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<h3><a href="/go=news.detail&gid=360403" target="_blank">
Meltzer: Losing GSP cost UFC 8.5 million
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<strong class="ArticleSource">[sbnation.com]</strong>
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<p>MMA Nation's Luke Thomas recently sat down with Dave Meltzer to talk about the economics of MMA.</p>
Luke Thomas: Let's say on UFC 137. Losing Georges St. Pierre who has the highest buyrate this year and it might be debatable but at UFC 135 Dana White said he's the company's biggest pay-per-view star. Either way, it's a big devastating loss in terms of promotional value to lose George St. Pierre. I'm curious about your pay-per-view expectations. Some people are saying, "Well B.J. Penn has some of the best buyrates in UFC history as a lightweight which is true but it hasn't happened in a long time. After the fight in Australia, the two losses to Edgar, he's not putting up what he once was and it's almost like between he and Diaz, a compliment contest. There's absolutely no buzz between their fight except for this sort of merry-go-round story between GSP, Diaz and Condit. Your expectations, how high can UFC 137 go in terms of pay-per-view buys.
Dave Meltzer: I think it's gonna be in the ballpark of a lot of the Tito Ortiz-Rashad Evans type of number or the Faber-Cruz type of number. If we're talking, I think 275-325 type of range, kinda like where a lot of the fights were. I just don't, because again, it's B.J. Penn who can be a draw with the right opponent and I think Diaz can as well but I just haven't seen the great hype and maybe it will come in the last week but I think losing Georges off the card, I'm gonna throw out a number because I figured this. I think losing GSP cost UFC eight and a half million on the show in one night. That's how bad it is.
Luke Thomas: You mean pay-per-view and ticket sales? What do you mean?
Dave Meltzer: Ticket sales, I don't know because they're already sold out. There are some refunds so I don't know but again, how extensive those refunds, I don't know until Dana gives the number at the end so I was just talking pay-per-view buys. I think it's gonna cost them eight and a half million in pay-per-view buys from a 650 to a 300 [thousand] type of drop in that range.
after the two losses to Edgar and the fight in Australia Penn isn't putting up the same numbers?
he hasn't had any fights since then you dingleberry
does anybody think a fighter would do the same numbers fighting Frankie Edgar or Jon Fitch? see UFC 136 PPV buyrate the overseas cards always sell like shit too on top of that Abu Dhabi and Australia = overseas cards
GSP/Fitch only did 600k and that was with Brock Lesnar on the card and Huerta when he was in star-mode, and GSP/Fitch was actually really exciting to watch
Hughes/Penn 3 was on UFC 123 which did over 500k
this card will take a hit no doubt as any card would losing GSP and a guy like Condit and losing their main event title fight would, especially now with a slacking co-main event, and it'll take another hit with all the people out at halloween parties, but Penn/Diaz will sell as well as anyone else possibly could in this scenario
he says Diaz can sell with the right opponent, and Penn can sell with the right opponent... that's true for everyone. now here they are fighting each other, don't be so cranky grandpa
I believe it, probably more once it airs. I am sure I am not the only one not getting it now. I will probably just read a play-by-play and watch the highlights when Dana chooses to air them. Regardless I am going to watch a Welterweight title fight that weekend.
it's ironic cause I swear I've read the same PPV buyrate shit from him about GSP with his "oh the fans are losing interest in his fights" angle
same thing every time Edgar fights
same thing about the LHW belt switching hands too much
same thing about Anderson not being a "fan favorite"
same thing every time there's a card on a night that isn't ideal for a PPV
now he's doing it before cards even happen
if GSP were still on the card he'd been pushing some shit about how all his fights are going to decision and this is hurting his PPV rates and brand and blah blah blah... dude is just a drag with his PPV buyrate schtick
MMA Bliss - I think many of the casual fans will be duped into buying this card as the promos are still showing GSP as main event and have not been updated.
The #'s will probably be a little better than anticipated but most likely only due to the misinformation.
By "casual" you must mean absolutely retarded. Considering anyone who would spend 50$ and not know who's on the card/follow the mma scene is pretty fucking stupid.
By casual he means casual. Not every MMA fan browses the internet everyday for news. You don't have to be a hardcore fan to buy the PPV's especially since people usually throw in on it anyway. Also you rarely ever hear news on ESPN or anything about MMA. So that leaves the fans who know the big names and watch the promos but isn't bat shit crazy for the sport.
The Notorious OMG - it's ironic cause I swear I've read the same PPV buyrate shit from him about GSP with his "oh the fans are losing interest in his fights" angle
same thing every time Edgar fights
same thing about the LHW belt switching hands too much
same thing about Anderson not being a "fan favorite"
same thing every time there's a card on a night that isn't ideal for a PPV
now he's doing it before cards even happen
if GSP were still on the card he'd been pushing some shit about how all his fights are going to decision and this is hurting his PPV rates and brand and blah blah blah... dude is just a drag with his PPV buyrate schtick
Edgar and silva don't do good, and judging by thier buy rate not fan favorites also. GSP has the best if not second best buy rate in the UFC, so I agree that they exaggerate how his numbers are going down that's bs, but they are right about Edgar and Silva. I don't know why they don't sell. Just seems the casual fan doesn't like them.
To say it's either Penn or Diaz who are responsible for lower than expected PPV numbers it to ignore overall weakness of the rest of the card. MMA fans demand a certain standard when it comes to pay per views, and aren't yet at the point where boxing fans are, i.e. buying solely on the strength of the main event bout.
Only thing that is making this decision a little harder for me is the fact that zuffa has bumped up the price from $49.99 to $54.99 per ppv. And that's non hd, plain old standard definition! When not to long ago it was $39.99.
I guess the ufc knows that Canadians are suckers for mma and will keep purchasing their product.
I will definitely have to start picking and choosing which cards I buy, which blows mandingo sized cocks but it is what it is and I can't justify having these massive cable bills each month.
Have you Americans experienced the recent price increase as well? what are you paying for standard and hd ppvs?
