Since the
buyout of the UFC in the summer of 2016 by WME and IMG (now called Endeavor),
the UFC has failed to find stable footing.
The company has seen its PPV numbers decline sharply and has failed to
deliver the same kind of fights that generated much buzz while still under
Zuffa’s banner.
The numbers
speak for themselves, in 2017 only a few events broke the 200,000 PPV mark. These
estimates may be seen here. Although 2017 has not yet ended and the UFC
is hoping that it will be able to close the year on top with its upcoming UFC
219, it does not appear that Endeavor’s first year at the reigns of the world’s
largest MMA promotion has gone well.
Much of this malaise in turns of buys has been attributed to a lack of
star power. In 2016, the UFC benefitted from a number of large events that
created a lot of buzz. Conor McGregor
fought three times, the UFC also put on an event for the first time at the
famed Madison Square Garden, it celebrated its 200th event with the
return of superstars like former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar, and it
ended the year with a show headlined with the return of Ronda Rousey.
However,
2017 has been devoid of these athletes.
Brock Lesnar returned to the professional wrestling and doesn’t appear
to be returning to the sport. Ronda
ended 2016 being brutally stopped Amanda Nunes and appears to also not be
returning with rumors circulating that she may be signing with World Wrestling
Entertainment. In addition, Conor
McGregor has not stepped into the octagon in 2016, having traded the cage for a
lucrative foray into the squared circle against Floyd Mayweather. Although many believe that the UFC took a cut
from the revenues generated, it probably only made a dent in the debt accrued
when Endeavor bought the company.
The new
owners have failed to create and find superstars to bolster its numbers, and it
has also struggled to promote its stable of athletes into superstardom. Demetrious Johnson one of its most successful
athletes who broke the record of consecutive title defenses in UFC history generated
under 200,000 buys. In fact, the UFC
brass via its President Dana White has verbally attacked its own athletes,
denigrating its champion Amanda Nunes who fell ill and had to pull out of a
fight.
Another
problem the UFC is facing is just out right saturation of the market. The UFC has an enormous roster of over 500
fighters in 12 weight classes when including both the women and men’s
divisions. As a result, the UFC has
along with its TV partner Fox and its own Fight Pass Network, put on an event almost
every consecutive week. As a result of
so many events, the UFC has become less a rare event than a weekly
routine. Fighters are lost in the
shuffle of the UFC’s machine. When one
event ends, the next must be promoted and more often than not this time frame
is not long enough to make people excited to buy PPVs. Especially when another free event is right
around the corner.
As a result,
the UFC has taken an interesting strategy of creating superfights and making
the majority of its main event’s title fights.
The problem that arises is that the UFC starts looking more like a
circus and spectacle rather than a legitimate sport where the best athletes in
the world will compete for the organization’s belt. This is not a problem of
just the UFC, Bellator and Japanese promoters of the past have put on what many
fans of the sport have deemed sideshows. At some point this year, I made the
comment to a friend and fellow MMA fan that the UFC was giving out belts like
candy. And its own actions and decisions
have clogged several divisions, mainly the lightweight division which has been
put on hold awaiting Conor’s return.
This problem
has become apparent even to legislators.
In a House Congressional Hearing regarding the expansion of the Ali Act
to MMA. Congressman Mullin, a former
professional MMA fighter himself, has criticized the UFC’s business practices
in that the belt does not denominate the best athlete of that weight class, but
the best athlete on that night. His
criticisms have merit both UFC 217 and the upcoming 219 have many questions as
to the legitimacy of these fights. Georges
Saint Pierre, at legend at 170 pounds had never competed at 185 pounds, but yet
he was gifted a chance to fight Michael Bisping the current champion at that
weight class. That decision put the
breaks on the 185 pound division and snubbed a worthy competitor in Robert
Whitaker. His victory was unexpected and
left many questions as to what the future of that division would be. Would Georges defend the belt at 185 or would
he return to 170 leaving the division in limbo?
Continuing, 219’s main event features Holly Holm taking on the champion
Chris Cyborg. Holm’s only bout in the weight class was a loss to Germaine de
Randamie, and she has not competed again in the weight class until now. So what gives her the right to challenge for
the title when her resume does not merit this? The UFC as promoter has the
ability to make the matchups it wants, without needing the approval of a
sanctioning body as another sport like boxing requires.
Talking
heads like myself have said that this injures the legitimacy of the sport. The
UFC depends on PPV revenue to stay afloat as a result it needs to get “butts in
seats” and eyeballs on its content. The
issue here is how to balance the spectacle and the sport. The UFC created in 1993 has become the flag
bearer of the sport and legitimized it since it was called “human cockfighting.” But as financial concerns on the company
continue to mount it appears that UFC is reverting back to creating the fights
that it believes can be the most lucrative and leaving the top contenders
waiting for their opportunities.
