What makes the UFC the most popular MMA organization in the world? Well, the packed arenas with cheering fans for their star fighters for over 30 years in the combat sports business should answer that itself. Yes, there have been ups and downs, but overall, the promotion has seen tremendous success! Eventually becoming a $12 billion giant. Dana White himself comes out after most pay-per-view pressers to announce how the event set a new record, especially in gate revenue. But there’s another forgotten metric that a former UFC fighter recently reminded everyone of.
When assessing an event’s success, ticket sales, audience interaction, and related factors are crucial. For a business like the UFC, pay-per-view buys stand as the key metrics that define success on a grand scale. It’s been a significant amount of time since the promotion last revealed those figures, and former UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub, who left the organization following his defeat to Travis Browne at UFC 181, reignited that conversation.
On the JAXXON Podcast, Schaub opened up with a bold claim: “MMA in America is especially kind of dying down a little bit.” Not totally convinced, podcast host Bear Degidio asked, “You think so? I believe it’s getting bigger than ever.” But ‘Big Brown’ doubled down, saying, “No… no… who told you that? Maybe just ’cause you’re doing this and your views are good for the most part. It’s actually down. Pay-per-view numbers are down.” Schaub then added that the lack of American champions has also hurt the UFC’s PPV business.
The ex-UFC heavyweight continued, “There’s no American champion, there are no stars really! When’s the last time you heard the UFC announce pay-per-view numbers? They used to—but they don’t have to anymore! They used to say, ‘We did over a million buys.’ When’s the last time you heard that? Because the numbers are down across the board.”
MMA: UFC 300 – Pereira vs Hill Apr 13, 2024 Las Vegas, Nevada, USA UFC president Dana White in attendance during UFC 300 at T-Mobile Arena. Las Vegas T-Mobile Arena Nevada USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xMarkxJ.xRebilasx 20240414_mjr_su5_008
Now, Schaub might be a little infamous for his hot takes, but here, he has a valid point. Since there hasn’t been much transparency about PPV buys, especially after the ESPN deal in 2019, it’s hard to track the real picture. However, according to a Sportsnaut report posted on Yahoo, a betting site named Betideas conducted a survey ahead of UFC 315. In it, 57% of their audience believed that UFC 315 did fewer than 60,000 pay-per-view buys.
Also, after Jon Jones retired, the UFC currently has just one American champion—and that’s Kayla Harrison. So, that definitely might be a contributing factor in the possible decline of the promotion’s popularity. However, that’s not the end of the problems. Schaub believes there’s more to it!
Brendan Schaub takes a dig at Dana White for watered-down cards
The UFC usually tries to put on spectacles for the audience to enjoy a night of grueling showdowns. But fans calling some cards “mid” has become more frequent lately. The reason? Well, Brendan Schaub believes the promotion’s long-time deal with ESPN—which is set to expire in December—is a key factor. According to him, the UFC had to water down cards to deliver 40 to 45 events per year.
‘Big Brown’ added on the JAXXON Podcast, “Granted, money-wise, they’re making more money than ever, right? Like, billion-dollar profits—which is all good for them. But they made a deal with the devil! In order to get that billion-dollar deal with ESPN, they have to provide 45 or 50-something fights a year. So now the product’s watered down.”
Here, too, Schaub seems to make a solid argument. The most recent UFC 318 PPV card received a similar reaction from fans, who described it as a “great Fight Night card,” noting that Poirier’s retirement was the only aspect that made it feel worthy of a PPV. So yes, complaints around card quality have been growing. That being said, the UFC could boost its roster depth by bringing in more superstars from other promotions.
Fans are fired up about UFC 318, featuring Holloway vs. Poirier, expressing their frustration loud and clear—many are labeling it “the worst PPV ever.” They argue the undercard fell flat on star power and insist it would have been better suited as a free Fight Night card. Reddit users are buzzing with theories that the UFC has stopped leaking PPV buy numbers, with one user pointing out: “We haven’t had a single PPV estimate since Usman/Edwards which was said to have done about 360k… the only PPV information was that UFC 300 had the biggest buyrate since Poirier‑McGregor 3, but a number was not specified.”
But whether the PPV numbers are going up or not, we wouldn’t know unless the promotion decides to share them. So, what do you think? Is the lack of American champions hurting the UFC? Let us know by commenting below.
The post Axed UFC Veteran Lifts Veil on Dana White’s Silent PPV Struggles in America appeared first on EssentiallySports.