One MMA enthusiast (Fan 1) lives in Las Vegas Nevada. He wakes up early one day, logs on to his computer and buys a couple tickets to UFC XX. He receives his tickets, buys a Tapout shirt, and waits anxiously for the event.
He is a loyal MMA fan and a very big part of the success of the UFC.
Another MMA enthusiast (Fan 2) lives in Deming New Mexico. He will never make it to a UFC event unless he hits the jackpot. He still loves the sport and watches every event no matter what it takes.
He is also a loyal MMA fan and a very big part of the success of the UFC.
The day of UFC XX, Fan 1 and Fan 2 awake. There is going to be a fight tonight.
Fan 1 goes to the UFC events held around town before the actual fights start. Rallies, signings, maybe even snap his pic with a fighter he follows. His day will be busy.
Fan 2 logs online, does some homework on the fighters he will see, and tries to occupy his mind until the war that surely will take place. He calls his buddies, finds out if he can talk one of them into getting the fight, since Fan 2 has paid for the last three. Then he waits, until the PPV begins.
Fan1 found some time to make it to the arena just in time to catch the first under card fight at around 5:00. Have a beer, and claim his seat for the evening. He is glued to it from the first fight to the last, 11 fights total.
Fan 2 is still sitting, waiting. His event starts around 8:00 He dropped his hard earned coin to watch five maybe six fights if he is lucky. He hopes they are good fights. Two of his favorite fighters are fighting on the under card, too bad he won’t get to watch.
Fan 1 just got done watching that fight and it was a war. Fan 2 may never know. Unless its in the UFC recap the following day. Or he pays for access to the UFC vault, but wait didn’t he already buy the event?
Why is it that one fan gets to watch the entire event for his money and another only gets what is aired on PPV? That is the point here.
When a fan buys a ticket to a UFC event they have full access to the entire event, and every facet of it. When a fan buys a PPV they are at the mercy of the UFC as to what they get to see within the event.
Would it not be possible to air entire cards on PPV? Or maybe as an alternative show undercard fights online with a purchase code? Or air the card in its entirety as a free replay for PPV fans, after the original showing, once they know how the evening played out.
Sure they need fights to throw in as filler when the top five fights end quickly, but in the end that just doesn’t seem fair to the patrons sitting at home who paid for a UFC event.
It is not just the fans in the seats thrusting the UFC into the mainstream, it is the fans at homes that really make it happen. It would seem they deserve to see the entire card if they choose to sit down and watch it. The option should be there.
If the fan were lucky enough to live in proximity to the event and could see it live, they would have the option to see the whole card. If they don’t, they get what the UFC feels is worth sharing.
It seems for the money it costs to watch a PPV card, the fan should have the choice to waste an entire evening watching the sport they have spent so much money supporting for so long.
In the end the Casual fan won’t tune in until Lidell enters the cage, or GSP, who ever the attraction of the night is. The purists love those fights too but just want to see a fight period. A good fight. The names are exciting and sexy but they are still just fighters.
In essence its the fight not the man, that MMA enthusiasts enjoy. Over time the man grows on them but it was his fighting that made that so.
The UFC could change the game a bit and offer these fights to their fans. Their deepest of fans would surely appreciate it. It may add more value to the dollar amount required to purchase a PPV event as well.
Surely it is tied in to licensing and contracts between viewing providers and the UFC. That does not mean it should not be different. That does not mean the UFC should not be sharing the whole cards with the fans at home. Hopefully someday it is considered and implemented.
