The UFC is currently in the middle of what is poised to be one of the worst years in terms of pay-per-view (PPV) buys in recent company history. While it is certainly less reliant on this source of revenue than it has been in the past, PPV buys are still the core tenant of the UFC’s business model.
After losing two of the biggest stars in company history, Georges St-Pierre and Anderson Silva, last year, the UFC was assuredly prepared for a year that was more famine than feast.
Even with these diminished expectations though, there’s little for the UFC to be happy about thus far in 2014. After a first six months characterized by moderately underperforming events and waning fan interest, the organization hit its nadir with UFC 174 last month.
That event is rumored (by reputable sources) to have done less than 100k buys, a mark the company hasn’t dipped below since 200x. More alarmingly, this is less than the purported buy-rate of the recently rejuvenated Bellator’s inaugural PPV event held back in May.
It’s one thing for the UFC to fall beyond their own marks, but for them to perform worse than their nearest competitor should be alarming for Dana White & Co. to say the least.
This is why this weekend’s UFC 175 could turn out to be one of the most historically significant events in the history of the company.
With the UFC’s crop of champions ravaged by injuries, including heavyweight Cain Velasquez and lightweight Anthony Pettis, and the recent retirement of proven PPV star Chael Sonnen, the company is taking a significant risk by having two title fights on one card.
More importantly, this isn’t the typical championship doubleheader featuring one marquee bout and one of the lighter weight classes that tend to perform relatively poor on PPV.
The UFC is bolstering the card with two of their best chances at the bonafide PPV stars.
Ronda Rousey, the first woman to fight in the company, undefeated bantamweight champion, and most successful cross-promotional star in company history, is consisted by many to be the biggest star in the company.
Her championship compatriot Chris Weidman is a Long Island, New York-native that’s the reason the aforementioned Silva is on the shelf for 2014. In his first title bout against someone other than Silva, the UFC has to be hoping Weidman can recapture some of the magic they lost with “The Spider.”
How this card, hinging on the popularity of the UFC’s purported biggest star and one of their best chances at a breakout star, should dictate the company’s direction going forward.
We’ve already seen the bottom fall out, but was the ceiling brought down with it? If the UFC can’t pull a successful number with 175, they need to look at themselves in the proverbial mirror and evaluate if the direction that they’re taking the company in is what’s best for business.
Competition necessitates change. So while the UFC brass have turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to the criticism many have levied at them with regards to over-saturation (often informing their detractors that they’re “not real fight fans” in the process), a poor performance this weekend could be the message that finally gets through to the company.
And if the UFC fails to adapt, well, when Scott Coker has his own sit-down interview in a few years, don’t say I didn’t warn you.
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