Across the next eight days, mixed martial arts fans are going to receive an overload of action from the UFC. Thirty-six total fights in total will take place, kicking off at UFC Fight Night 27, through to UFC 164, and culminating with UFC Fight Night 28. As the UFC has become the flagship of the Fox Sports 1 launch, this slate of fights is more intriguing because the ratings results will be highly scrutinized. However, one thing that needs to be considered when comparing the three fight cards is the differences in card depth from one card to the next.
The UFC has a major opportunity in front of it with UFC Fight Night 27. Tonight’s card features a number of solid fights that hardcore fight fans can get behind, but doesn’t carry the kind of major promotional star that gets people to turn on their televisions each time he is in the cage. However, Carlos Condit vs. Martin Kampmann is a very interesting fight that features two exciting athletes, and while none have said it flat out, this bout has the potential to recreate the magic of Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar in 2006, which pushed mixed martial arts closer to becoming a mainstream event.
Saturday night’s UFC 164 event raises questions about how well of a job the UFC will do in promoting the card. The main event, a rematch between Benson Henderson and Anthony Pettis, is perhaps one of the most anticipated matches available to MMA fans. The number of highlights that came from their first bout would leave sportscasters on Fox Sports 1, ESPN, and any other outlet salivating at the matchup’s “Wow Factor.”
Unfortunately, the UFC has not done such a great job pushing this fight, even with preseason games gaining steam leading into the opening of the NFL season.While Bellator MMA was able to get Tito Ortiz and Quinton Jackson all across ESPN platforms on Monday to promote their fight, the UFC lightweight champion and top contender have stayed in the background in recent weeks. This is one of the problems that the UFC faces in having so many cards back to back, with a large number of dates to fill. Not every fight gets the exposure and the attention that it warrants.
Regardless of the preliminary card ratings and pay-per-view buys for UFC 164, the ratings for UFC Fight Night 28 will remain important in its own way. This card doesn’t feature many names that would be recognized by mainstream fight fans. And while the card will likely be a success in Brazil, it it probably doesn’t have the power to attract the attention of the American mainstream fan. Being one of the only major sports events on that Wednesday night will give it some additional leeway to attract fan interest, but the card is still lacking from top to bottom.
The MMA media should keep a close eye on fans’ responses to these three events to see how much of a factor the Ultimate Fighting Championship will play within Fox Sports. If the two Wednesday cards can draw high ratings, then the promotion will continue gaining momentum through the fourth quarter of 2014. If UFC 164 on Saturday is successful, that may mean that FS1 is well-suited for promoting big PPV events through its live event broadcasts. Success could lead to the establishment of a weekly MMA series along similar lines as Friday Night Fights in boxing, to help showcase some of the lesser known talent that the UFC has to feature.
Keep a close eye on the Fox Sports platform from August 28 through September 4. Mixed martial arts is going to be in the spotlight on Fox Sports 1, and success on the big stage of sports will push the UFC one step closer towards their mainstream dreams.
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UFC Fight Night 27: Kampmann vs. Condit 2 is due to take place on August 28, 2013 at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.
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UFC 164: Henderson vs. Pettis II is due to take place on August 31, 2013 at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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UFC Fight Night 28: Teixeira vs. Bader is due to take place on September 4, 2013 at the Estadio Jornalista Felipe Drumond in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
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