MMANEWS.COM Staff Writer<Br><Br>
Let’s be honest here, as of late, we’ve been force fed a
slew of UFC hosted events. Being highly addicted to the sport in general, I’m
not personally opposed to all the action, but one must wonder, has the
abundance of events stolen away from the mystique of the fight game? Once upon
a time fans were forced to wait months in between events. At the time, it
seemed to be quite disheartening having to wait months to catch a good fight,
but in hindsight, the scheduling enabled the promotion to create stars. <Br><Br>
Remember the days when fans clamored for a Chuck Liddell
fight? It was almost painful to wait months to see the man take to the cage,
and that manufactured a level of anticipation that is all but non-existent in
today’s mixed martial arts landscape. Cards seemingly roll in with the breeze
these days, and it’s made for a challenge in creating truly massive draws.
Fighters like Jon jones, Anderson Silva, Georges St. Pierre, Nick Diaz and
Junior dos Santos still garner heavy anticipation; we can’t wait to see these
men compete. However, when you’re running a promotion that boasts hundreds of fighters
on their roster, a small handful of truly marquee faces isn’t exactly profound.<Br><Br>
The problem, in my personal opinion, is the UFC’s sudden and
strange inability to create bona fide household names. There are spectacular
fighters signed with the promotion, but they’re never gifted the promotional
push to elevate their status from “good fighter”, to legit “superstar” status
worthy of raking in major ticket sales and big Pay-Per-View buys.<Br><Br>
Fighters like Dominick Cruz, Fabricio Werdum, Dan Henderson,
Rashad Evans, Lyoto Machida, Michael Bisping, Chris Weidman, Martin Kampmann,
Jake Ellenberger, Gray Maynard, Anthony Pettis, Jose Aldo, Chad Mendes, Diego
Nunes and Renan Barao (to name just a few) are supremely talented individuals
who aren’t being marketed as legit superstars, when in fact, they should,
without a doubt be. These are remarkably skilled individuals who should command
undivided attention. Yet, they’re not; ask a casual fan to name a few mixed
martial artists, and it’s highly unlikely that these names will surface in
conversation. It’s a travesty in my mind, as these guys are deserving of the
highest level of respect from fans.<Br><Br>
It’s not happening, and I’ve got a few theories as to why.<Br><Br>
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Watered Down Cards: I understand that UFC brass is aiming to
make more names and faces recognizable, I really do (and I respect them
immensely for that), but when you’re running events with two to three
recognizable fighters competing, while cluttering undercards with virtual
unknowns, it steals away from the event’s mystique. Fans enjoy cards with
plenty of familiar faces, not a small handful, and if a fan is expected to buy
a card, he (or she) is probably hoping for a solid half dozen top notch
talents, not a few great fighters and a load of unrecognizable competitors
cluttering the undercard.<Br><Br>
Schedules: We’ve gotten to a point in which events are being
showcased on damn near every night of the week. Friday nights don’t
statistically draw huge viewer bases. It’s Friday night, the work week has
wound down and most are eager to get a little time on the town after five
grueling days of listening to a boss raise qualms over any mistake made. The
first thing on many minds is knocking back some cold ones and venting with
friends and associates, not dedicating two to three hours watching fights,
especially when Saturday nights have long been the practice for showcasing UFC
events.<Br><Br>
Too Much of The Ultimate Fighter: I personally still tune in
to every season of TUF. I love fights, and I like to get a look at the inner
recesses of a fighters mind. However, in just over a half decade we’ve seen
more than fifteen seasons of the show, and it’s begun to wear thin on casuals.
I understand the desire to take the reality show to an international level, but
one season a year could go a long way in producing genuine stars. When it
becomes difficult to keep up with reality show contestants and the sheer number
of seasons produced, it’s not all too easy to become emotionally attached to a
fighter.<Br><Br>
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Television Expansion: Again, I personally love all the
fights available to fans. However, with FOX, FX and FUEL constantly running
past events, fights and newly aligned cards, the sport has taken on a bit too
much for even diehard fans to keep pace. I don’t have a problem with the
abundance of fights being televised, but new fans are being bombarded with so
many events that it’s become difficult distinguishing one fighter from another.
To make matters worse, some of the smaller shows to be broadcast by channels
like FUEL TV and FX are often severely under-promoted. The promotion for UFC on
FX 3 was treated to a dismal promotional push: I can’t count how many
associates I had to inform that the card was even taking place. There’s a
serious lack of visibility for some of these cards which seem to lack star
power. If the goal is to lure viewers into the fold, make every event
(regardless of how significant the fights may or may not be in the grand scheme
of things) highly visible, and work endlessly to promote these headlining
competitors to the greatest extent possible.<Br><Br>
Sheer Volume: At this point, just six months into 2012, the
UFC has hosted fourteen events (sans the actual reality show), with another two
scheduled back-to-back for this weekend. Sixteen events inside a half calendar year
can easily be considered rather excessive. <Br><Br>
Averaging nearly three events a month is (arguably) draining the magic
from the sport, and as aforementioned, it’s hindering the ability to build big
personalities. We never get a chance to learn who these fighters are, because
the promotion’s stable of fighters has grown so massive that it’s challenging
to find familiar faces and styles that truly capture the adoration of fans. At
this point, another eleven events are already scheduled for 2012, totaling
twenty five cards this year, and we may still be in for the announcement of a
year-end show, which would lift the tally to twenty six events. Again, factor
in the multiple seasons of The Ultimate Fighter this year, and we’re being
bombarded with so many events it’s difficult to even keep track of the action.
Not to mention, in today’s economy, shelling out $50-$60 per Pay-Per-View event
isn’t realistic: when at least fifteen to eighteen shows will hit the play platform.
Think for a minute and do the math. Fifteen events at $50 bucks a pop is $750.
That’s an awful lot to shell out for one single year’s entertainment,
especially if you plan on having some drinks while watching.<Br><Br>
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