Full Contact Fighter Database

Home

>

News

>

Article

Media

Thursday, Nov 08, 2012

Full Contact Fighter’s “The Daily Takedown:” UFC Spreading Itself Too Thin in Early 2013

UFC President Dana White

By Joshua Molina

The UFC on Fox show in January is shaping up to be a good fight card, but unfortunately for the UFC it lacks big headline names that could draw big ratings.

Even though it’s not a title fight, the UFC should market the show around Rampage Jackson, who can draw ratings. Jackson will take on Glover, in what should be a fight, not a “strategic battle.”

In one of the main events, UFC  Flyweight Champion Demetrious Johnson will collide with John Dodson. These guys are super fast, but lightning speed doesn’t always equal great ratings. In the other main event, Anthony Pettis will battle Donald Cerrone.

Both of these fights will be competitive match ups, but the UFC should try to stack its free TV network shows with big names, the same way NBC shows football games on Sunday Night Football featuring thrilling marketable match-ups.

The Jan. 26 UFC on Fox will be one of three UFC shows over three weeks. The Jan. 26 show follows a UFC on FX show on Jan. 19. On Feb. 2, Jose Aldo will fight Frankie Edgar on Pay Per View.

Those shows will follow the Showtime Strikeforce card on Jan. 12, rumored to feature Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Luke Rockhold vs. Lorenz Larkin, Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Nate Marquardt, Strikeforce World Grand Prix champion Daniel Cormier and other top Strikeforce stars.

Even for the hardcore MMA fans, this is probably going to prove too much. With so many show, the UFC (which owns Strikeforce) appears to be losing its focus and overloading fans with too many options.

It will be hard for the UFC to draw Pay Per View buys or ratings with any of these shows.

In other news, Jake Shields is considering a move to welterweight. Nobody will care what weight class Shields fights in until he, you know, actually fights, and not Jake-and-Pray his way through another three round decision victory.

It’s hard to believe that Shields and Nick Diaz are “brothers” when they have so little in common inside the cage.

Daniel Cormier is spending way too much time talking about Jon Jones lately. If anything, he should be thinking UFC heavyweight division, even if he doesn’t want to fight friend Cain Velasquez.

If Jones is having trouble with Vitor Belfort’s submission attempts, there’s a good chance  Jones will have plenty of challengers in the light heavyweight division.

posted by JoshuaM @ 7:00 pm
Have a comment about this story? Please share with us by filling out the fields below.

Comments are closed.