I love MMA. I think 99% of people on this forum do too.
Many really really love MMA and immerse themselves in it, which is great but some maybe too close to it all, and this thread is for you. Some of the nitty gritty fights that only the most hardcore fan will cherish will not happen in the UFC unless it will make money. I am not saying it is right but it is true.
Please understand the UFC is a business and it's product is entertainment. I know this seems obvious but everything they do is to maximise their earnings.
GSP is a great poster boy. Clean polite, wins fights, very marketable, gets paid what he is worth. Perfect guy to reverse the image of MMA being just a slugfest and a brutal sport to the masses. That is why Dana loves him. Frankie Edgar doesn’t get paid as much because he is not as big a draw card.
Who would Dana rather see as champion BJ or Edgar. BJ that is why he was granted an immediate rematch the first time. The same goes with Shogun/Machida but that was more political and I agree with that rematch but not the BJ/Edgar. prior to that you normally had to fight another before you got your rematch.
Another example
McKee getting cut after one fight. sad but why did it take so long from him get to the UFC because he was boring. After that fight was he marketable? Um no. He got his UFC break because he started knocking fellas out then lost by decision to Christmas. I would be surprised if there was something in his contract about the fight being exciting and winning or it is off.
Another example
Fighters are not getting paid enough???
First, why pay them more if what they are paying is a lot more than anyone else.
Second, UFC is not a big as they need to be to pay the massive amounts. As they get bigger they will offer more. No doubt.
Another example
If a guy like Fitch keeps winning and in theory is well over due for a title fight but doesn’t get why??? no other reason. They can not hype him except to hardcore fans.
Why has GSP not been told to move up yet to Silva? why blow your wad too early. Why not wait until the Shields match. Make a heap of coin. See who is around then. No more money to be made here what next lets move him up. Will he have a fight against Silva straight off? no. Why? because everyone one of us will happily pay to see his first fight at middle weight.
The fact is it is all business.
Why do we have average cards and awesome cards? because the more followers a fighter has the more UFC make. There for the UFC needs to display the fighters to show case there skills before they move up the rankings.
This also explains why Brock got a title fight so quick. Fans = money = UFC.
I love watching MMA grow and I think Dana and the boys are awesome. They have done a lot for MMA and the fighters but don't forget it is a business I am not saying it is right but a lot of people are complaining about decisions made by Dana. Well it is for a reason.
Do you have other examples? Or do you disagree
Oh an I know I am going to cop flack for this thread, but I believe it.
Also cut the fat of way too many average to below average fighters. This is the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The premier fighting organization in the world.
STINKIN GENIUS - Also cut the fat of way too many average to below average fighters. This is the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The premier fighting organization in the world.
Good point SG.
The Maynard/Edgar rematch makes not sense from a business point of view imo. I would have thought the Edgar/Pettis fight after that Matrix Ong Bok Kick would generate more viewers before the hype disappears than Edgar Maynard again
Dream Crusher - GSP is a great poster boy. Perfect guy to reverse the image of MMA being just a slugfest and a brutal sport to the masses.
Ummm, it hasn't been like this for years.
The sport has been mainstream for a while.
It is big agreed. Mainstream, Yes... kinda. But it is not huge it still has a lot of growth to go. It still has a long way to go before fighters names on everyones lips in homes. i am talking to the level of Tyson etc. They are only pulling crowds of 24000 ish.
Frankie Edgar doesn’t get paid as much because he is not as big a draw card.
I agreed with pretty much all you wrote except this. I don't think he doesn't get paid as much because he's not a draw, I think it's because he was only a upper-mid tier guy when he signed his current contract. This is just speculation as the only reference I could find to his contract is that he had "two fights left" going into the first Maynard fight. Meaning his next contract would've been negotiated when he was 9-1 and only one fight removed from a loss. Assuming UFC contracts grant a raise with each fight/win, his 51k/51k payday seems reasonable for his latest Maynard fight.
To support this, his second last fight, he was paid 48k/48k. Two fights before that, 46k/46k. Before that, 40k/40k. This would've been the first fight on his latest contract. His fight prior to that, his last fight on his last contract, he made 13k/13k. Three fights before that he made 5k/5k. And before that in his UFC debut he made 3k/3k.
Dream Crusher - GSP is a great poster boy. Perfect guy to reverse the image of MMA being just a slugfest and a brutal sport to the masses.
Ummm, it hasn't been like this for years.
The sport has been mainstream for a while.
I think folks could spend a good amount of time on here if it is truly 'mainstream' or not. However, there is still a prevailing perception that this is still 'cage fighting' for 'thugs' within a good number of the population. Only consistent and continued behaviour of its superstars as articulate professional athletes (please take with a grain of salt here) will help defray this.
As I said before it might be obvious to some but many threads on this forum are complaining about decisions made by the UFC. If you think about the majority of decisions from a business point of view rather than a fan point of view I think they make sense.
Ansari - Yep you are correct. I was assuming but what you said makes sense. I hope he get a bigger contract when it is time to renew.
Uchi Agreed - hence I think GSP is a good poster boy. Especially for new counties.
xcoutourfan - Yes but if the show is really popular people will be breaking down the door to see it live, Look at the Australian show. sold out i record time.
hvt- I am not saying I want a Monopoly. all i am saying Dana and the boys are making some smart business moves to make sure their show is number one. Personally I think the other shows are fanatastic and it would be great to see them even more profitable, Attracting, new, more talented people to the sport.
TS. Just because people complain about things from a fan's perspective, doesn't mean they're oblivious to the UFC's motives. It's fairly obvious how businesses work, hence why it's hardly ever mentioned and hence why this thread sux. <3
