How do you think UFC acquitted itself on Fox?

[Rayne]

After all the anticipation, UFC on Fox 1 is in the history books. How do you think UFC performed, especially for viewers unfamiliar with the sport of MMA?


Reflecting on it the morning after, I view it as a mixed bag. I facepalmed when the fight was over after 64 seconds. I don't think the new viewer is going to be interested in watching 35 minutes of pregame so that you can see one minute of action; which obviously isn't typical of an MMA fight, but the American audience is fickle, and impressions last. In hindsight, always 20/20, Henderson/Guida would have been a great way to introduce new viewers to the sport, describing the way the rules and strategies work while the fight is in progress (beyond the standard "Rules of the Octagon" bit that lasts 15 seconds, which is really enough for even the newbie to grasp the basics.) Honestly, how much important shit do Goldberg/Rogan say during a typical fight anyways?

On the other hand, Fox's production was noticeable and a great improvement. It was nice to see that they went with the "Fox Sports" trumpet intro- it's a way of signaling to the audience that Fox takes UFC as seriously as it does Major League Baseball and the Super Bowl. That's HUGE for UFC, which isn't a sports backwater anymore, but still isn't a mainstream (ugh, I hate that word) sport. Curt Menefee was a nice touch; Brock Lesnar humored the people that are familiar with him and looked like an idiot ape to anyone unfamiliar, and Dana White was way, way too excited to speak. Can't blame him.

Hopefully UFC on Fox 2 will be scheduled with a bit more of a fight in mind. Silva/Sonnen 2 could be a good candidate- a rematch of a fight that ended with no small degree of controversy, and I'm not talking about Silva's last-gasp sub. Sonnen knows how to promote a fight- he's straight out of the 1970's Book Of Bombastic Boxing Smacktalk. Anderson Silva's antics drive the dedicated MMA audience crazy, but hometown America would crack up over it.

 

[INDYjon22]

I don't think they did a bad job, but I do think they should really could have benefited from having the Bendo/Guida fight on it as well. The first half an hour was spent hyping the Heavyweight title, clearly Dana and the UFC wasn't expecting the title fight to go for very long and there wasn't really a need for that long of an introduction. The fans could have seen the best of both worlds, had the Lightweights been showcased. The casual fans would have seen a fast paced, scrap to determine a future contender and a Heavyweight slugfest that didn't disappoint, at least it didn't disappoint me. I hope the UFC on Fox learns from this and will show at least two fights from here on out. Good showing regardless.

 

[JWGunslinger]

I'd say it was a decent start to a very big move to a bigger network which by itself is a major success but I do think that the fight was a bit underwhelming. I was saying from the beginning they needed to atleast do Cain-Junior and Clay-Bendo on the main card slot, if there was one fight on the card that they could have guaranteed on the card to be an all out fast paced battle it's that fight.

But I think in general just focusing on the UFC fitting in with Fox I thought it was spectacular, the football music hit and the setup looked great, I was sold on the night being a success from that point on. Also it'll get better, not only will the main events in the future be kickass but more fights will be added to the regular broadcast, so looking at it longterm there was nothing wrong with last night's event and I still think that they made a great first impression.

 

[Shinjo]

I don't view at as a detriment to the UFC's development as a mainstream (you're right, we need a better term) sporting brand. It wasn't a boring fight but I feel the optimal fight to choose shouldn't have been two heavyweights with vicious knockout power but more reserved fighters in terms of fight longevity. Guys who have a proven record of entertaining bouts but at the same time guys who aren't proficient in devastating 1 punch knockout power. Nick Diaz basically, just without the post fight craziness and referals to the champ as a 'motherfucker' (which I personally have zero qualms with but...... image...). And I wouldn't have minded Diego Sanchez vs Clay Guida or afight of that nature to give casual fans a taste of the incredible potential of a MMA fight, which is greater and more eye-popping then any sport out there with the exception of dodgeball. But Henderson and Guida would have sufficed beautifully, especially since the fight had many ground game intricacies, which would've dispelled fears of boring wrestlers by the casual crowd and given the impression that the ground is exciting (which it can be, just depends on the fighter) which is important because inactive ground games are the number 1 barrier to hooking people on the UFC's product.

But again, UFC isn't all that hurt by this- but it could've gained so much more. Special mention to the electric crowd and grand feeling of the entire fight, too bad it wasn't a war.

 

[IrishCanadian25]

The fight wasn't very marketable. I mean, the Heavyweight Title is always a big draw in itself, but you need to put your other recognized main stars on a show that is airing on network TV for the first time. Why not hold off Chris Leben's fight from the PPV the other week to tonight? He's charismatic, people LOVE the guy. Is Forrest Griffin hurt?(I honestly am asking because I don't know...) JDS and Velasquez aren't the only two big names you'd want on a card like this one when you're trying to draw in a greater US audience...

 

[D-Man]

I think the Heavyweight championship is the most marketable title fight they could have advertised. To an average viewer, the words "Heavyweight Championship of the World" is something they'd all be interested in. It describes the greatest title a promotion has (whether it be true or false) and, on paper, Velasquez vs. Cigano should have been a longer, more strategic fight. Unfortunately, it fell short of that with a quick KO.

 

[The Crock]

It wasn't a perfect scenario for the UFC, but I think it worked out just fine. According to some reports I've seen, they pulled in about 5.7 million viewers, making that the most watched event in the history of the UFC. So, even if people think Junior Dos Santos and Cain Velasquez aren't marketable, or Henderson vs Guida should have been on the show, they still did fine (ratings-wise). The Heavyweight Championship of the World is a HUGE draw, just as D-Man said. It was a fine choice to put that fight on for the fans.

As for the question of how that fight translates to new viewers -- it's simple really, they got a short and sweet taste of the UFC. They got excitement, a title change, that's quite a bit to take in, even if it only lasted 64 seconds. The fight didn't need to be drawn out, as I think the viewers (even if they've never watched before) understand that not ALL fights are like that, but they did get a highlight reel moment in all of that.

From here on out, I'd like to think UFC on Fox will be at least a few fights, certainly not just one. Putting all their eggs in one basket this time didn't hurt, but if it happens again, who's to say it wouldn't put off some potential viewers? Sonnen vs Silva II would be a HUGE fight to see on one of these broadcasts, as the OP said, but that might be the biggest draw in the history of MMA. Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves, Dana White probably wants that fight to headline a PPV. I'd think putting some of your more famous guys, like Rampage Jackson, on one of those cards would do wonders for pulling in viewers. Maybe even tossing in a title fight here or there (Henderson vs Edgar wouldn't be a bad choice) or maybe a number one contendership bout wouldn't hurt. There needs to be a defined line between what goes on PPV and what goes on Fox. They'll probably handle it much like they handled Spike or Versus events, maybe a full PPV each year or something.

There's so many possibilities with what they can do on Fox -- it's an exciting time for the UFC.

 

[GANLEYBRAND]

Sorry for this thread bump, but I found the need to respond to this thread. I found that the UFC on Fox event was great and had great hype but in the end the fight did not live up to my expectations, I was hoping for a decent back forth fight, but I guess it wasn't Valesquez's night