UFC decided to get people interested in fighting small guys

April 24 there was a historical event: the first Zuffa presented for sale PPV tournament, which played the major role fighters light divisions. Is it a significant event and what it can lead men weighing less than 70 kg – let’s see

April 24 there was a historical event: the first Zuffa presented for sale PPV tournament, which played the major role fighters light divisions. Is it a significant event and what it can lead men weighing less than 70 kg – let’s seeMMA is often compared to boxing. Recently, a comparison is increasingly the case in favor of MMA. At the same time boxing promoters have to do what has not yet been able to either UFC, no other MMA organizations, and in the next two to three years is it unlikely. It is about the ability to roll out the men of light weight categories.
Two years ago, De La Hoya and Mayweather have collected their battle incredible amount of $ 134.4 million at the mere PPV. It is clear, and they themselves were not offended: Oscar received $ 52 million, Floyd – 25. In terms of sales this fight was better than even the most successful fighting Tyson.
And now imagine that, say, Feyber and Aldo sell “at least” a million PPV. Or get over it “at least” a million dollars. Tricky to imagine is not it? And this despite the fact that their fight was definitely the most anticipated featherweight fight weight and the most important event in this category for the entire history of the WEC.

Say what you like, but people love to watch it on big guys. In Japan, it can reach the full the absurd, there are ready to look at any strapping Frick, but in general, people have always been great fun and always get more. World Champion heavyweight without reason called the second man after the President. And among the major “magnet” for viewers in the UFC – more precisely the representatives of heavy and light-heavy weights.
UFC decided to get people interested in fighting small guys, and this, of course, cool. Easy guys did not yield to their large counterparts in any endurance or the strength of spirit, or in athleticism. They fully deserve to be known to a wide range of audiences and receive their salaries on par with the best fighters in the world.
Recently, to increase the popularity of light weight categories is much more than before: the promotion of WEC fighters plus organization Bellator, which holds its Grand Prix in weight to featherweight on average – and from next season, as it was known to be introduced more competition and bantamweight champion. However, Bellator – it is still a bit different story. They have access to TV and good ratings, but nobody knows what they have with financial balance and how long they will be able to pay his troops generous royalties – in the first season champion receives $ 175,000 in two months, for the featherweight weight of money incredible.

How much does it take to mass audience interested not only toughs from 93 kg and above? And how long are prepared to wait for the promoters? Complicated question. According to preliminary estimates WEC 48 150-200 thousand gathered PPV. By the standards of UFC amount just miserable, even the failing tournaments in recent months to collect more.
But the potential for growth of this venture definitely there, the only question is how much patience is a UFC bosses in this case. Organization of the tournament for the PPV with all the attendant costs – it rather troublesome and expendables, and in this case does not play a particularly important role, WEC is a regular tournament, or UFC. Save in the WEC can except on Salary: Manny Gamburyan – the only one with all the bonuses received incredible for polulegkovesa amount of $ 101,000, while one of the best fighters in the rankings P4P Josie Aldo earned ridiculous for any strand $ 40,000, half of salary was a bonus for a win, but only a total of fighters were paid $ 596,500. In this latter now the tournament UFC, which were announced on wages of participants, was UFC on Versus 1, in which the men paid $ 913,000 – and this despite the fact that these fights shown on the cable channel and not through the PPV.
At the same time on the tickets WEC makes much less money (about the difference in PPV sales, we have already said): WEC 48 held at the Arco Arena in Sacramento, where I came from one of the main stars of the organization, Juraj Feyber. Originally, UFC president White said that the attendance record was set WEC and the number of visitors (14 144), and to collect tickets ($ 1,000,000). It turned out that the national White pretty fib, and in fact the audience was 12,555, which is only a third result in history, and money on this raised $ 792.640.

For comparison, the last two license Tournament UFC, the 111 th and 112 th, collected, according to White, 4 and 3,5 million. Even minus the crippling ego, urging the President to the inflated figures, the difference is still just enormous.
What could help WEC reduce this difference and become a truly mainstream product? The simplest and most obvious answer: good entertaining fights. Moreover, it is desirable that all turned out spectacular is the main event tournament. Not too technical, but very entertaining battle Garcia and Jung had done in the evening to promote light weights maybe even more than Aldo and Feyber. The fact that they were not in the main cardia, perhaps even into the hands of the organization: PPV buy a maximum of 200 000 people, and sometimes less, but the pre-tournament fights on Spike TV have collected millions of viewers.
It is important to be at the right time, right place . If five years ago at the TUF finale its epic battle would not have issued Griffin and Bonnar, and say, Karaleksis and Rafferty, but nobody knows what would have been with the UFC.
And if a few years of Garcia and Junge will be remembered as people which paved the way for mass audiences young boys with big hearts, it will be just great. MMA needed its Mayweather and Pacquiao.
Author: Stanislav Kharlamov