The UFC has always been known for putting together some of the most consistently appealing and hyped cards together in all of mixed martial arts. Yet out of a pile of great lineups, one is sure to find a few that just don’t seem to be as intriguing as the rest.
In just a few days from now, the UFC is set to put on its second event of the New Year with UFC 109: “Relentless” on Feb. 6 live from the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
After dismal pay-per-view sales from UFC 108: “Evans vs. Silva”, the UFC is no doubt hoping for a change in numbers with Saturday’s event.
However, while the event features several fights that potentially will determine top contenders in a handful of divisions, the card has come under fire for the main event between aging light heavyweights Randy Couture and Mark Coleman.
A fight that was supposed to happen a decade prior to Sat. night, Couture vs. Coleman, which was once a very promising match up, is now seen as a long overdue match up between two men considered over-the-hill.
Yet with a name like Randy Couture, the UFC has elected to put the event on pay-per-view, as opposed to a free time slot on SpikeTV, even with a very intriguing event making its way onto pay-per-view just two weeks after this weekend’s with UFC 110.
While the card is certainly a draw for the hardcore fans of mixed martial arts, there are those who constantly complain about the pay-per-view cost that falls just short of 50 dollars. But the most amusing part of the scenario is that even though fans will complain about a card not being worth their hard-earned cash, they will still shell out the money come Saturday for an event they claim is not worth it.
With UFC 108’s injury-riddled card, rumors and opinions swirled that the event should be made a free one on SpikeTV. The event managed to break 200,000 pay-per-view sales, which is one of the worst turnouts the promotion has had in years. Yet just one month later, with a card some consider to be less than promising, the UFC has placed “Couture vs. Coleman” on pay-per-view.
And why shouldn’t they?
The same people that constantly criticize the promotion for placing what they consider poor cards on pay-per-view are the ones who still bust out their credit cards on fight night. And why shouldn’t they?
Some of the most unappealing cards have turned out to be some of the better events the UFC has ever put on.
For instance, UFC 108 limped in on Jan. 2 and delivered a night of very exciting fights that included Paul Daley’s brutal knockout and a main event that almost saw Thiago Silva pull off a come-from-behind knockout over Rashad Evans.
And the first event of 2010 is not the only example of this. The UFC has put on countless cards that, though deemed unfitting for pay-per-view by many, delivered excellent pay-per-view sales and stellar fights for the fans.
So while many will bash a main event between two men that may look as though they will be filing for social security in the near future, the fans will still pay for the pay-per-view come Feb. 6.
If the fans of the sport wish for the UFC to stop putting pay-per-views together for cards they find less-than-thrilling, those fans should just pocket their money and wait for one they feel is worthy of their support.
However, through all the complaints, we have yet to see a card (aside from the injury-plagued UFC 108, which was doomed from the start) that bombed at the pay-per-view box office. Until unhappy fans start putting their money where their mouths are, and not into pay-per-views they find unworthy, the UFC will continue right along with their pay-per-view plans.
We’ve seen it once. We’ve seen it twice. We’ve seen it a hundred times. And we will see it again this Sat. night. Although this weekend’s UFC pay-per-view may not be the most appealing one in recent history to many, rest assured the fans will be tuning in, regardless of a main event featuring two aging mixed martial artists.
Mixed martial arts fans are known for their loyalty and are willing to spend a fifty dollar chunk of their paychecks on many UFC pay-per-view events. That tendency will not change this Sat. night, and the UFC will continue to put cards some may find poor on pay-per-view until the fans stop buying them.
And that is not going to happen anytime soon.
