After a wild week that saw four events take place in three different cities, the UFC continues to keep the ball rolling with UFC on Fox: Dillashaw vs. Barao 2. The well anticipated rematch will be a treat for most hardcore fans, but will be a tough sell for casual viewers.
The card is headlined by two of the most gifted fighters on the planet in UFC Bantamweight Champion T.J. Dillashaw and former champ Renan Barao. Although gifted in the cage, both fighters leave a lot to be desired when it comes to fight promotion.
In their first fight at UFC 173, which also featured a solid co-main event in Daniel Cormier vs. Dan Henderson, Barao and Dillashaw could only muster 215,000 PPV buys. In Barao’s previously headlined event, UFC 169: Barao vs. Faber 2, the card sold 230,000 PPV buys. In Dillashaw’s most recent title defence, he sold 125,000 PPV buys on a card that was devastated by injuries.
Neither fighter has the charisma of a Conor McGregor, the mainstream appeal of a Ronda Rousey and both fight in the bantamweight division that has had a very hard time pulling in ratings.
It comes as no surprise then that the ticket sales for the event have been lacklustre. There is an argument to be made though that fans are waiting to see if a main event fighter drops out from the card due to an injury in the closing days.
The timing of the event could also be a problem when it comes to ratings. The UFC on Fox events have shown a decline in viewership over the past four years.
UFC on Fox has shown a downward trend in ratings, as shown by the trend line, but that is not the most interesting part of the graph. The biggest thing to note is the consistent peaks and valleys on the graph. Each peak and each valley times perfectly with the season of the year
When I stated that it times perfectly with the season of the year, I didn’t mean Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter, I meant football season. The NFL drives ratings for UFC on Fox, and as this graph shows, the UFC on Fox ratings spike at the beginning and the end of the year when football season is in full swing.
Historically the 3rd Fox event of the year has done less than impressive ratings as it falls in the middle of the summer when TV viewership is at its lowest.
There are also some fans, the small minority, that might take this event off in retaliation to the UFC changing their product recently. The UFC has signed a sponsorship deal with Reebok, had cut ties with babysitter to the fighters Burt Watson and recently let go of cut man Stitch Duran.
Boycotting a free event on TV may seem a tad bit childish and will likely only be done by the very few headstrong fans. For hardcore fans, a championship fight on live TV will be very difficult to pass up, and the card also has other intriguing fights in Meisha Tate vs. Jessica Eye and Joe Lauzon vs. Takanori Gomi.
The UFC will have a lot riding against this event in that the bantamweight division has yet to find mainstream success and that the event is taking place in a season where ratings tumble. As with many events, the ratings are never a true gauge of the quality of the event, and UFC on Fox: Dillashaw vs. Barao will most likely see exciting and entertaining fights. It will be an opportunity missed in displaying two of the best fighters in MMA to a casual audience.