A sport without stars, brah. What does the Ultimate buyrate top out at now? 500k? Time to embrace a WWE Network inspired future.
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MMA-GAF |OT5| Father Time Is Undefeated
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A sport without stars, brah. What does the Ultimate buyrate top out at now? 500k? Time to embrace a WWE Network inspired future.
dream
Member
Estimated PPV numbers for UFC 169 on 2/1 (Renan Barao vs. Urijah Faber for the bantamweight title and Jose Aldo vs. Ricardo Lamas for the featherweight title) looks to be about 230,000 buys. Estimates have ranged between 220,000 and 250,000. For UFC 170, on 2/22, which was Ronda Rousey vs. Sara McMann, the numbers have ranged from 340,000 to 350,000, which Im still a little skeptical of because it doesnt make sense for it to do that well, since thats more than Cain Velasquez vs. Junior Dos Santos and Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson, and pretty much the same as Canelo Alvarez did for his fight with Perro Angulo.
The UFC from London main events airing on Ch. 5 in the U.K. on 3/8 did only 591,000 viewers, which is well down from what that station averages in prime time and less than half of what Tyson Fury boxing matches in that time slot have done. A boxing show in the slot the week before did 759,000 viewers and NCIS reruns usually do about 1 million viewers. In fact, UFC has done bigger audiences for shows out of prime time and tape delayed by weeks in the past when they had a deal. Ch. 5 aired Melvin Guillard vs. Michael Johnson and Alexander Gustafsson vs. Jimi Manuwa on about a ten minute tape delay (although it was presented as live) along with some other stuff. The numbers were only a little ahead of what BAMMA shows (a British MMA group) had done in the past. Its a lot more viewers than usual, since UFC shows from the U.S. that air on BT Sports (middle of the night airing on a subscription channel) have been doing 20,000 to 50,000 viewers. BT Sports was also airing the show live, as was Fight Pass, which was available in the U.K., so the hardcore fans were probably not watching the Ch. 5 broadcast. That show was presented for an audience like it was their first time or one of their first times ever seeing the product, like an introductory level show. UFC sources had stated this was a six-show deal, where they would air the shows in their hemisphere (Europe and Middle East) on the station live and in prime time. But almost everything on TV is ratings dependent in some form.
On a more positive note, the first episode of TUF Brazil, airing on 3/9, the Wanderlei Silva vs. Chael Sonnen season, did 12 million viewers on Globo airing from 11:55 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Sunday nights/Monday morning. Thats about double what championship fights have been doing on that station. The second episode on 3/16 was even more impressive, doing about the same number of viewers but airing from 1:30 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. Apparently the third episode, that airs this week, features the first sign of fireworks between the two coaches. However, Silva has still not signed a contract for the fight. Dana White said there was a hold-up that he wouldnt talk about, but the last few days Ive heard genuine concern that Silva may not be taking the fight, which would be crazy given he was the one who precipitated it by doing those videos that got so much attention on the Internet and by confronting Sonnen at an autograph signing, plus being so antagonistic while filming the show.
Ronda Rousey is in a legal fight over management. Her former management Fighting Tribe Management, LLC, filed a petition requesting arbitration in Los Angeles Superior Court against Rousey on 3/7. This matter doesnt involve UFC and isnt expected to hold up any fights.
They announced two new FS 1 shows for June, a 6/7 show in Albuquerque (main event is Benson Henderson vs. Rustan Khabilov, the Suplex Machine, who trains at the Greg Jackson camp in Albuquerque; and 6/28 in San Antonio at the AT&T Center.
Dennis Siver tested positive for HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin), a banned substance that is used after completing a steroid cycle to help kick in your natural testosterone, in his test on 12/28 after UFC 168. It took so long for this to come out because the test results for both Siver and Siyar Bahadurzada came back inconclusive. So they tested the B sample for both. Bahadurzadas was clear. Sivers was not. As of now, no punishment has been announced, although it is likely his win over Manny Gamburyan on that show will be overturned, and hed also likely be suspended. Generally, a positive test for HCG would mean someone waited too long to end a steroid cycle as their HCG showed up.
Jay Glazer, 44, a big MMA fan who does some hosting of shows on FS 1 (although less than before with Karen Bryant now as a regular), but far better known as a FOX football analyst, was battling double pneumonia at press time that was so bad that TMZ reported he was touch-and-go for a while. The report was that he had back surgery on 3/11 for a disc issue, but when he was put under, he got sick and started choking on his own vomit. Fluid filled both of his lungs and the oxygen in his blood dropped to dangerous levels. His condition improved and he was released from the hospital on 3/14. He wrote on 3/18 that it was the first day he was able to leave his house.
Dana White, Sean Shelby (the womans division matchmaker) and Lorenzo Fertitta met this past weekend with representatives of Holly Holm, a world womens boxing champion who is unbeaten and has looked impressive in MMA. Obviously she would be groomed for a fight with Ronda Rousey. Lenny Fresquez, Holms manager, told MMA Junkie that the sides were apart on money and no deal was reached. Sources close to UFC said the discussions did not go well based on what her side was asking. The money offered was very significant, but her side wanted similar money to Rousey worked into the contract if she got a title fight, and that wasnt going to happen. The way I was told, things could always come back together, but right now talks are dead. Fresquez said they wanted to be guaranteed theyd make big money for a fight with Rousey. He also said in the conversation he was told that both Carano and Cris Cyborg are both opponents they are looking at for Rousey. Several sources have indicated that UFC contacted Carano about a fight with Rousey. We dont know that its for the 7/5 show in Las Vegas, but that would make sense. But when asked this past week, Rousey said she was looking at fighting in the late summer. White didnt confirm that much, but did say if a Rousey vs. Carano fight would take place, it would be at 135 pounds, not 140 or any other weight. When Carano was in Strikeforce and Elite XC, she fought all her fights but one at 140, and struggled to make that weight. When she fought Cris Cyborg, it was at 145 and she made that with a few pounds to spare. The offer was very significant, but Carano, who would be 32 come fight time, hasnt fought in four years and really wouldnt stand much of a chance. But itll still outdraw anyone out there except possibly Cyborg (and Cyborg to outdraw Carano would need several UFC fights to get her name out, she would not outdraw her out of the box). Cyborg, who was offered the fight with Rousey at UFC 157 before Liz Carmouche, but turned it down because she felt she should make the same as Rousey since she felt she was also a world champion (she was stripped after testing positive) and didnt want to sign an eight-fight deal, would have a much harder time making weight than Carano. Cyborg has been around 170 pounds these days and Carano is rumored to be 158 right now, which also wouldnt be that easy for her to make 135 from. Cyborg has been given hints to fight this year with Lion Fights and Invicta and keep her commitments, but to be ready for around December. From everything were hearing, she is far more dangerous now as a standup fighter than she was when she was in Strikeforce. To me, Id want her badly on UFC shows as opposed to destroying no-names in fights nobody sees. Rousey, before cutting, was in the ballpark of 156 when she was filming TUF, because when she wanted to prove if you were mentally tough enough you could cut and make weight on TUF, she dropped 21 pounds in a day or so and made it, which would have been 135. Rousey said that for all that Carano did for the sport, she would be ecstatic to give her a title shot at any time. She also said she would fight her in a non-title match at 140 if thats what it took to make the fight, but only because of what she did for the sport. She made it clear shes the only exception and anyone else she would fight would only be a title match at 135.
Rousey was asked about pro wrestling this past week. Rousey, Shayna Baszler and Jessamyn Duke all live together at Rouseys home in Venice Beach, along with Marina Shafir, who competed in judo with Rousey and now is an unbeaten amateur MMA fighter. Rousey was something of a fan in the past, and her Rowdy Ronda nickname was taken from Roddy Piper. Baszler is a huge fan and pretty avid historian, who has trained under Billy Robinson. When Baszler moved in, she couldnt miss Raw, and now all four of them, who do the Four Horsewomen gimmick, watch Raw every week. Baszler noted to us that shortly after Robinson passed away, that she was watching all kinds of stuff on him including his match with Antonio Inoki. The women all went out with C.M. Punk on 2/22 in Las Vegas after Rousey beat Sara McMann. I think the first thing I said to him was, `I love you, which was terrible and not smooth at all. You have no idea how many people, months ago, in WWE had predicted that A.J. Lee and Ronda Rousey were on a collision course. She said Punk was super cool. This past week, Rousey and Baszler sent out an instagram of them practicing pro wrestling in a ring, including Rousey doing a flying armbar. The two are expecting to post more stuff and Rousey said shed be happy to do something with WWE, although noted her schedule right now is tough. TMZ reported that she would be interested in doing WrestleMania 31. That would be dependent upon whether UFC would allow it. I know that Jon Jones had interest, or at least his management did, in having him do this years Mania, but nothing transpired from the WWE side.
White did confirm what was reported here several weeks back, that there will be both a 7/5 and 7/6 show in Las Vegas as part of UFC Fight Week, which also includes a fan expo and the Observer/Figure Four annual convention. The 7/5 show will be a PPV at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. The 7/6 show may be at the MGM Grand as well, but thats not confirmed, but it will be an FS 1 show headlined by B.J. Penn vs. Frankie Edgar in a five-round featherweight fight, and will also be the TUF finale for the season the two are coaching. There will also be a pool party with the Octagon girls, grappling and martial arts tournaments, training sessions, and a free concert.
He also said the plan when opening up Mexico, which I would guess would be with Cain Velasquezs next fight, most likely at Arena Ciudad in Mexico City, is to run Mexico as often as Brazil. I dont know if thats a good idea. There are economic issues and MMA is nowhere near as popular in Mexico as it is in Brazil.
Jim Ross was at UFC headquarters in Las Vegas on 3/12. That should get rumors going. As best I can tell, this was not anything to do with being a UFC announcer, a position hes openly said hed love to do and also has said he believes the opportunity will not come.
Pablo Popovitch, the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu expert who was with Thaysa Silva, the estranged wife of Thiago Silva, is now blaming his own ex-wife for what happened. Yes, it sounds strange, but apparently police found messages from his ex-wife, Fabianna Popovitch, to Thiago Silva riling him up before he allegedly pulled a gun on Thaysa and later came to Popovitchs gym with a gun and made threats that wound up in his being arrested. Popovitch said that he and his wife had split up and were living in separate places, and then his wife started sending photos to Thiago Silva and telling him about the relationship Popovitch and Thaysa were having. Popovitch claimed his ex-wife would call his family members and act scared for him because of who he was dating and that Thaysas ex-husband was crazy and she was afraid for her ex-husband. Later, when Thiago was arrested, when they went through his cell phone, they found out that Fabianna was provoking everything. She would text Pablo how she was scared for what Thiago might do to him, and then would text Thiago to rile him up against Pablo. The day Thiago Silva came to the gym, Pablo claimed that Fabianna sent a message to Pablos sister and brother-in-law scared for her life and their life saying Thiago threatened all of them. And then, in court, Fabianna was defending Thiago after everything went down. Popovitch claimed that he doesnt even understand why Thiago acted that way since hes got a new girlfriend, and has a second girl in Brazil who is pregnant.
The 5/10 show in Cincinnati on FS 1 will have a three-hour main card with a five-round Matt Brown vs. Erick Silva main event, plus Costas Philippou vs. Lorenz Larkin, Erik Koch vs. Daron Cruickshank, William Macario vs. Neil Magny, Soa Palelei vs. Ruan Potts (debuting South African heavyweight champion) and Chris Cariaso vs. Louis Smolka.
At a UFC Q&A on 3/14 in Dallas, a fan asked Chad Mendes if hed be willing to do his wife later that night and if he could watch. As far as a guy publicly asking that question in front of hundreds of people, well, that was different.
The UFC from London main events airing on Ch. 5 in the U.K. on 3/8 did only 591,000 viewers, which is well down from what that station averages in prime time and less than half of what Tyson Fury boxing matches in that time slot have done. A boxing show in the slot the week before did 759,000 viewers and NCIS reruns usually do about 1 million viewers. In fact, UFC has done bigger audiences for shows out of prime time and tape delayed by weeks in the past when they had a deal. Ch. 5 aired Melvin Guillard vs. Michael Johnson and Alexander Gustafsson vs. Jimi Manuwa on about a ten minute tape delay (although it was presented as live) along with some other stuff. The numbers were only a little ahead of what BAMMA shows (a British MMA group) had done in the past. Its a lot more viewers than usual, since UFC shows from the U.S. that air on BT Sports (middle of the night airing on a subscription channel) have been doing 20,000 to 50,000 viewers. BT Sports was also airing the show live, as was Fight Pass, which was available in the U.K., so the hardcore fans were probably not watching the Ch. 5 broadcast. That show was presented for an audience like it was their first time or one of their first times ever seeing the product, like an introductory level show. UFC sources had stated this was a six-show deal, where they would air the shows in their hemisphere (Europe and Middle East) on the station live and in prime time. But almost everything on TV is ratings dependent in some form.
On a more positive note, the first episode of TUF Brazil, airing on 3/9, the Wanderlei Silva vs. Chael Sonnen season, did 12 million viewers on Globo airing from 11:55 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Sunday nights/Monday morning. Thats about double what championship fights have been doing on that station. The second episode on 3/16 was even more impressive, doing about the same number of viewers but airing from 1:30 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. Apparently the third episode, that airs this week, features the first sign of fireworks between the two coaches. However, Silva has still not signed a contract for the fight. Dana White said there was a hold-up that he wouldnt talk about, but the last few days Ive heard genuine concern that Silva may not be taking the fight, which would be crazy given he was the one who precipitated it by doing those videos that got so much attention on the Internet and by confronting Sonnen at an autograph signing, plus being so antagonistic while filming the show.
Ronda Rousey is in a legal fight over management. Her former management Fighting Tribe Management, LLC, filed a petition requesting arbitration in Los Angeles Superior Court against Rousey on 3/7. This matter doesnt involve UFC and isnt expected to hold up any fights.
They announced two new FS 1 shows for June, a 6/7 show in Albuquerque (main event is Benson Henderson vs. Rustan Khabilov, the Suplex Machine, who trains at the Greg Jackson camp in Albuquerque; and 6/28 in San Antonio at the AT&T Center.
Dennis Siver tested positive for HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin), a banned substance that is used after completing a steroid cycle to help kick in your natural testosterone, in his test on 12/28 after UFC 168. It took so long for this to come out because the test results for both Siver and Siyar Bahadurzada came back inconclusive. So they tested the B sample for both. Bahadurzadas was clear. Sivers was not. As of now, no punishment has been announced, although it is likely his win over Manny Gamburyan on that show will be overturned, and hed also likely be suspended. Generally, a positive test for HCG would mean someone waited too long to end a steroid cycle as their HCG showed up.
Jay Glazer, 44, a big MMA fan who does some hosting of shows on FS 1 (although less than before with Karen Bryant now as a regular), but far better known as a FOX football analyst, was battling double pneumonia at press time that was so bad that TMZ reported he was touch-and-go for a while. The report was that he had back surgery on 3/11 for a disc issue, but when he was put under, he got sick and started choking on his own vomit. Fluid filled both of his lungs and the oxygen in his blood dropped to dangerous levels. His condition improved and he was released from the hospital on 3/14. He wrote on 3/18 that it was the first day he was able to leave his house.
Dana White, Sean Shelby (the womans division matchmaker) and Lorenzo Fertitta met this past weekend with representatives of Holly Holm, a world womens boxing champion who is unbeaten and has looked impressive in MMA. Obviously she would be groomed for a fight with Ronda Rousey. Lenny Fresquez, Holms manager, told MMA Junkie that the sides were apart on money and no deal was reached. Sources close to UFC said the discussions did not go well based on what her side was asking. The money offered was very significant, but her side wanted similar money to Rousey worked into the contract if she got a title fight, and that wasnt going to happen. The way I was told, things could always come back together, but right now talks are dead. Fresquez said they wanted to be guaranteed theyd make big money for a fight with Rousey. He also said in the conversation he was told that both Carano and Cris Cyborg are both opponents they are looking at for Rousey. Several sources have indicated that UFC contacted Carano about a fight with Rousey. We dont know that its for the 7/5 show in Las Vegas, but that would make sense. But when asked this past week, Rousey said she was looking at fighting in the late summer. White didnt confirm that much, but did say if a Rousey vs. Carano fight would take place, it would be at 135 pounds, not 140 or any other weight. When Carano was in Strikeforce and Elite XC, she fought all her fights but one at 140, and struggled to make that weight. When she fought Cris Cyborg, it was at 145 and she made that with a few pounds to spare. The offer was very significant, but Carano, who would be 32 come fight time, hasnt fought in four years and really wouldnt stand much of a chance. But itll still outdraw anyone out there except possibly Cyborg (and Cyborg to outdraw Carano would need several UFC fights to get her name out, she would not outdraw her out of the box). Cyborg, who was offered the fight with Rousey at UFC 157 before Liz Carmouche, but turned it down because she felt she should make the same as Rousey since she felt she was also a world champion (she was stripped after testing positive) and didnt want to sign an eight-fight deal, would have a much harder time making weight than Carano. Cyborg has been around 170 pounds these days and Carano is rumored to be 158 right now, which also wouldnt be that easy for her to make 135 from. Cyborg has been given hints to fight this year with Lion Fights and Invicta and keep her commitments, but to be ready for around December. From everything were hearing, she is far more dangerous now as a standup fighter than she was when she was in Strikeforce. To me, Id want her badly on UFC shows as opposed to destroying no-names in fights nobody sees. Rousey, before cutting, was in the ballpark of 156 when she was filming TUF, because when she wanted to prove if you were mentally tough enough you could cut and make weight on TUF, she dropped 21 pounds in a day or so and made it, which would have been 135. Rousey said that for all that Carano did for the sport, she would be ecstatic to give her a title shot at any time. She also said she would fight her in a non-title match at 140 if thats what it took to make the fight, but only because of what she did for the sport. She made it clear shes the only exception and anyone else she would fight would only be a title match at 135.
Rousey was asked about pro wrestling this past week. Rousey, Shayna Baszler and Jessamyn Duke all live together at Rouseys home in Venice Beach, along with Marina Shafir, who competed in judo with Rousey and now is an unbeaten amateur MMA fighter. Rousey was something of a fan in the past, and her Rowdy Ronda nickname was taken from Roddy Piper. Baszler is a huge fan and pretty avid historian, who has trained under Billy Robinson. When Baszler moved in, she couldnt miss Raw, and now all four of them, who do the Four Horsewomen gimmick, watch Raw every week. Baszler noted to us that shortly after Robinson passed away, that she was watching all kinds of stuff on him including his match with Antonio Inoki. The women all went out with C.M. Punk on 2/22 in Las Vegas after Rousey beat Sara McMann. I think the first thing I said to him was, `I love you, which was terrible and not smooth at all. You have no idea how many people, months ago, in WWE had predicted that A.J. Lee and Ronda Rousey were on a collision course. She said Punk was super cool. This past week, Rousey and Baszler sent out an instagram of them practicing pro wrestling in a ring, including Rousey doing a flying armbar. The two are expecting to post more stuff and Rousey said shed be happy to do something with WWE, although noted her schedule right now is tough. TMZ reported that she would be interested in doing WrestleMania 31. That would be dependent upon whether UFC would allow it. I know that Jon Jones had interest, or at least his management did, in having him do this years Mania, but nothing transpired from the WWE side.
White did confirm what was reported here several weeks back, that there will be both a 7/5 and 7/6 show in Las Vegas as part of UFC Fight Week, which also includes a fan expo and the Observer/Figure Four annual convention. The 7/5 show will be a PPV at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. The 7/6 show may be at the MGM Grand as well, but thats not confirmed, but it will be an FS 1 show headlined by B.J. Penn vs. Frankie Edgar in a five-round featherweight fight, and will also be the TUF finale for the season the two are coaching. There will also be a pool party with the Octagon girls, grappling and martial arts tournaments, training sessions, and a free concert.
He also said the plan when opening up Mexico, which I would guess would be with Cain Velasquezs next fight, most likely at Arena Ciudad in Mexico City, is to run Mexico as often as Brazil. I dont know if thats a good idea. There are economic issues and MMA is nowhere near as popular in Mexico as it is in Brazil.
Jim Ross was at UFC headquarters in Las Vegas on 3/12. That should get rumors going. As best I can tell, this was not anything to do with being a UFC announcer, a position hes openly said hed love to do and also has said he believes the opportunity will not come.
Pablo Popovitch, the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu expert who was with Thaysa Silva, the estranged wife of Thiago Silva, is now blaming his own ex-wife for what happened. Yes, it sounds strange, but apparently police found messages from his ex-wife, Fabianna Popovitch, to Thiago Silva riling him up before he allegedly pulled a gun on Thaysa and later came to Popovitchs gym with a gun and made threats that wound up in his being arrested. Popovitch said that he and his wife had split up and were living in separate places, and then his wife started sending photos to Thiago Silva and telling him about the relationship Popovitch and Thaysa were having. Popovitch claimed his ex-wife would call his family members and act scared for him because of who he was dating and that Thaysas ex-husband was crazy and she was afraid for her ex-husband. Later, when Thiago was arrested, when they went through his cell phone, they found out that Fabianna was provoking everything. She would text Pablo how she was scared for what Thiago might do to him, and then would text Thiago to rile him up against Pablo. The day Thiago Silva came to the gym, Pablo claimed that Fabianna sent a message to Pablos sister and brother-in-law scared for her life and their life saying Thiago threatened all of them. And then, in court, Fabianna was defending Thiago after everything went down. Popovitch claimed that he doesnt even understand why Thiago acted that way since hes got a new girlfriend, and has a second girl in Brazil who is pregnant.
The 5/10 show in Cincinnati on FS 1 will have a three-hour main card with a five-round Matt Brown vs. Erick Silva main event, plus Costas Philippou vs. Lorenz Larkin, Erik Koch vs. Daron Cruickshank, William Macario vs. Neil Magny, Soa Palelei vs. Ruan Potts (debuting South African heavyweight champion) and Chris Cariaso vs. Louis Smolka.
At a UFC Q&A on 3/14 in Dallas, a fan asked Chad Mendes if hed be willing to do his wife later that night and if he could watch. As far as a guy publicly asking that question in front of hundreds of people, well, that was different.
At least their biggest remaining draw is being put to good use. And by good use I mean watching guys like "War Machine Negao" and "Shoe Face" favela fight.
The latest episode ended with Wanderlei refusing to continue the show if Chael doesn't apologize to the whole of Brazil, which Chael refused to do, even with his celebrity Brazilian female beach volleyball assistant coach urging him to do so. The episode 3 teaser included Wanderlei approaching Chael and calling him a "muddafucka."
I encourage you all to watch.
Wow those PPVs bombed hard, I knew the Super Bowl card was a dud but god damn.
Dana "Rousey the biggest star in MMA"
The scary thing is it's probably true, at least in the States. Dwindling interest has taken this circus on a world tour.
Save us, Nick.
Yet, we can't watch it on TV in its main market. Great job, guys.
You could easily argue that Brazil is now that main market. MMA has never pulled numbers like that in the States, and that was a taped reality show in the A.M. hours.
"Porra Obrigata, Caralho." - Danao "Pitbull" Waisch
Yeah, should be interesting. Also curious what he can pull in a Gus rematch, which would probably be the new ceiling for the foreseeable future.
Thats the joke dot jaypeg
Not convinced Manny can beat Bradley again.
dream
Member
forgot this part
The last time there was a UFC welterweight title match that didnt include either Georges St-Pierre, or the previously dominant champion Matt Hughes, was May 4, 2001, in Atlantic City, when Carlos Newton won the championship from Pat Miletich using a headlock choke.
Newton dropped his title in his first defense to Hughes, and between he and St-Pierre, who both held the belt twice, thy dominated the title for nearly 13 years.
This week began a new era for the division. With St-Pierre on a sabbatical, the real title, not an interim belt, was at stake in the main event of UFC 171, which took place on 3/15 in Dallas.
Johny Hendricks, who was denied the title by a close decision in November where he lost the fifth and deciding round, this time won the fifth round to take a close decision over Robbie Lawler in a fight that will likely finish high in this years fight of the year voting.
Most had the fight even going into the fifth round. The fight was mostly standing, with back-and-forth action. Just when one would seem to have the momentum, the other would mount a comeback. It appeared Hendricks was landing more, but Lawlers punches had more power. Lawler was able to defend Hendricks takedowns, which figured to be a key point in the fight. Lawler figured to have the more technical striking, but Hendricks would have the one punch power. But in reality, the opposite was happening.
The sellout crowd of 19,324 fans at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, where Hendricks lives, set an American attendance record, breaking the mark of 19,049 when Randy Couture beat Tim Sylvia in Columbus, OH, on March 3, 2007. The gate was $2.6 million. However, the paid attendance was 16,239, which fell shy of the U.S. paid attendance record of 17,465 set for the March 10, 2006, Strikeforce show in San Jose headlined by Frank Shamrock beating Cesar Gracie.
Due to Big East basketball tournament commitments by FS 1, the prelims were moved to FS 2. They set a record for the largest audience since the station was renamed in August, with 305,000 viewers, breaking the previous mark of 257,000 for the 2/16 Arsenal vs. Liverpool FA Cup soccer game. The show did a 0.90 in Males 18-49 and 0.22 in Women 18-34. When the station was called Fuel and was built around UFC, there were only two shows in its history with more viewers, both UFC cards. They were the March 2, 2013, Wanderlei Silva vs. Brian Stann main card from Japan, that did 485,000 viewers, and a June 8, 2013, show from Brazil, headlined by Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Fabricio Werdum, which did 313,000 viewers.
The idea of airing the prelims today is because they do strong prime time ratings, particularly in the Male demo. The original reason was to be on regular TV with fights that would garner viewers, and then be a reminder that the big fights are following on PPV. Its impossible, because of all the moving parts, to measure the effectiveness of this. Both WCW and WWF each had periods of running free shows (and TNA has done it for Bound for Glory) live from the PPV location right before the PPV started. Both companies dropped it, feeling it wasnt cost effective. Here, with the prelims on FS 2, with far smaller penetration, perhaps it could be judged based on if less people were watching because of a station cleared in fewer homes and also a less popular station (roughly one-third the viewers of the previous two prelims on FS 1), would that hurt PPV numbers?
Based on DirecTV numbers, with the show doing slightly better than projections (in the same range as Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson and Cain Velasquez vs. Junior Dos Santos in the fall), if there is any difference, its not measurable at this point.
Hendricks grew up in Edmond, OK, where he was a three-time state high school champion, high school national champion at 160 pounds as a senior, teenage national champion at 165 in 2001 and 2002, and at the time, was the most heavily recruited high school wrestler in the country. He went to Oklahoma State University, winning NCAA titles in 2005 and 2006, placing fourth in 2004 and second in 2007.
Now living in Dallas, the reaction to him coming out was near the top of the food chain, almost but not quite a GSP in Montreal, or Chuck Liddell in Las Vegas level. The crowd chanted for him early.
But from the onset, it was clear this was not the same Hendricks who most felt did enough to beat St-Pierre, but lost to the ten point must system since St-Pierre clearly won two rounds, and the deciding first round was close enough that it reasonably could have gone either way. Ironically, this fight from a scoring standpoint was very similar, with Hendricks in the GSP role in a lot of ways. But there were several differences when it came to Hendricks.
The differences started the day before, when Hendricks weighed in at 171.5 pounds for a fight that he had to make 170. He seemed shocked, and embarrassed. Panic set in. First it was said it would be a three round non-title fight. Then it was a five-round non-title fight. Then it was ruled that if Lawler won, he would be the champion, but if Hendricks won, the title would remain vacant. But Hendricks went back to the gym, sweated out the final 1.5 pounds, came in two hours later and made weight. But the question was how much that late cutting would hurt his stamina if the fight went long.
When he got in the cage, his body looked different than against St-Pierre. His stomach wasnt tight. His physique was smooth. He said after the fact, that after rehydrating, he got as high as 198 pounds that day, but got a big sweat in warm-ups and said he got into the cage at 193.
It was clear when he threw that his punches didnt have the same power. His wrestling wasnt as sharp, either. A few days later, he said that about ten days before the fight, in training, he was throwing a right hook and he heard a pop in his elbow. He knew it was bad. He was in so much pain he said he considered pulling out of the fight. Instead, he told nobody. He said it meant a different game plan, because the elbow injury, which he later found out after getting it examined was a torn biceps that needs surgery (he is getting surgery on 3/20, which will keep him out of training until late May), was so significant he said he knew it would affect his wrestling. He went for a number of takedowns on Lawler, but couldnt get any early, until landing one each in the fourth and fifth rounds. And his left didnt have the punching power he had against St-Pierre.
Hendricks said days later that he thought he re-injured the right elbow in the first round. During the fight, between the third and fourth round, Hendricks was telling his corner that his shoulder was hurting. He later revealed it was his elbow, and shoulder was a code word for elbow, in case anyone was listening and would get word to Lawlers corner.
The crowd knew it was a classic at the end of round two, when the sellout throng gave both men a standing ovation. When round five started, the feeling was similar to the first Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar fight, as everyone was standing. Hendricks got Lawler against the fence and started throwing knees to the thigh. The crowd actually booed as Hendricks tried to wrestle. Ref Dan Miragliotta ordered separation, perhaps too early. They traded shots and Hendricks failed on a takedown attempt. They continued to trade until Lawler landed a left and a right. Hendricks started taking over with bigger shots that rocked Lawler and opened him up for a takedown. Lawler, on his butt on the ground, had this look of a guy who knew that could have been the difference maker. Hendricks punched some on the ground until time ran out. Hendricks had clearly won the fifth round, but people have seen enough strange decisions not to be sure of anything.
The judges ruled it 48-47 for Hendricks. The crowd exploded for the most part. They wanted Hendricks, but it was close enough that nobody was sure. Two judges gave Hendricks rounds one, two and five. One judge, Doug Crosby, had a weird card, giving Hendricks a 10-8 second round, and no way was that a 10-8 round, and then, in round five, which Hendricks clearly won, he scored it 10-10. Our poll was actually one-sided, with 80% feeling Hendricks won to only 15% for Lawler and 5% had it as a draw. Still, it was the opposite of the GSP fight. This time, Hendricks face was all bruised up. Lawler had marks on him, but nowhere near as severe.
As far as significant strikes went, and in a match with only two takedowns and almost no ground action except in round five, they would tell a decent story of the fight, the first round was close, with Hendricks having a 15-13 edge. In the second round, Hendricks had a 42-21 edge. Round three saw Lawler have a 43-33 edge. Round four saw Lawler have a 56-34 edge. Round five saw Hendricks have a 34-17 edge.
In all, there were 308 significant strikes landed, 158 for Hendricks and 150 by Lawler. Hendricks total breaks the all-time record for a UFC championship fight. The match total also breaks the record of 256 set for the Carlos Condit vs. Nick Diaz interim welterweight title fight, and 244 for last years Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson fight.
The show ended with three legitimate contenders for him. Tyron Woodley stopped Carlos Condit in the second round when Condits right knee went out after a powerful kick spun him around while his leg stayed planted. Condit was able to get up on his own power, and was able to be helped to the back. The next day, at the airport, he was walking without crutches, but he was limping. He was having an MRI done to determine damage, but there was fear of a torn meniscus and torn ACL.
Hector Lombard won a decisive decision in a one-sided fight over Jake Shields. And on 2/22, Rory MacDonald took a decision over Demian Maia. The Lawler fight was close enough and good enough that Hendricks said he knows hell probably have to face him again. Plus, there are two wildcards. The first is St-Pierre, who Hendricks wants to face. Unless he beats St-Pierre, Hendricks will always have the stigma of the guy who never won the title from the previous champion. The second is Nick Diaz, who was in Dallas, and was telling reporters hes ready to come back. Diaz was heckling Hendricks bad when he missed weight. But Diaz has lost his last two fights, so even though he would draw better than the non-GSP contenders, he really needs to prove himself first. GSP should be able to come back and challenge for the title any time he wants to, given hes earned a spot by dominating the title and never losing it. Plus a Hendricks vs. GSP rematch would be one of the biggest fights in years.
Our poll, which didnt include either GSP or Diaz, on who should get the next title shot, 51% had Woodley, 23% had MacDonald, 16% had Lawler, 6% had Lombard and 5% had Dong Hyun Kim.
Woodley and Lombard both issued challenges to Hendricks that night, both in the ring and at the press conference, with Lombard doing it directly to Hendricks. Lombard said that he beat Jake Shields, and Shields had wins over both Woodley and Demian Maia. Woodley said he finished Carlos Condit, the toughest guy in the division. Woodley also talked about having unfinished business with Hendricks. In 2005, Hendricks beat Woodley, who went to the University of Missouri, in the finals to win the Big-12 championship at 165 pounds. Hendricks went on to win the NCAA tournament while Woodley placed seventh, although the two didnt meet in the tournament.
MacDonald sent an immediate Twitter challenge, asking for a title fight in June in Vancouver. The timing of that is unlikely, since Hendricks wants to take time off and was talking about September or October for his first defense, and thats provided his right elbow injury isnt too serious.
As far as the other split decisions, it appeared all were largely agreed upon. Jessica Andrade vs. Raquel Bennington, a fight that would have won fight of the night honors on most cards, which Andrade won via split, was voted 79% for Andrade, 18% for Bennington and 3% even. Kelvin Gastelum vs. Rick Story, a split that went for Gastelum, was 77% for Gastelum, 19% for Story and 4% had it even.
Overall, the show ranked with the 3/1 show in Macau as one of UFCs two best so far this year. In particular, the two hours on FS 2 were all entertaining fights, with three back-and-forth fights and one great performance by Dennis Bermudez in a win.
Hendricks and Lawler each got a $50,000 bonus for best fight, while other $50,000 performance bonuses went to Ovince St. Preux and Bermudez.
One classy thing should be mentioned. Diego Sanchez is the guy Bryan Danielson saw do the yes chant that he copied. Sanchez lost to Myles Jury, and Danielson wrote on twitter about how much he respects Sanchez for his heart.
The last time there was a UFC welterweight title match that didnt include either Georges St-Pierre, or the previously dominant champion Matt Hughes, was May 4, 2001, in Atlantic City, when Carlos Newton won the championship from Pat Miletich using a headlock choke.
Newton dropped his title in his first defense to Hughes, and between he and St-Pierre, who both held the belt twice, thy dominated the title for nearly 13 years.
This week began a new era for the division. With St-Pierre on a sabbatical, the real title, not an interim belt, was at stake in the main event of UFC 171, which took place on 3/15 in Dallas.
Johny Hendricks, who was denied the title by a close decision in November where he lost the fifth and deciding round, this time won the fifth round to take a close decision over Robbie Lawler in a fight that will likely finish high in this years fight of the year voting.
Most had the fight even going into the fifth round. The fight was mostly standing, with back-and-forth action. Just when one would seem to have the momentum, the other would mount a comeback. It appeared Hendricks was landing more, but Lawlers punches had more power. Lawler was able to defend Hendricks takedowns, which figured to be a key point in the fight. Lawler figured to have the more technical striking, but Hendricks would have the one punch power. But in reality, the opposite was happening.
The sellout crowd of 19,324 fans at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, where Hendricks lives, set an American attendance record, breaking the mark of 19,049 when Randy Couture beat Tim Sylvia in Columbus, OH, on March 3, 2007. The gate was $2.6 million. However, the paid attendance was 16,239, which fell shy of the U.S. paid attendance record of 17,465 set for the March 10, 2006, Strikeforce show in San Jose headlined by Frank Shamrock beating Cesar Gracie.
Due to Big East basketball tournament commitments by FS 1, the prelims were moved to FS 2. They set a record for the largest audience since the station was renamed in August, with 305,000 viewers, breaking the previous mark of 257,000 for the 2/16 Arsenal vs. Liverpool FA Cup soccer game. The show did a 0.90 in Males 18-49 and 0.22 in Women 18-34. When the station was called Fuel and was built around UFC, there were only two shows in its history with more viewers, both UFC cards. They were the March 2, 2013, Wanderlei Silva vs. Brian Stann main card from Japan, that did 485,000 viewers, and a June 8, 2013, show from Brazil, headlined by Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Fabricio Werdum, which did 313,000 viewers.
The idea of airing the prelims today is because they do strong prime time ratings, particularly in the Male demo. The original reason was to be on regular TV with fights that would garner viewers, and then be a reminder that the big fights are following on PPV. Its impossible, because of all the moving parts, to measure the effectiveness of this. Both WCW and WWF each had periods of running free shows (and TNA has done it for Bound for Glory) live from the PPV location right before the PPV started. Both companies dropped it, feeling it wasnt cost effective. Here, with the prelims on FS 2, with far smaller penetration, perhaps it could be judged based on if less people were watching because of a station cleared in fewer homes and also a less popular station (roughly one-third the viewers of the previous two prelims on FS 1), would that hurt PPV numbers?
Based on DirecTV numbers, with the show doing slightly better than projections (in the same range as Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson and Cain Velasquez vs. Junior Dos Santos in the fall), if there is any difference, its not measurable at this point.
Hendricks grew up in Edmond, OK, where he was a three-time state high school champion, high school national champion at 160 pounds as a senior, teenage national champion at 165 in 2001 and 2002, and at the time, was the most heavily recruited high school wrestler in the country. He went to Oklahoma State University, winning NCAA titles in 2005 and 2006, placing fourth in 2004 and second in 2007.
Now living in Dallas, the reaction to him coming out was near the top of the food chain, almost but not quite a GSP in Montreal, or Chuck Liddell in Las Vegas level. The crowd chanted for him early.
But from the onset, it was clear this was not the same Hendricks who most felt did enough to beat St-Pierre, but lost to the ten point must system since St-Pierre clearly won two rounds, and the deciding first round was close enough that it reasonably could have gone either way. Ironically, this fight from a scoring standpoint was very similar, with Hendricks in the GSP role in a lot of ways. But there were several differences when it came to Hendricks.
The differences started the day before, when Hendricks weighed in at 171.5 pounds for a fight that he had to make 170. He seemed shocked, and embarrassed. Panic set in. First it was said it would be a three round non-title fight. Then it was a five-round non-title fight. Then it was ruled that if Lawler won, he would be the champion, but if Hendricks won, the title would remain vacant. But Hendricks went back to the gym, sweated out the final 1.5 pounds, came in two hours later and made weight. But the question was how much that late cutting would hurt his stamina if the fight went long.
When he got in the cage, his body looked different than against St-Pierre. His stomach wasnt tight. His physique was smooth. He said after the fact, that after rehydrating, he got as high as 198 pounds that day, but got a big sweat in warm-ups and said he got into the cage at 193.
It was clear when he threw that his punches didnt have the same power. His wrestling wasnt as sharp, either. A few days later, he said that about ten days before the fight, in training, he was throwing a right hook and he heard a pop in his elbow. He knew it was bad. He was in so much pain he said he considered pulling out of the fight. Instead, he told nobody. He said it meant a different game plan, because the elbow injury, which he later found out after getting it examined was a torn biceps that needs surgery (he is getting surgery on 3/20, which will keep him out of training until late May), was so significant he said he knew it would affect his wrestling. He went for a number of takedowns on Lawler, but couldnt get any early, until landing one each in the fourth and fifth rounds. And his left didnt have the punching power he had against St-Pierre.
Hendricks said days later that he thought he re-injured the right elbow in the first round. During the fight, between the third and fourth round, Hendricks was telling his corner that his shoulder was hurting. He later revealed it was his elbow, and shoulder was a code word for elbow, in case anyone was listening and would get word to Lawlers corner.
The crowd knew it was a classic at the end of round two, when the sellout throng gave both men a standing ovation. When round five started, the feeling was similar to the first Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar fight, as everyone was standing. Hendricks got Lawler against the fence and started throwing knees to the thigh. The crowd actually booed as Hendricks tried to wrestle. Ref Dan Miragliotta ordered separation, perhaps too early. They traded shots and Hendricks failed on a takedown attempt. They continued to trade until Lawler landed a left and a right. Hendricks started taking over with bigger shots that rocked Lawler and opened him up for a takedown. Lawler, on his butt on the ground, had this look of a guy who knew that could have been the difference maker. Hendricks punched some on the ground until time ran out. Hendricks had clearly won the fifth round, but people have seen enough strange decisions not to be sure of anything.
The judges ruled it 48-47 for Hendricks. The crowd exploded for the most part. They wanted Hendricks, but it was close enough that nobody was sure. Two judges gave Hendricks rounds one, two and five. One judge, Doug Crosby, had a weird card, giving Hendricks a 10-8 second round, and no way was that a 10-8 round, and then, in round five, which Hendricks clearly won, he scored it 10-10. Our poll was actually one-sided, with 80% feeling Hendricks won to only 15% for Lawler and 5% had it as a draw. Still, it was the opposite of the GSP fight. This time, Hendricks face was all bruised up. Lawler had marks on him, but nowhere near as severe.
As far as significant strikes went, and in a match with only two takedowns and almost no ground action except in round five, they would tell a decent story of the fight, the first round was close, with Hendricks having a 15-13 edge. In the second round, Hendricks had a 42-21 edge. Round three saw Lawler have a 43-33 edge. Round four saw Lawler have a 56-34 edge. Round five saw Hendricks have a 34-17 edge.
In all, there were 308 significant strikes landed, 158 for Hendricks and 150 by Lawler. Hendricks total breaks the all-time record for a UFC championship fight. The match total also breaks the record of 256 set for the Carlos Condit vs. Nick Diaz interim welterweight title fight, and 244 for last years Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson fight.
The show ended with three legitimate contenders for him. Tyron Woodley stopped Carlos Condit in the second round when Condits right knee went out after a powerful kick spun him around while his leg stayed planted. Condit was able to get up on his own power, and was able to be helped to the back. The next day, at the airport, he was walking without crutches, but he was limping. He was having an MRI done to determine damage, but there was fear of a torn meniscus and torn ACL.
Hector Lombard won a decisive decision in a one-sided fight over Jake Shields. And on 2/22, Rory MacDonald took a decision over Demian Maia. The Lawler fight was close enough and good enough that Hendricks said he knows hell probably have to face him again. Plus, there are two wildcards. The first is St-Pierre, who Hendricks wants to face. Unless he beats St-Pierre, Hendricks will always have the stigma of the guy who never won the title from the previous champion. The second is Nick Diaz, who was in Dallas, and was telling reporters hes ready to come back. Diaz was heckling Hendricks bad when he missed weight. But Diaz has lost his last two fights, so even though he would draw better than the non-GSP contenders, he really needs to prove himself first. GSP should be able to come back and challenge for the title any time he wants to, given hes earned a spot by dominating the title and never losing it. Plus a Hendricks vs. GSP rematch would be one of the biggest fights in years.
Our poll, which didnt include either GSP or Diaz, on who should get the next title shot, 51% had Woodley, 23% had MacDonald, 16% had Lawler, 6% had Lombard and 5% had Dong Hyun Kim.
Woodley and Lombard both issued challenges to Hendricks that night, both in the ring and at the press conference, with Lombard doing it directly to Hendricks. Lombard said that he beat Jake Shields, and Shields had wins over both Woodley and Demian Maia. Woodley said he finished Carlos Condit, the toughest guy in the division. Woodley also talked about having unfinished business with Hendricks. In 2005, Hendricks beat Woodley, who went to the University of Missouri, in the finals to win the Big-12 championship at 165 pounds. Hendricks went on to win the NCAA tournament while Woodley placed seventh, although the two didnt meet in the tournament.
MacDonald sent an immediate Twitter challenge, asking for a title fight in June in Vancouver. The timing of that is unlikely, since Hendricks wants to take time off and was talking about September or October for his first defense, and thats provided his right elbow injury isnt too serious.
As far as the other split decisions, it appeared all were largely agreed upon. Jessica Andrade vs. Raquel Bennington, a fight that would have won fight of the night honors on most cards, which Andrade won via split, was voted 79% for Andrade, 18% for Bennington and 3% even. Kelvin Gastelum vs. Rick Story, a split that went for Gastelum, was 77% for Gastelum, 19% for Story and 4% had it even.
Overall, the show ranked with the 3/1 show in Macau as one of UFCs two best so far this year. In particular, the two hours on FS 2 were all entertaining fights, with three back-and-forth fights and one great performance by Dennis Bermudez in a win.
Hendricks and Lawler each got a $50,000 bonus for best fight, while other $50,000 performance bonuses went to Ovince St. Preux and Bermudez.
One classy thing should be mentioned. Diego Sanchez is the guy Bryan Danielson saw do the yes chant that he copied. Sanchez lost to Myles Jury, and Danielson wrote on twitter about how much he respects Sanchez for his heart.
industrian
will gently cradle you as time slowly ticks away.
Two cards in two days in the same venue.
That's the stupidest idea I've ever heard.
That's the stupidest idea I've ever heard.
Lambda Pie
Banned
bring back knees to a downed opponent.
TheKaeptain
Banned
Maybe if UFC had kept their events special instead of putting on what feels like 20 events a month in a sport where guys can only fight once every 4 months at best isn't the best model. There are only a handful of actual stars and draws and most of them only fight twice a year. It was obvious to see that over saturation was starting as soon as they started doing Fight Nights and then multiple PPVs a month. It's not like pro wrestling where you can see Cena or whoever you like every week. Trying to run their model based on as close to possible as the modern day WWE schedule is a terrible idea for MMA. Way too many shows with no enough top talent.
industrian
will gently cradle you as time slowly ticks away.
bring back knees to a downed opponent.
That must have hurt.
I take it that the Dortmund player is Ukrainian or something.
Definitely true, as are your comments that Brazil is now the primary market for the UFC. I still have to catch up on TUF Brazil 3 (and I will, since Wandy and all) but I'm getting super selective on these cards. I didn't watch the last PPV despite rooting for Big Rig. I didn't watch the Aldo fight and he's my p4p favorite. Passed on the Rousey fight - if I wanted to watch a squash match, there's still tons of PRIDE DVD's I haven't gotten to yet.
industrian
will gently cradle you as time slowly ticks away.
I was a goalkeeper when I was a kid and got kneed, kicked and otherwise knocked around a lot of times. But I got my own back on a lot of other kids. I was a regular Harald Schumacher at times.
Spot dee Batroc
I wonder what the extent of his "role" is. I'm pretty sure it'll be some b-roll footage of Captain America roughing up some dudes in a "Captain America's back in action" montage or some shit though.
Either way, I'll be seeing this in the cinema shortly after it releases here next Thursday.
Host Samurai
Member
I would like to see Lombard knock Rorys block off
industrian
will gently cradle you as time slowly ticks away.
My ideal next fights would be:
Hendricks vs. Lombard
Tyron vs. Lawler
Rory vs. Kim
Ellenberger/Saffy vs. Maia
Brown/Silva vs. Gastelum
Shields vs. Some Dude in WSOF
Hendricks vs. Lombard
Tyron vs. Lawler
Rory vs. Kim
Ellenberger/Saffy vs. Maia
Brown/Silva vs. Gastelum
Shields vs. Some Dude in WSOF
Wow those PPVs bombed hard, I knew the Super Bowl card was a dud but god damn.
Dana "Rousey the biggest star in MMA"
To be exact friends, he actually called her the biggest star EVER in the sport.
Host Samurai
Member
I honestly wouldn't be surprised if Shields got the slip.
Lambda Pie
Banned
#apathy
RBelong2Us
Member
Oh so another fight that should be on that weidman/Machida card is a fight night headliner
Host Samurai
Member
Could have all been decent mid card scraps
TheKaeptain
Banned
War Matt Brown!
polyh3dron
Banned
I SAID MAKE IT STOP
polyh3dron
Banned
And yet ticket prices for Weidman/Machida will be through the roof.
juliushandle
Member
So Ludwig is upset that Faber went public with his departure so quickly. Sorry Duane but this is business, not personal. Faber can't have you hangin around poaching his team trying to take the likes of Mendes, TJ, and Holdsworth with you to Colorado.
Every card this year has a potential to be another 151
PLEASE TELL ME THIS IS FAKE
I don't think its that bad. Surely better than lame shit like this
What exactly are Condit and Woodley swinging at anyway?
For a real, video games are a pretty cheap hobby all things considered. So much more you can do with a few million.
ya like paying UFC ring card girls to blow me on weekends abroad.
I bet a brittany + arriany weekend would be pretty cheap.
bone_and_sinew
breaking down barriers in gratuitous nudity
Recovering from a 3 day bender, my midsection feels as if it took a Daniel Ghita kick.
BigJonsson
Member
If I won millions I'd be off to Bora Bora ASAP
Someone once told me time is a flat circle. Everything we've ever done or will do, we're gonna do over and over and over again.