The North American market? The last 2 months has produced some of the best cards ever with minimal injuries yet ratings and PPV sales are dropping like crazy. Their advertising has been absolute shit. If you don't watch fox sports 1 you wouldn't even know the UFC still exists (let's be honest no one watches FS1 over ESPN). My casual friends had no idea Machida was fighting this weekend and were pissed that they missed it.
It's great that the UFC is expanding into new regions and continents but will the lack of interest in America have an impact on the future of the sport? Maybe they have a plan that we don't know about but Jones, Rousey, Cain, Pettis, Andy, Aldo, etc should all be stars but no one outside of the hardcores know who the fuck they are. Ok rant over. Discuss. 
Supersaturation with no big names stepping up to take the place of the ones almost on the way out.. Only big star is dana.
The UFC needs a marketing overhaul, they suck at marketing. They suck at hype. Whoever is in charge of their advertising and such is terrible. The commercial promoting the Bellator PPV was way better than any UFC promo I've ever seen.
They don't know how to promote, which is ironic considering they're a promotion. 
IAmNotImpressedbyYourStocktonSlap - The UFC needs a marketing overhaul, they suck at marketing. They suck at hype. Whoever is in charge of their advertising and such is terrible. The commercial promoting the Bellator PPV was way better than any UFC promo I've ever seen.Wasnt dana saying the reason barao doesnt have a huge name because his TEAM doesnt promote him enough?
They don't know how to promote, which is ironic considering they're a promotion.
Lol tf!
IAmNotImpressedbyYourStocktonSlap -The UFC needs a marketing overhaul, they suck at marketing. They suck at hype. Whoever is in charge of their advertising and such is terrible. The commercial promoting the Bellator PPV was way better than any UFC promo I've ever seen.
They don't know how to promote, which is ironic considering they're a promotion.
Agreed. Even the Primetime's that they do get no advertisement. They hype the fights with these Primetimes and Countdowns but no one even knows when they air so it's pointless. You're right, they seriously need a marketing overhaul.
Is there usually a drop around this time of year? I'm curious how much baseball has to do with it.
I think Joe Silva needs to be fired
CRE -IAmNotImpressedbyYourStocktonSlap - The UFC needs a marketing overhaul, they suck at marketing. They suck at hype. Whoever is in charge of their advertising and such is terrible. The commercial promoting the Bellator PPV was way better than any UFC promo I've ever seen.
They don't know how to promote, which is ironic considering they're a promotion.
THIS
Have to agree with this too. Most UFC promos make me cringe or feel embarassed I'm a fan of the sport. Should stop aiming at meatheads and try something a little classier. The GSP/Hendricks short commercials aren't bad.
UGCTT_EnderTL -Is there usually a drop around this time of year? I'm curious how much baseball has to do with it.
Possibly but Benson vs Pettis should have been hyped way more than it was and it only did 270k buys. UFC 165 was rumored to be the lowest Jon Jones PPV buyrate yet. And UFC 166 was apparently a huge disappointment but no numbers were given for that either. In comparison, UFC 74 headlined by Couture vs Gonzaga did 520k. UFC 78 Bisping vs Rashad did 400k. UFC 84 Penn vs Sherk did 475k, UFC 86 Rampage vs Forrest (co headlined by Cote vs Almeida) did 540k.
All the cards I just listed did better than every one of the last 3 PPV cards which had great main events. And this was in 2007-2008 before the Lesnar boom. This is not a good sign.
Just the next logical era in the sports development - we are trending towards where the sport will eventuially settle more or less, as a direct to TV series of modest sized weekly arena shows in various locations
The MMA bubble caused by the trendwhore invasion of previous years is in the final stages of settling down...
nothing is an exact parralell but very similar things happen in the action sports world often
Ttt
IAmNotImpressedbyYourStocktonSlap -The UFC needs a marketing overhaul, they suck at marketing. They suck at hype. Whoever is in charge of their advertising and such is terrible. The commercial promoting the Bellator PPV was way better than any UFC promo I've ever seen.
They don't know how to promote, which is ironic considering they're a promotion.
Yup. I pointed out how little hype Pettis had in his home town and little they push him as a superstar and Dana came on here and went apeshit on me.
More free cards in the US probably is why some fans don't feel the need to order as many PPVs
To answer OP, yes. While not killing the U.S. market, they are putting a dent in it.
Ratings and PPV #s have been down for yrs now and saturation has been a contributing factor, along with an overabundance of fighters who the fans cannot embrace. Whether it be the cookie cutter typical mma fighter, or just little to no marketing for these fighters.
Dana himself stated that they have too many fighters and therefore have to let some go. Maybe the answer is to sign fighters to 1 fight contracts, but promoters want exclusivity.
I feel that Zuffa and UFC are pushing for a UFC World format, where they will have multiple events and TUFs in different countries going on all at the same time. You will eventually be stuck buying UFC USA events if you are in the U.S. and vice versa. Unless they open up a PPV type package or online in order for U.S. markets to watch UFC Mexico, UFC Brazil, UFC Germany, etc..
We could see UFC Mexico WW champ fight UFC Canada WW champ, and so on. This is probably many years down the road, but would help the UFC greatly in saving money on transportation, etc.
So far, there seems to be only 2 countries at this time that are viable to do this in Brazil and Canada. Put cages here, hire local staff, commentators, and fighters from that area.
Trying to grow too big too quick.
The UFC had a good thing going a few years back... A few international cards to gradually expand; the odd Fight Night to promote new fighters; monthly PPVs that were nearly always stacked (from top to bottom); fighters gradually being built into stars and contenders; one main series of TUF that actually mattered.
Expansion is great and all, but not if it comes at the expense of your hardcore fan base and overall quality of your product.
The Fox deal was always a double-edged sword. Prime-time coverage, better understanding of the sport and a more presentable product... but it's definitely come at the expense of star power and the overall quality of the fight cards - which are the 2 most important aspects.
I remember a time when all main card fights could be considered headliners by today's standards. Yes, the last few events have been fun, but when you're still relying on a TUF series 1 fighter to provide the clear fight-of-the-year, alarm bells should be ringing.
P.S - I saw the Gonzaga/CroCop head kick live and I miss those days.
UFC has lost all its stars.
I think a mix of advertising and fighters stepping up and learning how to sell fights could change things. People give the UFC shit for pushing Chael Sonnen, but that guy on a PPV means an extra couple hundred thousand buys and that means more money for everyone else down the line.
CRE -IAmNotImpressedbyYourStocktonSlap -The UFC needs a marketing overhaul, they suck at marketing. They suck at hype. Whoever is in charge of their advertising and such is terrible. The commercial promoting the Bellator PPV was way better than any UFC promo I've ever seen.
They don't know how to promote, which is ironic considering they're a promotion.
THIS
Jose Aldo should be a household name, but the boss only wants to make one star in the UFC: himself.
Aldo fights should be promoted as bigger-than-the-sport events like Manny or Floyd fights, but they put all their marketing behind a 40-year-old bald president instead of their fighters, or God forbid they'd have to pay them like stars
Good stuff in this thread guys.
The Fella -
UFC is seeing record profits right now....
but they do not see their disconnect with the fans.
The fox deal destroyed them ...spreading out their content on way to many channels.
No going global and not focusing on the domestic product will be their ultimate failure.
Expect the UFC to be Sold within the next 5 years.
Dana and Company ride into the sunset. New owner ...will be Fox.
How do you know they are seeing record profits right now? Just curious what you are basing that on.