Last night marked the first time that the UFC touched conventional TV in its history. The hopes of the FOX and UFC brass are that this partnership will usher in a new era for the sport finally legitimizing it, by giving it exposure to the millions of eyeballs; a lacking part of the soon-to-be dead Spike deal. While this new collaboration between Fox and the UFC will undoubtedly grow the sport’s visibility, first impressions are often the most important – and I am still not sure it lived up to the hype.
One hour was devoted to a five-round showdown for the Heavyweight Championship. A premier fight for the UFC’s first showing, with all the makings of a legendary matchup between two incredibly talented fighters – Junior Dos Santos and Cain Velazsquez. Dana White was crossing fingers, hoping for a renaissance of “Griffin v. Bonnar I”. Unfortunately, Dana didn’t get his five-round war. A flash knockout that lasted less than two minutes, with Dos Santos leaving with his hand raised was the final result. One hour of TV, and less than two minutes of fighting.
For the hardcore MMA fan, you couldn’t have asked for more. Flashy knockouts and surprise endings are what makes this sport so great. Many fans have been anticipating this fight for months – and it couldn’t have ended in a more fitting way.
For those people who were getting their first glance of MMA, it’s still difficult to say if the brief adrenaline rush was enough to incite future interest. I can see people who actually tuned in at the same time as the fight started being happy with what they saw. That said, if I was someone new to the sport and I spent thirty-five minutes watching the fight build up, only to see the one fight end in two minutes, I may have been disappointed.
From an event stand-point I would say it went off without a hitch, but from a marketing point-of-view – I think it fell a little short. If you’re looking to gain new viewers (which was the sole purpose of that event), I am not sure it offered enough. I am not a promoter, but I would think a few more fights and a little more action would’ve been ideal. I know there is a certain induction that needs to take place to educate the uneducated, but they still could’ve squeezed in another fight – Henderson v. Guida would’ve been great to build excitement.
Yes, all of the fights were available on Facebook, but how many people who are new to the UFC are going to its fan page to watch the preliminary fights? It’s still not an ideal medium for building visibility; online is great once you get people there, but it’s getting people there that is the challenge.
As a fan, I am still satisfied. I can’t wait for the next event. And I am sure this deal with FOX will take the organization to new heights. I just felt like it was a luke-warm coming out for the lay person. It just means the first major card will have to be that much more!
… and that is the last word.
