As I talked about in a previous post one of our big projects this year is working on fighters.com. I was pleased to see these numbers from the wrestling observer magazine covering the top PPV events of 2007 with the UFC being 9 of the top 15. Being there was 2 of the biggest boxing bouts in 5 years in 2007 (Hoya vs Mayweather, Mayweather vs Hatton) I think we can expect the MMA world to dominate PPV sporting events in 2008. Also now that Mayweather is training MMA it will being a lot more legitimacy to the sport.
TOP 15 PPV AMERICAN BUY RATES, 2007*
1. Boxing: Oscar De La Hoya vs. Floyd Mayweather, May 5: 2,400,000
2. Boxing: Mayweather vs. Ricky Hatton, Dec. 8: 850,000
3. WWE: Wrestlemania, April 1: 760,000
4. UFC: Chuck Liddell vs. Quinton Jackson, May 26: 675,000
5. UFC: Tim Sylvia vs. Randy Couture, March 3: 540,000
6. UFC: Couture vs. Gabriel Gonzaga, Aug. 24: 520,000
7. UFC: Liddell vs. Keith Jardine, Sept. 22: 475,000
8. UFC: Tito Ortiz vs. Rashad Evans, July 7: 425,000
9. UFC: Anderson Silva vs. Travis Lutter, Feb. 2: 400,000
10. UFC: Georges St. Pierre vs. Matt Serra, April 7: 400,000
11. Boxing: Manny Pacquiao vs. Marco Antonio Barrera, Oct. 6: 350,000
12. WWE: Summerslam, Aug. 26: 344,000
13. Boxing: Miguel Cotto vs. Shane Mosley, Nov. 10: 340,000
14. UFC: Anderson Silva vs. Rich Franklin, Oct. 20: 325,000
15. WWE: Royal Rumble, Jan. 28: 314,000
*Numbers not yet available for UFC 78 and 79, which are expected to crack the Top 15.
February 5, 2008 at 11:00 am
I wish my son watched it, he is seven years old and spends more time watching the dame cooking channel.
January 30, 2008 at 8:36 am
Yes, it is jus an big act. I don’t like wrestling with people, but if needed I will do.
January 17, 2008 at 5:21 pm
I just don’t see what everyone sees in this wrestling. My kids watch it and it all seems to be just one big act.
January 14, 2008 at 8:54 pm
So sad not to see a real heavyweight fight on there. Don King has killed the sport with his Alphabit champs
January 14, 2008 at 1:41 am
J-Shoe- Huge MMA fan! Would love to help on your fighters project… Also, thought you’d be interested in a little UFC wager…
January 10, 2008 at 8:32 pm
Definitely one of the more exciting sports. Considering how many people are now taking MMA training lately. Kinda reminds me of the 70s kungfu/krate craze…
January 8, 2008 at 5:58 pm
MMA is dominating the PPV airwaves, but they also are putting out a product at much higher clip than traditional boxing. UFC is averaging a major event every month. Add to that Spike’s programming, which is the probably the biggest single catalyst that brought the UFC out from behind the shadows. (specifically the ultimate fighter series)
There is a huge void from boxing that is being filled quickly by MMA enthusiast and there are many reasons for that!
January 8, 2008 at 4:41 pm
ha didnt expect to see WWE come in at third
January 8, 2008 at 4:08 pm
Seems like you’re certainly tapping a good market.
January 8, 2008 at 3:16 pm
I’m starting MMA (training) soon! I’ll probably end up blogging about it. I’m looking forward to it
But I’ll only be able to train once a week due to other sports so I’m not considering going pro
January 8, 2008 at 2:59 pm
It’s only a matter of time before the popularity of MMA reaches boxing, it’s the boxing of our generation. As our demographic gets older, MMA will flourish even more.
January 8, 2008 at 2:52 pm
Boxing will always be in front of MMA.
January 8, 2008 at 2:37 pm
It’s interesting that WWE is a very successful business, yet it is getting dominated in the PPV results. Clearly the UFC has something. I would say that the UFC needs more cross-media promotion. Being able to watch UFC on Spike is awesome, but I think UFC should keep pushing further out. Tie-ins with Xbox, Playstation, Mountain Dew, etc. would be a good way to go potentially.
January 8, 2008 at 12:47 pm
Seems like it would have been an amazing idea 6 months or a year ago. I agree that it is growing market and maybe I am just slow, but making the loot seems to be the challenge. That is why I am here learning/watching… Personally I like to watch MMA, basketball and many other sports, but other than ESPN, I haven’t really gotten into much web activity with the sports and don’t really buy much garb.
January 8, 2008 at 11:56 am
I see a lot of WWE action in there! That’s all that matters.
January 8, 2008 at 11:20 am
Great timing Shoe. You just need to hurry up and get the site going, make sure you’re around when this stuff peaks. Good luck.
January 8, 2008 at 11:01 am
There is no doubt that UFC will dominate PPV this year. They have successfully blended theatrical wrestling, martial arts, and boxing into a marketable event. The new Tapout.com site was so overloaded during the last UFC site that nobody could access it for twelve hours. This speaks volumes to conservative advertisers who have been avoiding the UFC.
January 8, 2008 at 10:48 am
Mayweather doing MMA is huge news.
My question is wtf happened to the heavyweight boxing division!?
January 8, 2008 at 10:26 am
Clearly, MMA is on the move. I don’t really think there’s a legitimacy question anymore. Mayweather, to me, represents a chance to peel off a segment of fighting fans from a sport (search marketer that I am, I think of it as a “niche”) that has been slowly dying for decades now.
Unfortunately, most sports that we’ve seen quickly gain popularity in recent years (X Games, Beach Volleyball) have faded. Shoe accurately points to the difference, MMA can drive PPV sales, which is a better model than chasing fickle ad dollars.