MMA Weekly reports via twitter that Seattle’s UFC Fight Night was a sellout of over 14,212 with a gate of $1,182,850. The draw was the most out of any UFC Fight Nights.
The event was scheduled to house 8,000 but increased demand had the UFC open the upper bowl of the KeyArena. On Friday, the UFC released an additional 842 tickets. The good showing by the Seattle crowd guaranteed a UFC return and the possibility of a future PPV at the KeyArena. Perhaps, one day it will also have an NBA team.
MMA Payout was at the event last night and will report more later today.
The UFC needs to do something with the wrestling aspect of their events or fans will be bored out of their minds. Dont get me wrong I think that facet of MMA is a real important part of the sport but come on the last two fights were both yawners. We have always had great wrestlers in this sport but it seemed like Saturday nights fights were basically an NCAA wrestling meet. MY recommendations (just to start the conversation) is to limit the amount of time on the ground to 2 minutes and then an automatic stand up is required. This would make for some interesting work on the ground. What do you think?
Terrible idea.
There are already enough rules that limit that limit the ground game. Putting a time limit on ground work would completely alter the complexion of the sport. The solution to the problem is obvious. Guys who can’t wrestle need to evolve or lose their jobs. Don’t blame AJ for being a good wrestler. Blame Dan Hardy for being one-dimensional and never working on his wrestling game.
I don’t understand the strange outcry about “wrestling” at this event. Both the main event and the co-main event were decent fights. The main event wasn’t a barn burner, but it wasn’t horrible either.
Since you’re all for altering the sport to remove any lulls in action, how about we tie a rope between each of the fighter’s arms? Have it just slightly longer than their combined reaches. They’ll be so close that the action is guaranteed!
Also, if you don’t land a strike at least every 10 seconds, you get shot in the ass with a paintball gun. Each shot is a $1000 deduction from your purse. Sweet, now every fight is like Garcia vs Korean Zombie!
This is a sport. Yeah, it’s also a business and is intended to entertain. Foremost however, it’s a sport. You’re not going to get, nor do you need, super exciting fights every single time.
I know wrestling is a large part of the sport but If you were paying $500 for a ringside seat you wouldn’t appreciate matches like what happened this weekend. Even in Titan Bobby Lashley laid on a guy that was 50Lbs lighter than him and it made for a very boring fight. If you were to ask Dana White what he thought of those fights he couldn’t be happy especially on how he has talked about fighters being active. I have helped promote events and the fans are their to see action. I do know that strategies are used to to offset your opponents weaknesses but by having a time limit on the ground would only make for each person work harder in gaining an advantage.
Good discussion guys. My two cents is that I think that the refs should take a proactive interpretation of “improving position” when the fighters are on the ground. That means the ref needs to see whether or not the fighters are trying for a submission or gaining an advantage. If someone is holding another down just to waste clock, I think they should be stood up. The fighter in control can always try for another takedown…I don’t think the guys should be immediately stood up, but I think that guys shouldn’t be able to hold someone to rest for prolonged periods of the round.
Radical as some of the suggestions are they have been enforced in the past particularly in PRIDEFC. If you did nothing to improve position you would be stood back up and possibly given a yellow card.