Dana White announced today at the UFC 131 press conference that the UFC will change all non-title main events to 5 rounds. Also, the UFC will add a 125 pound division.
Via MMA Fighting:
…all non-title main event bouts in the UFC would be five-round affairs, giving the fighters at the top of the card an extra two rounds to battle out from now on.
Even main events on Spike TV or Versus cards? You bet. Even late replacements that get shuffled into the main event? Absolutely, said White
Via MMA Junkie:
UFC president Dana White today confirmed that the organization is moving forward on its plan to add a 125-pound flyweight division to its existing seven weight classes.
Payout Perspective:
How will these changes affect the UFC product? Certainly there would be some exciting main events but then you could run into a main event like Rampage vs. Hamill. The fact that all main events will be 5 rounds could pose a problem especially when there are injury replacements. The other factor is that it would shorten the roster of fighters featured on a PPV broadcast. While one might argue that the UFC includes almost, if not all, of its fights on either Spike or Facebook (and now YouTube), there are fighter incentives (especially from sponsors) of being on the main card. With all main events being 5 rounds, it takes up almost 30-35 mins of a PPV if you factor in walk-ins and video hype packages for the fights. Thus, eliminating at least one more fight from the PPV.
The addition of a 125 pound division is interesting considering the featherweight and bantamweights have seen little (no pun intended) fighter hype for the divisions. This could change considering Faber/Cruz headlines the July PPV. Yet, adding another division means less chances for fighters in other weight classes to get a fight. And, it prohibits some mid-card fighters from receiving steady fights. If a 125 pound division is added, it could mean more cards in the future or less fights for others in other weight classes. Then again, the addition of the division could be for content for programming when/if the UFC moves to a new network.
I don’t know why but I just can’t get excited for a flyweight division in the UFC. I’ve never understood why Dana is so adamant about bringing one in.
I guess that means fewer televised fights..if there’s five round main events lookmfor spike and versus to have time for one less televised fight per card…
Looking at the UFC events that have taken place this year, there are always 11-12 fights on each card. There are 12 fights on some cards that have title fights, and some with 11. The same holds true for cards that have not featured a title fights. There is no direct correlation between the amount of fights on a card, and whether or not there is a title fight on the card.
So I’m confused, are people worried there might be no more than five fights on the PPV instead of one or more extra from previously in the night, or what? Because with the UFC showing all their fights on Facebook (and now YouTube), Spike, and the PPV, there will still be no less than 11-12 fights per card that are “televised” in one form or another. No change there.
I guess what I’m asking is now that all the fights on each card are broadcast on various platforms, how are fans losing a fight on the broadcast due to a five round non-title main event?
I think from a value perspective, you are getting one less fight on PPV. If you are not thrilled about a PPV card and don’t want to pay the $50-60 bucks, you can still get your fight fix by watching via Facebook, YouTube, Spike…and save the money you would have spent on the PPV. Does one extra fight on PPV make a difference? Maybe, if you are thinking about what you are paying for.
For the fighter, it would hurt if being on the main PPV card equates to more sponsorship money. Certain sponsors will pay more for fighters if they are on a PPV as opposed to FB or Spike.
Spike usually schedules 4 three round fight in two hours…if they go the distance that’s all we get…(if they are short they throw in a previously recorded prelim or two)…
But with 5 round fight on the card they will only be able to plan for 3 fights…
But there are five fights guaranteed on every PPV broadcast, always, without exception…
Spike only schedules two fights for prelim shows, and they only air more IF time allows, so how would that change?
You are NEVER guaranteed more than five fights on PPV, and whether you get more isn’t necessarily based on whether or not there is a title fight. UFC 91 had a title fight, and it was the first event in UFC history where EVERY SINGLE BOUT made it to the PV broadcast. Two extra rounds (twelve minutes if you factor in the extra rest periods between rounds 3 and 4) just won’t make much of a difference. The total number of fights on a PPV broadcast has A LOT more to do with how many quick finishes there are in the bouts BEFORE the main event.
Marty, I now realize you are referring to Spike TV UFC Fight Nights (or UFC events on Versus), but all the prelims are now shown on Facebook or Youtube, so that shouldn’t be an issue since you can just watch all the fights anyway.
Jason, when you are guaranteed 5 fights on the PPV broadcast, and the “main card” is set before the event, how do fans lose a fight and how would it effect fighters (if an unscheduled prelim bout makes it onto PPV, the fighters involved don’t make any more money anyway as it stands now)?
It’s as if people think there will only be 4 PPV fights instead of 5, which just isn’t the case. I don’t get it.
Watching fights on facebook or yout use versus spike or versus is truly a different and worse experience…
Also, fighters want to fight in front of 1.5-2mm viewers as opposed to an unknown but likely in the tens of thousands of viewers on these other platforms…
Dana’s plan virtually guarantees that there will be one less fight on each card on commercial broadcasts.
As for ppv, they arze limited by their satellite window, but they can probably still get alll the fights in by dropping the movie sneak peeks or interminable interviews and promos for the next ppv….I think we will all be thrilled by that.
The main event is what people tune in to see. Giving the people more of that will only increase satisfaction of the product. Imagine Liddel vs Silva for another 2 rounds! Another great apect of the 5 rounds is the is always the highest rated fight on any TUF finale or UFN. So now the UFC can extend their peak ratings through a higher portion of the show increasing the average rating. Even more so when it is a Forrest/Bonner or Zombie/Garcia type fight that gets word of mouth and jumps ratings even higher, longer.
If a main event is boring it kills the event anyway. Be it 3 rounds or 5 rounds. So i dont really see the down side.
Mike is right and Jason is wrong. PPV will not be affected by this at all–even cards with two five round fights have not sacrificed any main card fights. Cable television cards may or may not be affected-the Wec never sacrificed main card fights when they had a five rounder, only when they had two five rounders (not relevant here). Even then, as Brain points out, people mostly care about the main event and this move heightens their interest. Even if fights like Rampage/Hamilton are boring, an extra two rounds increases the chances of a stoppage.
I disagree entirely with your view on the 5 round main event fights.
They run 5 fights on the main card with title fights, so basically nothing is changing except there will always be a fight with title rules (5 rounds) on each card.
What is yet to be seen is if the co-main is going to be 5 rounds or not.
Why are people upset about the 5 round thing ? i mean alot of the ppv cards include a title fight anyways. SO now its like each one is a title fight so not that huge of a change. And would be happy if they took all ufc off spike i am sick of waiting 40 mins to watch one round due to commericals.