Popularity of MMA

[CaptainZombie]

Re: Popularity of MMA

I am getting back into the UFC and haven't posted much in the MMA forums. I used to watch UFC when it first began for a few years and lost interest for one reason or another. Instead of the every 3-4 weeks have a PPV concept, could they go every other month and use SpikeTV more for those months where there are no PPV's?

I understand that wrestling is a whole different animal, but a PPV every month has killed them.....but again the WWE has 3+ shows on a week of fresh programming so I can see how things on that end of the spectrum go stale.

If White is still making money, I guess why break the formula that has been successful. Plus the wrestling business, because of their crap attitude towards the fans and their storytelling have lost a lot of their fans to the UFC. I think that this will continue to happen.

[TheShizNo1]

Re: Popularity of MMA

PPV's every month isn't what killed wrestling...

[CaptainZombie]

Re: Popularity of MMA

PPV's every month isn't what killed wrestling...

I don't want to clog this thread with wrestling talk, but it is a part of the problem.

[JerseySuave4]

Re: Popularity of MMA

I also dont think people understand the business. Free TV cards dont make as much money as PPV cards do because networks arent willing to pay to dollar for MMA event. The only reason Strikeforce is having cards on CBS is because Showtime (owned by Viacom which owns CBS) part owns Strikeforce and they are willing to take a loss to help the league grow. The UFC doesnt need to do that.

no i understand the business. Thats why i said you arent going to see the bigger names on Spike because the money to be made from them is off of PPV.

Yea now that i think about it there has been a lot of stuff on Spike. It just feels like there hasnt been for some reason.

But yea i'm wrong for saying that because i think they did a great thing when they started showing the Undercard fights on Spike for free leading up to the start of the PPV events. So you do get to see those guys fight and then i usually watch on Sopcast once the PPV starts because the PPVs havent been as appealing due to injuries like many have said.

Either way, i can care less if MMA becomes more and more popular, i enjoy it, so thats al i care about. I just cant wait for Rampage to come back and smash Rashad.

[aholbert32]

Re: Popularity of MMA

I am getting back into the UFC and haven't posted much in the MMA forums. I used to watch UFC when it first began for a few years and lost interest for one reason or another. Instead of the every 3-4 weeks have a PPV concept, could they go every other month and use SpikeTV more for those months where there are no PPV's?

I understand that wrestling is a whole different animal, but a PPV every month has killed them.....but again the WWE has 3+ shows on a week of fresh programming so I can see how things on that end of the spectrum go stale.

If White is still making money, I guess why break the formula that has been successful. Plus the wrestling business, because of their crap attitude towards the fans and their storytelling have lost a lot of their fans to the UFC. I think that this will continue to happen.

Spike TV is still a small network and cant afford to pay for big name fights every other month. they struggled to get the money together for the Couture/Vera fight they had a few months ago. Even with the advertising dollar, Dana would make less showing it on Spike than on PPV. On PPV he gets the PPV price plus advertising dollars.

[Pappy Knuckles]

Re: Popularity of MMA

MMA seems as popular today as it's ever been to me. It isn't a hot topic in the media anymore because it's all over the place now. 3 years ago if I talked about a guy like Shogun Rua most people wouldn't know who I was talking about. Now I run into people all of the time who are knowledgable about the sport and familiar with many of the fighters.

From 2005-2009 we saw major growth in terms of the fanbase. Just think about all of the guys who started training during this time. I think the outlook of the sport is incredibly bright, and it will only get better as the new wave of killers start making a name for themselves.

[JerseySuave4]

Re: Popularity of MMA

MMA seems as popular today as it's ever been to me. It isn't a hot topic in the media anymore because it's all over the place now. 3 years ago if I talked about a guy like Shogun Rua most people wouldn't know who I was talking about. Now I run into people all of the time who are knowledgable about the sport and familiar with many of the fighters.

From 2005-2009 we saw major growth in terms of the fanbase. Just think about all of the guys who started training during this time. I think the outlook of the sport is incredibly bright, and it will only get better as the new wave of killers start making a name for themselves.

that is true, and it also no longer has that shock value it did when it was really starting to get popular. Now will the athletes it has and how much better these guys are getting at their skills, it is now more respected as a sport instead of just guys in a cage beating the crap out of each other.

I always loved watching the Pride stuff and events with the Japanese crowds because they seemed to be really intelligent in terms of understanding the sport. They knew when and what to cheer. It wasn't just rooting for guys to slug it out, they understood and respected the other skills that went along with the sport and you would hear that with their reactions.

When the UFC was really starting to get popular over the past few years, the crowds still didnt seem to fully understand everything that went into MMA. Even when i would get my friends to watch they werent look at the same things i was. I was impressed by the little things the guys were doing, while they were more impressed with just knockouts and guys getting the crap kicked out of them. But i think over the past few years people are becoming more educated in the different styles in MMA and no longer is it about guys slugging it out, but people understand and respect the skills involved a lot more.

I gotta give Rogan and the commentators a decent amount of credit on that because they do a good job explaining exactly what is going on. I remember when i first watched MMA i had no idea what half of the moves the guys were talking about were. I didnt know what they really were. Then as i watched more, i learned more. I think the UFC commentators do a nice job explaining that for the audiences that may not know what a kimura is or other things. I can't say the same for the crappy commentators that Elite XC or Strikeforce have.

[TheShizNo1]

Re: Popularity of MMA

I used to hate when guys wrestled on the ground. Now, I love watching them fight and move for better position or to set their opponents up. Not ignorant fans annoy the hell outta me lol

[Money99]

Re: Popularity of MMA

MMA seems as popular today as it's ever been to me. It isn't a hot topic in the media anymore because it's all over the place now. 3 years ago if I talked about a guy like Shogun Rua most people wouldn't know who I was talking about. Now I run into people all of the time who are knowledgable about the sport and familiar with many of the fighters.

From 2005-2009 we saw major growth in terms of the fanbase. Just think about all of the guys who started training during this time. I think the outlook of the sport is incredibly bright, and it will only get better as the new wave of killers start making a name for themselves.

So true.
And it's amazing how quickly some of these new fans learn the fighters and the various disciplines with the sport.

I have buddies that started watching a few years ago and now they know everyone. Even guys outside the UFC.
I'm a very casual fan of the sport. I barely know any fighters other than the top stars like Rampage and Lesner, but I'm trying to learn more and I get excited when I see big cards down the pipe.

In fact, I'll probably be hosting a UFC event at my house very soon. I can't remember when the last time was I did that for boxing.
It's almost literally painful when I see how well UFC markets their sport compared to boxing (which I prefer).
And the younger generation is just eating up the sport too. That will help carry it on for years to come. At the same time, it seems the older guard (like myself - soon to be 36) is trying to keep boxing alive.

I don't think it's a stretch to say that in 20 years, big MMA bouts are grabbing front page news like boxing used to.

[JerseySuave4]

Re: Popularity of MMA

money i'm only 24 but ive been a boxing fan for a long time, since my early teens. I didnt live with my father since 5th grade and even when i did he didnt watch boxing so i didnt pick it up from him. I actually got my one brother into boxing so i didnt pick it up from him. It was just something that i became interested in and always seemed to follow. I still follow and love boxing but promoters, questionable judging, way too many weight classes, way too many belts are diminishing it too much. I can care less about the heavyweight division not being competitive because i find the smaller guys more entertaining anyway because they have more skill. Thats why i love a guy like Mayweather who so many seem to all boring. But i dont see him as boring just because he doesnt stand there and slug, i love how he boxes and uses the sweet science and uses his defense, counter punching and speed to dominate guys. The name of the game is to hit and not be hit and he does it the best. I appreciate his skills.

Around 7 or 8 years ago is when i started getting into Pride and watching MMA. I quickly became a fan and the more i learned, the more i enjoyed it. I hate when people argue MMA vs Boxing or feel they need to convince someone that one is better than the other. I love them both, they are very different and each is enjoyable. But i love how MMA's popularity has grown because it has led to fighters turning this into their full time job instead of something they do. It has made guys train better, guys learn more, fighters improve their skills, which makes the fights better, which makes the sport better.

It sucks that the business side of things can sometimes ruin what we want. I wish boxing had an organization like the UFC where a matchmaker made the fights instead of promoters battling back & forth and as a result not always getting the fights we want. I wish boxing would eliminate so many of these divisions and especially so many of these belts so we had 1 champ per weight class. The UFC is basically what the NFL is to football, the NBA to basketball, and the MLB is to baseball. Sure there are other leagues for those sports like Strikeforce is with MMA, but those are the big boys. Guys like Fedor or Moussasi not being in the UFC would be like Peyton Manning or Lebron James playing in the Arena Football League or one of those overseas basketball leagues. I wish the UFC would add another weight class so guys like Faber & Brown could come from the WEC to the UFC. But just that 1 more weight class, no more or else it starts to get like boxing.

[Money99]

Re: Popularity of MMA

I here you Jersey.

I hate it too when people rag on one sport over the other. To me, they're very different sports so why bother? I can see arguing Pride vs UFC, but boxing and MMA are two totally different animals.

And like you said, between the pimps that run the game, along with the multitude of belts and weight classes, the sport is shooting itself in the foot.

Dana White is doing things right. I just wish Boxing would take a page from their business model.
It could be so much better.

If UFC was run like boxing, I don't think it would be as popular as it is today.

[aholbert32]

Re: Popularity of MMA

I here you Jersey.

I hate it too when people rag on one sport over the other. To me, they're very different sports so why bother? I can see arguing Pride vs UFC, but boxing and MMA are two totally different animals.

And like you said, between the pimps that run the game, along with the multitude of belts and weight classes, the sport is shooting itself in the foot.

Dana White is doing things right. I just wish Boxing would take a page from their business model.
It could be so much better.

If UFC was run like boxing, I don't think it would be as popular as it is today.

Totally agree. Thats part of the appeal of MMA. I love that I can explain the UFC to most people in about 5 minutes. I cant tell them who the champs are. 5 weight classes. 5 champs. "Minor leagues" like Strikeforce and WEC. Its straightforward.

[Money99]

Re: Popularity of MMA

Totally agree. Thats part of the appeal of MMA. I love that I can explain the UFC to most people in about 5 minutes. I cant tell them who the champs are. 5 weight classes. 5 champs. "Minor leagues" like Strikeforce and WEC. Its straightforward.

Excellent points!

I'll ad teh fact that you can sell most fights easily because most of the time it's with two guys of equal skill.

In boxing, almost all of the 'big' fights are between two guys on different ends of the spectrum.
It's either a kid who's not ready (or was over hyped), an aged vet or someone way out of his weight class.
I think that's why people want Pac and Floyd because they're both the same age, in their primes and at the same weight.

In UFC, while not every fight is going to be a masterpiece, for the most part, Dana matches guys up who are fairly equal.
You don't see a kid coming up fighting 30 tomato cans before getting a shot at the belt. You actually have to prove yourself. Imagine that?