Dec
27
2013
2

Inside and Outside of the Octagon, There’s a Lot at Stake at UFC 168


By Raphael Garcia

It’s the holiday season, and much of the mixed martial arts world is anticipating the real gift that is UFC 168 coming on Saturday. Headlined by two title rematches and a number of other good fights on the undercard, this card is just the way that the Ultimate Fighting Championship and its fans would want to end an action-packed fourth quarter of 2013. However, it’s not just a year-end bonus for fans; the promotion has a lot riding on this special card.

According to UFC President Dana White, UFC 168 is expected to be be one of the most purchased events in the company’s history. White has gone on record to say that he believes the show will garner between 1.2 to 1.4 million pay-per-view buys. If this event actually hits those numbers, it will be placed second all-time to only UFC 100, which was held four years ago. That event was also headlined by two title fights: Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir in the main event, with Georges St. Pierre vs. Thiago Alves as the co-main event.

UFC 168 will benefit from greater promotion than any other PPV event this year. Current middleweight champion Chris Weidman has already appeared on ESPN twice to promote this fight, once with former champion Anderson Silva by his side. Weidman has also been featured on CNN in the weeks leading up to the bout. Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate just spent months competing against each other as coaches on the 18th season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” which has generated a different type of buzz. Combine those two factors with the UFC’s partnership with the FOX network — a promotional vehicle that the UFC did not have at the time that UFC 100 occurred — and it’s easy to see how White and others could come to such lofty conclusions.

However, it’s vital that this show hits those projected numbers, because overall, 2013 has been a mediocre year for the UFC when it comes to PPV buy numbers. In fact, the narrative that has followed many of the UFC’s shows is that numbers were surprisingly lower than expected. The major shows that were featured on FOX have done well with ratings, but the organization has struggled to create sufficient interest around fighters who were placed in headline positions for pay-per-view. But if UFC 168 can hit the 1.2 to 1.4 million range that the promotion anticipates, that will greatly boost the year’s numbers on the whole, which is the type of momentum the company needs leading into 2014.

Another reason this show is important is that it gives the promotion an opportunity to create new stars. With Georges St. Pierre leaving the sport for the time being, there is a gaping hole on the UFC’s roster that needs to be filled by a strong PPV draw. Anderson Silva’s numbers have gone up and down depending on who he’s matched against, and this fight gives Weidman the opportunity to build himself into a draw in his own right. Ronda Rousey has already carried an event to 450K buys, and her exposure in movies, magazines, and television could continue to bolster those numbers. UFC 168 is the company’s best chance to create two new stars in the wake of losing its biggest name a few weeks ago. If the UFC can reach the million-buy benchmark for the event, the champions who walk out of it will be poised to draw similar numbers for the events that they headline in the future, which would be music to the ears of the UFC braintrust.

The UFC has put together a strong card in hopes of ending the year on a positive note. Two rivalries in two title fights, along with another strong undercard to lead into the show, along with the enhanced promotion that the company brings to the table as a whole, sets the stage for the biggest show of the year. Whether the show ends up being as big as anticipated remains to be seen, but if it does, then Zuffa will surely have something to be merry about.

**********


UFC 168: Weidman vs. Silva II is due to take place on December 28, 2013 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.



Click the stars to rate how good you think UFC 168 will be.

What Do You Think of This Fight/Event?