The UFC doesn't release it's actual number of PPV buys per event but industry insiders like Dave Meltzer are able to give good estimates in the weeks following an event. If his numbers are anywhere close to accurate, the UFC is taking a beating this year in PPV, at least compared to it's last several years. UFC 169: 230,000 UFC 170: 340,000 UFC 171: 300,000 UFC 172: 350,000 UFC 173: 210,000 UFC 174: <200,000 (early estimate) Total: 1.63-million At this time last year the UFC had sold 2.8-million PPV's. Obviously they had a St-Pierre fight on the books but they also had UFC 161 (Evans vs. Henderson), one of the lowest rated PPV's of the modern era (<150,000). In 2012, the UFC had sold 2.53-million PPV's by mid-late June. On July 7th they added nearly a million more with the Silva/Sonnen rematch. If we average the last two years, the UFC's PPV business is down 39%. Image from BE
It's one thing to need access to network and cable TV to follow your favourite baseball team and another to need two to three TV channels, an online subscription, and a PPV purchase to watch ONE EVENT. I think this is the fuckiest thing they are doing.
I'm a casual fan, but the interest in these PPV has really dropped off for me. I don't recognize the names anymore, I can catch a lot of MMA on TV and I get confused with all the different organizations. I know this is a very simplistic thing to say and shows my shallow knowledge of the sport, but I would pay to see Brock Lesner, Matt Hughes, George St Pierre. Heck Chuck Lidell had me tuning in to see what would happen. I suspect as the sport has grown, the quality of the participants have gotten much better and there isn't someone who dominates the sport anymore because there are so many good challengers. But I can't think of a MMA guy I would pay to sees right now. Maybe/probably the current heavy weight champ in UFC. I still enjoy watching MMA, and very few things get my testosterone flowing the way a good MMA fight does, but I also feel like I can turn on a fight and watch two guys wrestle and lean on each other for 3 rounds or two guys dance around the ring for 3 round with a few good strikes here and there. Just a perspective from a casual fan.
Too many events... 145 and down championship fights should co-main with the higher divisions, would make for better cards.
Tonight's event should show whether or not the UFC is still popular. Long weekend, two title fights, recognizable fighters, and lots of promotion.
UFC 175 finishes with 500k searches. Identical to Rousey's other headlining fights (save 168 outlier). Suggests 340-450k PPV buys.
Meltzer is saying 500,000 buys which is pretty good. Not so good when it's the biggest PPV of the year and you've cancelled the next one, but still.