UFC on Fox 3 BOMBS in the ratings

[Steel Mamba]

But even if the cards weren't watered down, which they clearly are, it would still be too much.

This same thing is going to happen in the NFL if they keep increasing the number of televised games on new days of the week. It's a fine line.

That will never happen. More people pay hundreds of dollars for Sunday Ticket, giving them access to every single game of the season, than the amount of people who have tuned in to watch free MMA on Fox. The US can't get enough of football, it's mainstream, it's in our culture, and it's constantly promoted on every single sports related channel that there is. MMA on the other hand, for the casual fan, is often out of sight out of mind. This is yet another situation where if I wasn't a hardcore follower of sport, and kept up with it online, then there's no other way I would have known about this card.

The UFC isn't anywhere close to over-saturating the market, that's not the problem they're having. It's a promotion problem. One thing they need to do is be running towards ESPN with open arms, instead of bashing them and acting like pricks whenever they run a tough story on them. They're critical of every sport though, including the NFL, so the UFC needs to stop thinking that they can bully everyone into only running the stories they want to see. That works for these MMA blogs, but it's not going to fly with ESPN.

[RosettaStoned]

Sunday ticket is free to a large group of folks, me included. But really, I only use it to watch Steelers games.

[Liquidrob]

lol @ the UFC being as popular as EliteXC: Lawler vs Smith II

[Warner2BruceTD]

The UFC isn't anywhere close to over-saturating the market, that's not the problem they're having. It's a promotion problem. One thing they need to do is be running towards ESPN with open arms, instead of bashing them and acting like pricks whenever they run a tough story on them. They're critical of every sport though, including the NFL, so the UFC needs to stop thinking that they can bully everyone into only running the stories they want to see. That works for these MMA blogs, but it's not going to fly with ESPN.

I completely disagree.

The bold is THE primary problem they are having. The UFC name means nothing anymore, because they burnt it out.

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

UFC crossed that fine line of oversaturation a while ago and they aren't turning back.

When you are trying to walk out Diaz and Miller as your main event on National TV, it is obvious you just ran out of material.

UFC needs to go back to the model where everything they threw at you was of QUALITY. That is how UFC got to this point, when they hit you, it was with a big fist. Now, they just throw punches with volume and hope they hit.

[Warner2BruceTD]

The next televised main event is Korean Zombie vs Dustin Portier.

Over saturated, over extended, over exposed.

[Warner2BruceTD]

lol @ the UFC being as popular as EliteXC: Lawler vs Smith II

Actually, less popular.

I'm pretty sure Diaz/Miller was the lowest rated prime time network MMA event ever.

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

The next televised main event is Korean Zombie vs Dustin Portier.

Over saturated, over extended, over exposed.

Brutal.

Not one fuck is given...not even by Shogun.

[EmpireWF]

The fight should be awesome...but I don't get Fuel so fuck if I care.

[Liquidrob]

Since the FOX deal zuffa has made all the wrong moves, this what happens when wannabe gangsters run things

Having Dana as your star will only get you so far and the brothers can even bankrupt a casino, lol, zufa should thank spike everyday for where they are, zuffa made it in spite of themselves

[Warner2BruceTD]

The fight should be awesome...but I don't get Fuel so fuck if I care.

Putting awesome fights on TV without star power worked pretty well on Saturday.

[EmpireWF]

Even if they put a star studded main on Fuel (Tito vs. Liddell 3 for shits and giggles), how high of a rating could they really get? Nobody knows about the network. It's a catch 22.

[Warner2BruceTD]

Since the FOX deal zuffa has made all the wrong moves, this what happens when wannabe gangsters run things

Having Dana as your star will only get you so far and the brothers can even bankrupt a casino, lol, zufa should thank spike everyday for where they are, zuffa made it in spite of themselves

You are agreeing with Big Dave a lot lately:

Look, everyone knew Diaz vs. Miller was a bad idea for a network show. But people may also have to face the fact that not everything, no matter what you put on it, can survive on network television in prime time. Almost all sports can't. There's a reason boxing hasn't been on network prime time in like 20 years.

There may be a lesson in all this that MMA is best on a Spike TV that treats it like its No. 1 priority, and the dreams of being on a network or on an ESPN that would treat it like a third tier sport may not help, and may even hurt. That was my argument when they were close to the HBO deal that they didn't take, because HBO made it clear it wasn't paying them boxing money, and wouldn't air them until midnight. They never made the deal and I'm glad they didn't, because when your network treats you like you are the secondary combat sport, your chance of gaining ground and audience isn't good. At least Showtime promoted both equally.

[Warner2BruceTD]

Even if they put a star studded main on Fuel (Tito vs. Liddell 3 for shits and giggles), how high of a rating could they really get? Nobody knows about the network. It's a catch 22.

Ironically, despite the minuscule viewership totals, you could argue that the Fuel shows are the biggest success of the entire FOX deal, because at least those shows have been well over the average for Fuel and elevated the network.

The problem, is FOX did not invest heavily in this to raise the Fuel ratings 9% overall or whatever it is, while the FOX shows pull a lower rating than a COPS rerun and Spike beats FX head to head with old fights.

[Warner2BruceTD]

Zuffa is running shows June 1st, 8th, 22nd, & 23rd.

I'm sure they have something early July and at the end of May. There is a Fuel show May 15.