Lost in the discussion of Randy Couture’s fight with Brandon Vera is the fact that it will be free on Spike TV. Back in 2007, Dana White talked a big game about giving away big name fights on free television. He backed it up with Quinton Jackson vs. Dan Henderson, a fight that brought in the biggest free TV rating in UFC history. Since then, the UFC’s marquee stars have been exclusively on pay per view.
Randy Couture vs. Brandon Vera blows away most Spike TV main events in terms of star power. They used a Spike TV show to promote Anderson Silva in 2008 back when nobody was paying to see him, putting Couture on Spike is a whole different story. If Spike TV really gets behind an advertising campaign that highlights how special it is to see Randy fight for free, the show could do a great rating opposite Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto.
Randy Couture benefits from free TV exposure because the advertisement industry pays far more attention to free television shows and television ratings than anything that happens on pay per view. Millions of people will see him fight, and he has a good chance to win a fight with Brandon Vera in front of a massive audience. If he does come away with a strong win on a highly rated Spike special, the UFC will be hard-pressed not to grant him a title shot with Rampage vs. Rashad delayed and with Machida in need of a defense early next year. A big rating could also open up doors in Hollywood.
Brandon Vera benefits in all sorts of ways that should be obvious to everyone. After taking a substantial pay increase and turning in a boring performance at UFC 102, the idea that Brandon Vera would be given such a huge opportunity would have seemed absurd just a week ago. Now he has a chance to dethrone a legend on national television. This is the opportunity of a lifetime for Vera, who can make up for all his failings with a spectacular finish. He’s also guaranteed a dramatic fight, because there’s no other kind of Randy Couture fight.
Finally, the UFC benefits from putting Randy on Spike. They further strengthen their relationship with Spike by giving them such a big name, and more importantly, they will keep themselves relevant by delivering a big number on free television for networks to look at. It’s one thing to bring in PPV buyrates to network meetings, it’s another to bring in a huge, current television rating. Dave Meltzer always rightly points out that it was the rating for Tito vs. Ken III that really made the media pay attention to the UFC, not the increasing buyrates. The television universe speaks the ratings language, not the buyrate language.