MMA General Discussion and Fight Announcements 7.0

[Avs_19]

Diaz, according to sources, wants to return on the card and is interested in at least one name presented to him, though, sources would not confirm who that is at this time.

One thing is clear, though: Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor haven’t been discussed as potential opponents, which leaves Eddie Alvarez, Dustin Poirier and Kevin Lee as options. Second-ranked Tony Ferguson is currently rehabbing his surgically-repaired knee and would not be ready to fight in August.

It'll be nice to have Nate back. I'd be fine with any of those options but the ideal opponent for him might be Poirier because both Alvarez and Lee will likely just take him down. That would leave Alvarez vs. Lee as a potential fight and I think that'd be an interesting match up as well. No matter what they do, it'll be hard to go wrong because of how stacked 155 is.

 

[m9]

Lots of upcoming cards for the UFC after this mini-break - there's a card every weekend. I think it's a pretty weak run up until UFC 225. UFC 226 will be the big one, but here's the next month or so:

UFC 224, May 12th: Overall a pretty weak PPV. A few interesting fights, but this buy rate will be dreadful.
Nunes v Pennington
Gastelum v Jacare
Belfort v Machida

UFC Chile, May 19th: They lost the main event and co-main. Not much here.
Maia v Usman

UFN, May 27th: Really fun main event. Other than that, very weak.
Till v Thompson
Magny v ???

UFN, June 1st: Fun main event as well, and I do think there are some interesting fights sprinkled in. Lots of good propsects all over the card.
Rivera v Moraes
Gillespie v Pichel
Ellenberger v Saunders

UFC 225, June 9th: Extremely deep card, probably around 10 fights you're going to want to watch.
Whittaker v Romero
Covington v Dos Anjos (interim WW belt)
Arlovski v Tuivasa
CM Punk v Mike Jackson
Anderson v Holm
Bektic v Lamas
Esparza v Gadelha
Bobby Green v Guida
Rashad v Anthony Smith
Benevidez v Sergio Pettis

 

[Avs_19]

A lot of good and interesting fights coming up but also a few underwhelming events, which would be easily avoidable if they just cut down. Hopefully this is the last year of this and they make the necessary changes in 2019.

Gastelum vs. Jacare and Till vs. Thompson are two of my favourite fights on that list. Also, I know it's going to be on the main card but one of those things is not like the others on 225 @m9.

 

[MaxV]

If you thought Covington talked a lot...

 

[m9]

A lot of good and interested fights coming up but also a few underwhelming events, which would be easily avoidable if they just cut down. Hopefully this is the last year of this and they make the necessary changes in 2019.

Gastelum vs. Jacare and Till vs. Thompson are two of my favourite fights on that list. Also, I know it's going to be on the main card but one of those things is not like the others on 225 @m9.

Yeah, fair enough. But I'm sure somebody is reading this that cares about that fight.. even if they don't admit it.

 

[Peasy]

Dana saying hes trying to book Nate vs GSP.

Could GSP end up winning a 3rd title?

 

[m9]

So there's confirmation that the UFC will be putting cards on ESPN+ starting in 2019.

To compare, the UFC put on 39 cards in 2017: 12 PPV, 4 Fox, 2 TUF Finale & 21 Fight Nights. I believe they are on the same pace this year.

Under the new deal, all we know so far is that there will be 10-15 ESPN Fight Nights per year. If they are actually dropping from 21 Fight Nights to 10-15, that would be great news.

There was also a rumor that they would go from 12 to 6 PPV's per year and that TUF would be going away after TUF28 this fall.. but we'll see. All would be steps in the right direction.

 

[m9]

Dana saying hes trying to book Nate vs GSP.

Could GSP end up winning a 3rd title?

What would be the 3rd title?

 

[Peasy]

What would be the 3rd title?

If he beats Nate at 155, im sure Dana will give him a title shot for LW or a fight against McGregor.

 

[m9]

If he beats Nate at 155, im sure Dana will give him a title shot for LW or a fight against McGregor.

I didn't see they would be doing it at 155lbs. Interesting.

And yeah, you would imagine GSP v Conor would be on deck. Very surprised GSP and Nate would do this fight at 155lbs, though.

 

[Avs_19]

Dana saying hes trying to book Nate vs GSP.

Could GSP end up winning a 3rd title?

It's one of the bigger fights the UFC can put on but I'm not a fan of it. We already saw this fight once before when it was the bigger and better Diaz against GSP and that fight sucked. There are better and more interesting fights for both guys at 155/170.

So there's confirmation that the UFC will be putting cards on ESPN+ starting in 2019.

To compare, the UFC put on 39 cards in 2017: 12 PPV, 4 Fox, 2 TUF Finale & 21 Fight Nights. I believe they are on the same pace this year.

Under the new deal, all we know so far is that there will be 10-15 ESPN Fight Nights per year. If they are actually dropping from 21 Fight Nights to 10-15, that would be great news.

There was also a rumor that they would go from 12 to 6 PPV's per year and that TUF would be going away after TUF28 this fall.. but we'll see. All would be steps in the right direction.

This is just one half of their deal so we'll have to see how many fewer cards there will be. They're going to have a TV deal with someone (Fox?) as well so there will probably be fight nights on there. Maybe the rumoured cut down on PPVs will still make it so there are fewer cards overall.

I wonder how this will work for Canadians. Can we even get ESPN+ here? If not, maybe these streaming events will be on Fight Pass for us?

 

[Peter Griffin]

So there's confirmation that the UFC will be putting cards on ESPN+ starting in 2019.

To compare, the UFC put on 39 cards in 2017: 12 PPV, 4 Fox, 2 TUF Finale & 21 Fight Nights. I believe they are on the same pace this year.

Under the new deal, all we know so far is that there will be 10-15 ESPN Fight Nights per year. If they are actually dropping from 21 Fight Nights to 10-15, that would be great news.

This ESPN+ deal is for 15 UFC events per year and the UFC is still negotiating it's TV contract with FOX, as well as others potentially. If anything, I fully expect the same amount of PPV's but this ESPN+ deal to take the FightPass events(5 last year) as well as a chunk of the FightNight events. Rumour was that the UFC wanted FOX to pay $450M annually for broadcast rights whereas FOX was willing to be in the $200M area. Looks likely that ESPN will make up the difference by picking up 15 events with the remainder going to FOX. I'd be surprised if we saw the UFC cut down on it's yearly events.

 

[m9]

It's one of the bigger fights the UFC can put on but I'm not a fan of it. We already saw this fight once before when it was the bigger and better Diaz against GSP and that fight sucked. There are better and more interesting fights for both guys at 155/170.



This is just one half of their deal so we'll have to see how many fewer cards there will be. They're going to have a TV deal with someone (Fox?) as well so there will probably be fight nights on there. Maybe the rumoured cut down on PPVs will still make it so there are fewer cards overall.

I wonder how this will work for Canadians. Can we even get ESPN+ here? If not, maybe these streaming events will be on Fight Pass for us?

Yeah, I haven't really heard what the network part of the deal consists of as of now. 6 big network cards with 6 PPV's would be ideal, but doubtful.

No, we can't get ESPN+ up here. I haven't been able to find when the UFC/TSN deal expires, though it wouldn't surprise me if it was done at the end of 2018 as well.

As for Fight Pass, if they are moving their main product to a different streaming source I think this is bad news for the long-term viability of Fight Pass.

 

[Peter Griffin]

Very surprised GSP and Nate would do this fight at 155lbs, though.

I think it makes a lot of sense actually. Nate, other than when fought McGregor, has never looked good at 170. Fighting GSP at 170 would be a disaster for Nate. At least by forcing GSP down to 155 he might have a chance. As for GSP, he's always hinted at the idea of moving down to 155 so it looks like he's now going to be giving it a shot. And a win against Nate leads right into the McGregor fight next for GSP.

 

[m9]

This ESPN+ deal is for 15 UFC events per year and the UFC is still negotiating it's TV contract with FOX, as well as others potentially. If anything, I fully expect the same amount of PPV's but this ESPN+ deal to take the FightPass events(5 last year) as well as a chunk of the FightNight events. Rumour was that the UFC wanted FOX to pay $450M annually for broadcast rights whereas FOX was willing to be in the $200M area. Looks likely that ESPN will make up the difference by picking up 15 events with the remainder going to FOX. I'd be surprised if we saw the UFC cut down on it's yearly events.

There is a breaking point where the UFC can make more money by having these bad PPVs on Fox or ESPN as opposed to on PPV. This ESPN+ deal proves that they are willing to pay 10 million+ per Fight Night card. If you take a PPV like this weekend that might do 200k in buys, half of which goes to the PPV distributor, you are only looking at about 6 million bucks. Obviously those are extremely basic numbers and more goes into it than that, but if you took the 6 worst PPV's from last year I guarantee that the UFC can make more money by putting them on regular TV.

The less events thing comes into play simply with logistics. I know that the UFC has talked about less shows, particularly less travelling around the world and around North America. Maybe instead of less events they try to do more out of Vegas to cut these costs.

 

[m9]

I think it makes a lot of sense actually. Nate, other than when fought McGregor, has never looked good at 170. Fighting GSP at 170 would be a disaster for Nate. At least by forcing GSP down to 155 he might have a chance. As for GSP, he's always hinted at the idea of moving down to 155 so it looks like he's now going to be giving it a shot. And a win against Nate leads right into the McGregor fight next for GSP.

GSP can fight McGregor anytime he wants and it will be massive, so that's not really a bonus here.

I mean sure, having GSP cut more weight than he's had to his whole career will make it harder for him and possibly make it a more competitive fight. Is that what we're going for here? Making one guy worse enough so that the fight is interesting?

 

[Peter Griffin]

GSP can fight McGregor anytime he wants and it will be massive, so that's not really a bonus here.

Except for the fact that McGregor's future with the UFC at this moment is up in the air. Sure, he's not likely to be suspended by the UFC or anything, but his ability to continue to fight in the US could be affected by his upcoming charges. The UFC isn't booking any McGregor fights anytime soon. On top of that, perhaps GSP wants to test himself at a new weight class against a guy he feels is an inferior opponent? He did the same thing afterall when he finally moved to MW.

I mean sure, having GSP cut more weight than he's had to his whole career will make it harder for him and possibly make it a more competitive fight. Is that what we're going for here? Making one guy worse enough so that the fight is interesting?

And yes, I think that's exactly the reasoning for the fight to take place at 155. That's what I would be going for if I was Nate. And if GSP is willing to test himself at 155lbs, what exactly is the issue here?

 

[Peter Griffin]

There is a breaking point where the UFC can make more money by having these bad PPVs on Fox or ESPN as opposed to on PPV. This ESPN+ deal proves that they are willing to pay 10 million+ per Fight Night card. If you take a PPV like this weekend that might do 200k in buys, half of which goes to the PPV distributor, you are only looking at about 6 million bucks. Obviously those are extremely basic numbers and more goes into it than that, but if you took the 6 worst PPV's from last year I guarantee that the UFC can make more money by putting them on regular TV.

I won't begin the pretend to know how much the UFC makes off of their PPV's, who knows how much they make from advertising etc. All I do know is that they aren't dummies and if they aren't making money from them they'd stop putting them on. I guess we'll see what happens with the upcoming TV contract.

 

[Avs_19]

Even though I'm not a big fan of the match up, that card would be pretty sick if it comes together like Dana wants.

GSP vs. Diaz
Dillashaw vs. Garbrandt
Gustafsson vs. Rockhold
Brunson vs. Carlos Junior

That would be three stacked PPVs in a row.

 

[Rocko604]

Yeah, I haven't really heard what the network part of the deal consists of as of now. 6 big network cards with 6 PPV's would be ideal, but doubtful.

No, we can't get ESPN+ up here. I haven't been able to find when the UFC/TSN deal expires, though it wouldn't surprise me if it was done at the end of 2018 as well.

As for Fight Pass, if they are moving their main product to a different streaming source I think this is bad news for the long-term viability of Fight Pass.

Maybe, if you're in the US. As already said, anyone outside the United States cannot subscribe to ESPN+. So where is that content going to go? They're certainly not going to shut out their international fans. I think Fight Pass becomes an international gateway, while ESPN+ takes over for their US viewers.

I mean, why pay $1/4 Billion for NeuLion if you're not going to use it for your biggest sports property?

 

[Rocko604]

Even though I'm not a big fan of the match up, that card would be pretty sick if it comes together like Dana wants.

GSP vs. Diaz
Dillashaw vs. Garbrandt
Gustafsson vs. Rockhold
Brunson vs. Carlos Junior

That would be three stacked PPVs in a row.

I'd prefer Kevin Lee vs Diaz, but I'd definitely buy that PPV.

 

[m9]

Except for the fact that McGregor's future with the UFC at this moment is up in the air. Sure, he's not likely to be suspended by the UFC or anything, but his ability to continue to fight in the US could be affected by his upcoming charges. The UFC isn't booking any McGregor fights anytime soon. On top of that, perhaps GSP wants to test himself at a new weight class against a guy he feels is an inferior opponent? He did the same thing afterall when he finally moved to MW.

And yes, I think that's exactly the reasoning for the fight to take place at 155. That's what I would be going for if I was Nate. And if GSP is willing to test himself at 155lbs, what exactly is the issue here?

I was just responding to your comment that a win over Nate would set GSP up for a fight with McGregor. I don't think anything needs to be setup for that fight. That's it.

My issue is fighters making these large weight cuts, especially when it's completely unnecessary. A guy who just moved from 170lbs to 185lbs fighting a guy who has fought at both 155 & 170. It seems 170lbs is the obvious weight class for this fight to proceed at.

I won't begin the pretend to know how much the UFC makes off of their PPV's, who knows how much they make from advertising etc. All I do know is that they aren't dummies and if they aren't making money from them they'd stop putting them on. I guess we'll see what happens with the upcoming TV contract.

This is the probably the first time that it has made sense for them to cut PPVs. The PPV model worked better in the past, and then they've been in this Fox deal for 7 years. Now they are out of that deal and many of their PPV numbers are in the tank.

 

[Avs_19]

Yeah, I haven't really heard what the network part of the deal consists of as of now. 6 big network cards with 6 PPV's would be ideal, but doubtful.

No, we can't get ESPN+ up here. I haven't been able to find when the UFC/TSN deal expires, though it wouldn't surprise me if it was done at the end of 2018 as well.

As for Fight Pass, if they are moving their main product to a different streaming source I think this is bad news for the long-term viability of Fight Pass.

The ESPN article mentions Fight Pass staying around for now but who knows what the plans are long-term. UFC will obviously make sure the fights are available everywhere so I'm not worried about it. More so just curious if I'll have to re-up my Fight Pass subscription or if they'll just put these events on TSN.

 

[Peter Griffin]

I was just responding to your comment that a win over Nate would set GSP up for a fight with McGregor. I don't think anything needs to be setup for that fight. That's it.

Except you already agreed earlier in this thread that would be the case:

If he beats Nate at 155, im sure Dana will give him a title shot for LW or a fight against McGregor.

I didn't see they would be doing it at 155lbs. Interesting.

And yeah, you would imagine GSP v Conor would be on deck. Very surprised GSP and Nate would do this fight at 155lbs, though.

My issue is fighters making these large weight cuts, especially when it's completely unnecessary. A guy who just moved from 170lbs to 185lbs fighting a guy who has fought at both 155 & 170. It seems 170lbs is the obvious weight class for this fight to proceed at.

I would tend to agree but GSP has been saying for many, many years that LW is always viewed as an option for him. I think the only reason he ever moved up to MW was because Michael Bisping became the champ. If he isn't the champ, he never makes that move and perhaps returns at LW. He's also said he has no desire to return to WW, there's nothing there for him.

This is the probably the first time that it has made sense for them to cut PPVs. The PPV model worked better in the past, and then they've been in this Fox deal for 7 years. Now they are out of that deal and many of their PPV numbers are in the tank.

You could be right. I guess we'll see once they sign their next contract. The $450M they were seeking may have been their way to get out of the PPV model but ooesn't seem like they'll be getting that number in any contract they sign.

 

[m9]

Maybe, if you're in the US. As already said, anyone outside the United States cannot subscribe to ESPN+. So where is that content going to go? They're certainly not going to shut out their international fans. I think Fight Pass becomes an international gateway, while ESPN+ takes over for their US viewers.

I mean, why pay $1/4 Billion for NeuLion if you're not going to use it for your biggest sports property?

Sure, I guess what I meant is that this version of Fight Pass isn't going to stick around. People in the US aren't going to pay for both.

I wonder if the plan with NeuLion is to have all PPV's go through there. They've already ran a few through there as a test run.