You can also find Rob’s work at TheMMACorner.com.  For anything related to MMA, you can follow Rob on Twitter @RobTatumMMA.

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