It is too early for estimates to be reported, but you would be hard pushed to find anyone that believes this past weekend’s UFC 186 will do a respectable number on pay-per-view. The buy rate looks set to be by far the lowest of 2015 so far, a position it may well hold right through until the year is done.
What was a lackluster card on paper, turned out to be an entertaining watch on the night. The card had been hurt by injuries and suspensions, and much of the build up focused around Demetrious Johnson’s inability to draw despite being possibly the greatest fighter on the planet, irrespective of weight class.
What Makes a Draw – The Trash Talking Misconception
The flyweight champion has become the poster boy for fighters whose obvious skills do not convert into pay-per-view buys, but he is not alone. The last two pay-per-views headlined by featherweight champ, and pound for pound rival, Jose Aldo have been estimated at just 180,000 buys each.
If those numbers seem low, the situation for some fighters, and some weight classes, is worse still. It could be a while before the women’s strawweights are given the opportunity to headline a pay-per-view.
The misconception held by some is that Johnson, Aldo, and others like him are too respectful and too nice to become draws. Throw in a little trash talking and you will have solved the problem, or at the very least, improved on the numbers they have already done.
If you want to become a draw, break out your best Conor McGregor impression, wax stylistically about your opponent like Chael Sonnen, and people will come flocking with their wallets in their mouths, desperate to see you fight. It worked for them, isn’t that just spread across the UFC so everyone can swim in pools of cash?
The reality is that it works for those fighters because it is an extension of their genuine character. They may have amplified it, but it comes from a natural ability to talk and compel people with confidence and cutting insults. It was the best way for McGregor and Sonnen to sell their shows, but when many others try to do the same it comes across as forced, awkward, and false, and that can do more harm than good.
Forrest Griffin became a draw without ever really insulting anyone. His self depreciating humor and ability to leave it all in the cage allowed fans to relate to him and become invested in his character. That was his edge, that thing that set him apart from the others. It was what made Forrest Griffin unique and stood him apart from the snarling crowd.
It doesn’t matter what that edge is, it’s just important that you have one. Demetrious Johnson already does and it’s genuine. He can say, with great confidence, that he is the greatest fighter on the planet and people will believe him because of what he is doing in the cage.
Georges St-Pierre had that, Anderson Silva had that, and Jon Jones has that now. What those three also had were natural rivals. Not just fighters who would eventually be able to challenge them in the cage, but fighters who served as the perfect contrast to their character away from it.
We should remember that for all their talent, Silva and Jones in particular have had a hard time drawing big numbers on talent alone. It didn’t happen regularly for Silva until he was opposed by Chael Sonnen. It took Daniel Cormier to bring out the real Jon Jones. Now, Jose Aldo has his conflicting foil in Conor McGregor.
Demetrious Johnson? Well, he’s still waiting for his. When they do eventually come, that will be what serves as the real boost to the buy rates of pay-per-views that he is on, not cheap insults and forced one liners.
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