UFC 110 Business Forecast: Expect a Low PPV Buyrate and a Strong Live Showing
by Michael Rome on Feb 16, 2010 11:00 AM EST
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We are just a few days away from UFC 110, a card that has a number of appealing fights but simultaneously lacks anything with serious drawing power. The event also comes just two weeks after UFC 109, leaving the UFC with precious little time to promote the event in the United States, especially considering the fact that almost everyone in the organization is already in Australia or on their way there.
The main event is a very intriguing fight. Cain Velasquez has stormed through everyone he's fought, but Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira represents a serious step up in competition from the likes of Cheick Kongo and Ben Rothwell. Unfortunately, the intriguing stylistic aspects of this match probably will not be converted to PPV buys. Velasquez is a relative unknown to UFC fans, and Nogueira, while known, has never drawn a big number in the United States.
The real "draw" of the show is the co-main event between Wanderlei Silva and Michael Bisping. Unfortunately for the UFC, Bisping has been very humble in his approach to this fight, leaving them without much of a hook to sell this fight on. Given the shallow nature of the UFC middleweight division, the winner of this fight will probably only be a fight or two away from a title shot.
The rest of the card is packed with interesting fights that don't mean a lot to casual fans. Internally, people at the UFC are excited to get this card out of the way and get onto a number of big cards with title matches. It's usually hard to predict a buyrate until the day before a show, and since I like to stay safe, I'm going to predict the number falls between 275,000 and 325,000 buys.
Everyone knows Australia sold out relatively quickly, so from a live perspective the event will be a success. They also don't have any big PPV contracts to pay out on this card, so it will be very profitable even on the lower end of the range predicted above. Nobody is expecting a big number for this card, the real stories coming out of it will be the future opponents of Brock Lesnar and Anderson Silva.
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I’ve got it at about 365k in buys. The weather is relatively shitty and i think that will get a lot of people to stay in and watch some fights. I also have a sneaking suspicion that the marathon of UFC programming on Spike yesterday when a lot of people were off work may tease some extra buys.
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by Brent Brookhouse on Feb 16, 2010 11:10 AM EST reply actions
People got off work?
Dammit!
Follow me on Twitter @lelandroling
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
by Leland Roling on Feb 16, 2010 11:22 AM EST up reply actions
Yeah...
I did not.
Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
MMA Editor - SBNation.com
by Brent Brookhouse on Feb 16, 2010 11:26 AM EST up reply actions
Ontarians were off yesterday.
I would have thought this PPV was going to do well. I am excited for this card and so is everyone I asked around here.
OD is incredibly handsome, coureagous and self sacrificing in his endeavour to educate me on MMA and evolve my primitive understanding of the sport; I salute you sir.
I haven’t bought a PPV since 107 and I’m wondering how many more people there are that have waited for 110, which I’m hoping pulls good numbers. Personally I like all 5 main card fights and hoping that the lapse of kinda meh cards (108,109) will help buys for 110
1/20/2010- Has been declared BROCK IS BACK BITCHES day B.I.B.B. for short. Im working on making it a national holiday
Smart ass since 1990, wanna fight about it?
by II SMASH II on Feb 16, 2010 11:27 AM EST via mobile reply actions
personally
other than the main event I was much more intrigued by 109 than I am by 110.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
i remove your personal feelings substitute my own
So kid nate is stoked for 110
1/20/2010- Has been declared BROCK IS BACK BITCHES day B.I.B.B. for short. Im working on making it a national holiday
Smart ass since 1990, wanna fight about it?
by II SMASH II on Feb 16, 2010 11:38 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
For me Nog-Cain is a MUCH more interesting matchup than anything 109 had to offer. Throw in Wand-Bisping, Rothwell-Cro Cop, and Bader-Jardine and I’m pretty cised for this one.
agree with you ufc4
This is a great card, compared to recent cards.
OD is incredibly handsome, coureagous and self sacrificing in his endeavour to educate me on MMA and evolve my primitive understanding of the sport; I salute you sir.
Very excited for it personally. Things that interest me greatly:
- Nogueira is my favorite fighter in history.
- Finding out where Cain really is in his development
- Where is Wanderlei when he is 185?
- I’m a big Bisping fan so seeing how he handles Wanderlei’s game.
- Sotiropoulos finally facing a real test
- Jardine/Bader is super intriguing for some reason
- Does Cro Cop have ANYTHING left?
- Can Bonnar rebound?
- Is Brian Foster going to look as great as he did last fight?
Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
MMA Editor - SBNation.com
by Brent Brookhouse on Feb 16, 2010 11:56 AM EST up reply actions
Sucks there aren’t undercard fights on Spike. There are 3 I REALLY want to see. Lytle-Foster should just be given the FOTN bonus now, Soczynski-Bonnar should be good, and I really want to see Reljic KO Dollaway.
by SplitBreast on Feb 16, 2010 11:59 AM EST up reply actions
Exactly
A lot of answers coming out of Australia. Although I am no fan of Bisping or Nog I like to watch them fight.
SplitBreast also brought up a good point, the return of Reljic. Can’t wait to see where he is at after this long lay off.
OD is incredibly handsome, coureagous and self sacrificing in his endeavour to educate me on MMA and evolve my primitive understanding of the sport; I salute you sir.
Also a lot of questions
Like what do we do with the winner of Nog-Cain if they don’t get the next title shot? What happens to Wandy, Cro Cop, and Bonnar if they lose?
Really?
Nate, how can you really be more intrigued by 109? I know it’s all personal preference but the main event was a joke….Everyone on this site thought Thiago would win vs. the grossly overrated Swick. Nate vs. Chael delivered but that was it for me. Top to bottom 110 is way more interesting to me.
by Myke25 on Feb 16, 2010 2:01 PM EST up reply actions
My friends are most interested in Wanderlei vs Bisping like most people would be. It seems like the only way to be a PPV draw is to be champion (or a former beloved champion), and for fighters that weren’t a champion, that fighter has to have a combination of a big mouth/charisma, a crowd-pleasing fighting style and above gatekeeper status (even fighters like Thiago Alves have a crowd-pleasing style and in the top three of his division, but doesn’t have much charisma). I guess that is the way it is, and it really shows how important the entertainment aspect of MMA is versus the sports aspect of it. Personally, I think this card is great, and I am looking forward to all of the main card fights.
Gotta disagree
109 was as lackluster as they get for me. I was a little pissy that we had ‘snOMG! Snowpocalypse 2010’ and I couldn’t go to a bar and watch it. I’m a diehard, so I bought it anyway, lol. However, Bader vs Jardine, Busping vs Silva, Bonnar vs. Alphabet Man and the main event all have me stoked for Saturday.
I'm the kind of girl who loves to watch a GOOD fight!
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by funnytiger on Feb 16, 2010 11:43 AM EST via mobile reply actions
Just wanted to say thanks to BE guys.
You won’t have any problems from me.
By the way I am new here guys. Just wanted to say hi.
OD is incredibly handsome, coureagous and self sacrificing in his endeavour to educate me on MMA and evolve my primitive understanding of the sport; I salute you sir.
Get the fuck outta here!
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Feb 16, 2010 12:36 PM EST up reply actions
I hope that was a joke.
OD is incredibly handsome, coureagous and self sacrificing in his endeavour to educate me on MMA and evolve my primitive understanding of the sport; I salute you sir.
Don’t pay attention to that smart-ass ivy-league prick.
by ufc4 on Feb 16, 2010 1:02 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
What a weird thing to say to a stranger.
I guess I’ll have to learn who the normal people are around here. From what I’ve read on this site(I’ve been reading posts here for a long time) most of you guys are alright.
OD is incredibly handsome, coureagous and self sacrificing in his endeavour to educate me on MMA and evolve my primitive understanding of the sport; I salute you sir.
Don’t worry about it he was just being sarcastic he’s not a bad d00d.
by ufc4 on Feb 16, 2010 1:40 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Indeed, I’m from the Atlanta! Anyone else here refer to all “soda” as Coke?
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Feb 16, 2010 2:11 PM EST up reply actions
What? That’s the inverse of what I’d expect
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Feb 16, 2010 4:57 PM EST up reply actions
You should already know who is normal
if you really have been reading for awhile.
'He built his whole reputation as a waffle house chef. They’ve been serving him up ham and eggs with a side of canned tomatoes' - Don Frye on Fedor Emelianenko
by Well Read Idiot on Feb 17, 2010 5:45 AM EST up reply actions
I've mostly stuck to reading the posts(threads) not the comments from the public.
OD is incredibly handsome, coureagous and self sacrificing in his endeavour to educate me on MMA and evolve my primitive understanding of the sport; I salute you sir.
Least I ain’t from Kansas…
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Feb 16, 2010 2:13 PM EST up reply actions
KC then bitch!
Does Missouri claim KC?? They never taught us that in the boondocks
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Feb 16, 2010 4:56 PM EST up reply actions
Just dickin wit ya bro!
Unless you hate Herschel Walker, in which case we have insta-beef…
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Feb 16, 2010 2:12 PM EST up reply actions
No comment.
I prefer to talk about actual fighters, sorry.
OD is incredibly handsome, coureagous and self sacrificing in his endeavour to educate me on MMA and evolve my primitive understanding of the sport; I salute you sir.
I was just joking around and all, but don’t knock Herschel. Just don’t. Really, it’s not worth your time getting into it with this guy about Herschel Walker.
Ask Blackout…
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Feb 16, 2010 4:57 PM EST up reply actions
Is there a thread where I can witness this beat down of Blackout?
Because I haven’t seen one legit reason for HW to be fighting. I don’t think it is a big deal that he is trying out MMA, I have a problem with SF putting him on the televised portion of their fight card. I missed the Hieron fight for that garbage exhibition match.
OD is incredibly handsome, coureagous and self sacrificing in his endeavour to educate me on MMA and evolve my primitive understanding of the sport; I salute you sir.
In defense of Mr. Walker
Diaz, Zaromskis, Cyborg, Coenen, Manhoef, and Lawler were all happy he was on the card. 200,000 more people watched them because of Herschel.
"200,000 more people watched them because of Herschel."
Was there a poll I missed? How do you know those fans weren’t going to watch in the first place? You think HW fans are going to be watching the next event? Every freak show draws a crowd, is that crowd willing to watch next time? Because if I was only tuning in to see HW(like the 200,000 new fans)I think I’d seen enough. Not much to see here. Did any of those fighters benefit in any way from these extra viewers?
OD is incredibly handsome, coureagous and self sacrificing in his endeavour to educate me on MMA and evolve my primitive understanding of the sport; I salute you sir.
Some of those fans will inevitably stick around, becoming bigger fans, just like the ones Brock has brought in. I can’t remember the thread, but I turned into a gigantic troll, hell I might even have been a Golem and I ain’t even Jewish, when Blackout started questioning HW. It’s fine to criticize Strikeforce, but I go jihad when someone questions the diety that is Herschel Walker
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Feb 16, 2010 10:55 PM EST up reply actions
Did all the curious fans who tuned in to Brock stick around? Kimbo? To see what the fuss was between Tito and Liddell?Probably not, but enough that it was worthwhile putting them on the air. And if these new viewers are going out of their way to check out an mma fight in the first place, then my guess is they don’t need much of a push to become fans.
welcome Jay!
Being new to MMA sites myself, BE does a great job of generating good dialogue & some witty amusing banter thrown in without it constantly straying into “Dude you’re a f—” territory. Enjoy.
by LikeTheWhiskey on Feb 16, 2010 1:02 PM EST up reply actions
I've been posting for a couple of years on other sites.
Thanks though, bud.
OD is incredibly handsome, coureagous and self sacrificing in his endeavour to educate me on MMA and evolve my primitive understanding of the sport; I salute you sir.
hilarious screenname
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Feb 16, 2010 2:13 PM EST up reply actions
Tape Delay?
Sorry if someone already mentioned it, but I’m assuming US fans won’t be able to see the event live when they order the PPV? If Australia is like 8hrs ahead, the results will be all over the internet by Saturday night EST. Doesn’t that usually tank PPV buys? Maybe UFC has a plan in place I hadn’t heard about. Lemme know what I’m missing here.
Check the reply by nastyem below
The event is being held on Sunday afternoon in Australia so it’ll actually be live at 10 pm ET here in the states.
by ufc4 on Feb 16, 2010 1:43 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
14 hours ahead. when it’s 10pm eastern saturday here it’ll be 2pm Sunday in sydney, australia.
The PPV will be live
I’m really looking forward to the Stevenson/Snuffleupagus fight. Stevenson looked light years better in the fight against Diaz, and Snuffleupagus is one of the more aggressive and entertaining ground fighters around nowadays.
by Verklemptomaniac on Feb 16, 2010 2:10 PM EST reply actions
I’ve seen some advertisements in San Jose in the local Mexican communities. I don’t know how well Cain will sell as a main eventer…but they’re trying.
by MickDawg on Feb 16, 2010 3:11 PM EST via mobile reply actions
Shocked to hear Bisping described as respectful
He and his crew spend 10 minutes crapping on Silva during the Countdown show.
by Jonathan Snowden on Feb 16, 2010 4:03 PM EST reply actions
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