Why the UFC on FOX is good for the sport of MMA
Posted on August 18, 2011, 04:46 PM by Ryan Ventura
Longtime fight fans do you remember the days when we had to look far and wide for fight footage? I remember the days watching UFC events from an illegal black PPV box. The days of ordering VHS tapes from infomercials, buying them from Martial Arts shops, and the ads from Black Belt magazine are pretty much long gone. Before the internet, it was hard to find fights to watch. In 2011, Mixed Martial Arts is everywhere. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year we have access to nearly every fight recorded at our finger tips. From on-demand digital services to online video services. You can watch fights from the comfort of your own home or on the go on your iPhone. The media distribution for our sport has never looked better and the fastest growing sport in the world just took a big step in the right direction.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship announced their seven year partnership with FOX and its umbrella of networks which include FX and FUEL TV. The UFC is already very much embedded into mainstream pop culture with its previous deal with SPIKE, but FOX as we in know in North America is considered a much more legitimate network. FOX has some of the most sought after programing on television which attracts millions of viewers and has some of the best revenue from advertising on their network. From NASCAR to the Super Bowl, FOX has aired some of sport’s premier events and TV shows. FOX is also in more homes in North America compared to SPIKE.
The UFC being part of the FOX network further legitimizes our sport as being a “true sport” right alongside Major League Baseball and the NFL. This has been a long time coming from the days of being banned on TV, banned from PPV, and something that was once viewed as “human cockfighting”. More exposure, more advertising revenue, could equal more pay-per-view buys. Not only would there be more money for the promotion, but more money for the fighters we pay to see. I expect to see more corporate sponsors being represented in the Octagon one day too. Many Japanese fighters have been sponsored by brands like Nike for many years, but I expect to see these brands become even more common with the recent television deal. Even with ZUFFA’s sponsorship fee, these big companies are more than able to afford the fee. They would be more willing to pay these fees too with the new exposure the promotion will be getting.
With the UFC now being featured on the FOX network what could that mean for smaller promotions? Personally, I believe for the lesser known promotions this deal is a positive thing for them too. Other networks will catch on to the increased MMA buzz and would be more open to having the sport featured in their programing schedule. We already have networks like HD Net, MTV2, and Showtime that show Mixed Martial Arts programing. I expect to see even more, maybe even double the MMA that is already shown on TV. I highly doubt there’ll be anyone that even comes close to dethroning the UFC as the number one promotion in the world, but that’s ok. I think there is a need and a niche that needs to be met to see the best up and comers of the sport. In order for fighters to develop and grow into superstars, they need a stage to show off their craft.
Our sport is still very much in its infancy stage and it’s come a long way from what it used to be. It still has a lot of growing up to do, but I’m very optimistic for what the future has in store.
Agree? Disagree? Drop your two cents in the comment box.
Comments
This year alone is the biggest year in MMA history, with UFC buying Strikeforce, merging with the WEC and now announcing its broadcast deal with the biggest network in North America.
Apart from the buisness side we have seen the best performace side aswell: Anderson Silva's front kick which will be remembered forever in MMA; Lyoto Machida's crane kick which will be just as famous as Anderson's; Randy Couture going out on his shield; Edgar vs. Maynard 2; Jon Jones becoming champion at 23 and destroying Shogun; Tito's comeback win; Henderson vs. Fedor; Daley vs. Diaz; Sung Jung's twister submission........ and MUCH MOrE
2011 for sure has a been a highlight reel year for MMA.
Don`t forget about them having benfits for the fighters now
Nope never forgot that one my friend, I was just talking about how big this deal is.
To be honest I did forget about that, thanks for reminding me bro.
Great write-up!!
Thank you.
good for the sport bad for the fans who dont have fox sports channel
You don't have Fox? Where abouts are you from my man?
i have fox and FX but i dont have fox sports channel which used to show bellator
Dude it's the big FOX Channel and FX channels that will get UFC events, you'll be able to get all the action you can handle bro.
I can understand it's a big deal because it's going to bring in a lot of fans, make revenue for the UFC, and they can pay fighters higher. But the general fan of mma isn't the most educated human on the planet. Yes this will help to expand MMA, but it will also, dumb it down. I think it's better when people actually have to go out and find an MMA fight, not be given an MMA fight, it's a filter for the retards. You think you've seen bad comments, just wait a few months, there is going to be a million fan boys without a brain.
I understand and agree with your thoughts!
I agree with your comments, but I think anything and everything that is popular has idiots that like it. At that point, as a hardcore fan you gotta filter out the BS. I do it all the time.
True dat. I already have to filter out douche bags at the bar in their Affliction and Tap Out shirts screaming for stand up between a ground fight against two bjj guys.
LOL Man I do that all the time at live fights and bars.
What could have been better? This is good for fighters, fans, ufc, fox and mma. Happy to hear about it. MMA will finally get its place in today's society ;D
Common sense says that the UFC with FOX is win-win for everyone. A sure sign that MMA is the biggest growing sport in the world. TUF will be better, everything will be better. Spike was great but time for the UFC to hit the big stage.
I'm stoked to hear about the changes Dana plans to make regarding the intro music/ Gladiator theme etc. I'd love to see a UFC broadcast that measures up to a NBA/ NFL quality broacast in terms of presentation.
I'm personally sick of the rap/metal theme and cheesy visuals, they're overdue for a makeover.
I agree. We could use a little bit of "class" in our MMA presentations. The Japanese and even the Europeans have been doing this for years.