kevsh -BingoCan I use a comparison with wrasslin'?
Hulk Hogan was pretty much a stiff in the ring, but a huge man with a huge personality and great persona = most popular wrestler ever.
Rey Mysterio was fast, skilled and exciting in the ring, but a small man with no "marketable" personality = couldn't sell a main event if his life depended on it.
Rey may have gotten the respect of wrestling fans for his talents but they were far more excited to see whomever Hogan was going to beat up every night, even if the match itself was a redundant, slow-paced dud.
You are not wrong. It took Chael to get Andersons buy rate up.
He doesnt have pop on his strikes
Historically got drawing guys can put people to sleep
Or they are brutal gnp
Mouse is a techinician with average pop
Great draws over time
Mike tyson
Mcgregor
Floyd had big power in his younger days then got a name and got old
Pacman has always had good pop for a lil guy
Holyfield
Bowe
Good draws
Jds
Rampage
Stipe
Overeem
Bj penn
Dan henderson
Bisping
Nick diaz
moogin83 -Easters -If Stipe fights, somebodies getting fucked up and flat lined. If the little guys fight somebodies maybe getting TKO'd. It's similar to WMMA in the way it's more technique based.shaqitup -Hes's 5'3. Has no interesting personality traits and weighs 125.
His height is a non factor. He's exciting and has a good finish rate.
His personality isn't outlandish but it's not what's holding him back. Stipe draws better than him and he's pretty mundane, but you put Stipe against Overeem and people fuckin tune in. If you put Stipe against Jared Rosholt nobody watches. It takes an A side and a B side. Only Ronda and Conor can draw by themselves. Even Floyds last PPV flopped because nobody cared about the opponent.
People want to see destroyers
That's true to an extent but fighters can be big draws even if they don't flatline people. Cruz is a way bigger draw than MM and he doesn't KO people and he's only 135. He does have a little personality but he also has big wins over popular fighters like Urijah and TJ. GSP and Couture were big draws and they didnt KO people. It's a lot of things but I truly believe if MM could beat someone with any notoriety he would be way more popular.
it's psychological
people are drawn to what they fear.... what can HURT them
MM is 125lbs... eventhough he can FUCK up alot of people on this planet the majority of people still think they can beat up a 125 pounder and so they "brush" him off
it's like watching the TOUGHEST ant in the world fight. you're not going to give it any respect and so you're not going to tune in if somehow is a strange weird universe where ants fight on PPV. you can just swat your hand and crush that ant.
but if you have grizzlies fight or tigers fight or lions fight. that's a different story. hell ya people will tune into see that.
I would like to see him against Tenshin Nasukawa 1-2 years down the line.
Little guys are a tough draw in the United States. The casual UFC fan grew up in the 80s watching guys like Stalone and Arnold tear through people. It's difficult for those same people to want to watch mighty mouse fight. Boxing has 100 years behind it and can't be compared.
Easters -I was only replying to the Stipe example. I agree 100%, a big win against a name would help. It's a great division just stale at the topmoogin83 -Easters -If Stipe fights, somebodies getting fucked up and flat lined. If the little guys fight somebodies maybe getting TKO'd. It's similar to WMMA in the way it's more technique based.shaqitup -Hes's 5'3. Has no interesting personality traits and weighs 125.
His height is a non factor. He's exciting and has a good finish rate.
His personality isn't outlandish but it's not what's holding him back. Stipe draws better than him and he's pretty mundane, but you put Stipe against Overeem and people fuckin tune in. If you put Stipe against Jared Rosholt nobody watches. It takes an A side and a B side. Only Ronda and Conor can draw by themselves. Even Floyds last PPV flopped because nobody cared about the opponent.
People want to see destroyersThat's true to an extent but fighters can be big draws even if they don't flatline people. Cruz is a way bigger draw than MM and he doesn't KO people and he's only 135. He does have a little personality but he also has big wins over popular fighters like Urijah and TJ. GSP and Couture were big draws and they didnt KO people. It's a lot of things but I truly believe if MM could beat someone with any notoriety he would be way more popular.
I imagine the people at the Smart Car factory having a similar discussion.
"Why isn't it selling?"
"Make it a convertible!"
"Give it more power!"
"Upgrade the interior!"
The simple answer is usually the correct one. It's too small, simple as that. There's no need to over analyze it.
EckY - He fights in a extremely weak division and your average fan cant relate to a guy that small, I know some people hate to hear that but its true, the guy is smaller than most teenage girls, it's a tough sell.
The division is not weak he's just so much better than everyone else he makes it seem that way. It's a privilege to watch that guy fight.
He's extemely small, black, not obnoxious/flamboyant and fights unknowns.
/End thread
BigTedBear - He's an amazing talent but he just doesn't have "it" whatever it is that makes people take interest in him.
Part of the problem is he is too amazing. Whenever a MM fight gets announced hardcore fans know how good he is and likely won't bother tuning in because they know he's going to win. It's hard to get excited about a fight when you're convinced of what the result is going to be.
A 130 catchweight with Cruz or a 135 non-title fight with Cruz would sell right now. If Cruz wins it can justify his rematch with Garbrandt and if MM wins it can set up a trilogy fight with Cruz. Win/Win
Anderson got a big push because he was fighting high profile names (Rich, Dan, Chael, Vitor) and guys from Ultimate Fighter during the show's peak (Leben, Lutter, Forrest). The difference is that MW, even during the lean years, was always been deeper than 125 and the UFC could pull from both 170 and 205 to fill the gaps with fighters everyone had already heard of. Anderson was also willing to move to 205 a couple times.
Anderson's aura of invincibility and the UFC's ability to market his opponents (who were often already well known) was enough to get fans to buy his cards. DJ has the same aura of invincability but no credible opponents so I'm not surprised only hardcore fans are tuning in for his fights.
He's a weird dorky gamer. 5'3 150lbs before weight cut.
if he would act like Conor he could make it work. But he's just too small for people to care.
smaller weight classes were fun in mma when MMA athletes sucked. Smaller grits were the ones with the scrambles and stuff, and good technique... now they're no more exciting than any other weight class, (outside of women's lol)
Deaf Forever -He's extemely small, black, not obnoxious/flamboyant and fights unknowns.
/End thread
What does being black have anything to do with it?
Put them in a smaller cage. zoom the camera in. Ratings machine. Boom pay me.
^^^With celebrity referee Tom Cruise!
Maybe it's that's power ranger thing he does when he wins fights
Half the time his fights go over 40 minutes from opening bell to the announcement of the decision. A few in a row of those decisive but not very exciting point-scoring battles, and I stopped watching his fights.