Should the UFC Have Its Own Version of Wrestlemania

[Slim Pickns]

Every year wrestling fans, even ones who haven't watched regularly for years, make a big deal about Wrestlemania. The buyrates are better than every other WWE PPV and smash any TNA event. So, with Affliction looking like an actual threat, should the UFC put on a super show in an attempt to gain a bigger lead in the buyrates?

I know I would love to see stacked UFC card (similar to when they put on an event every three months instead of every one), but there are certain obstacles in the way. If the UFC were going to save numerous top notch fighters for a super show, the events leading up to it would be lackluster. Fighter need around three months to train for a fight, so assuming the event is in March, that would take nearly all the top fighters out for the events of December through February. With the way the UFC is putting on events right now, I think this would actually be a fair trade off. Instead of lackluster PPV's they could save all their TV free events until later in the year. Then, these lower tiered cards will be free and no one will complain.

I think a Wrestlemania or Super Bowl of MMA would sell huge. It seems possible since the UFC bought PRIDE and has Shogun, Dan Henderson, Anderson Silva, and Wanderlei Silva. If the UFC shows they are willing to put top fighters against each other on a well promoted super show, more fighters will want in. It would then be possible for Fedor to sign.

 

[Marquis]

It will sell huge but only that ppv will. Seeing as they would have to save the top figthers for it it will make like you said the ppv leading up to it lackluster. Thus why i think constant decent buy rates year long will make more money then just 1 big ppv. Alot of people i know only tune in for WM and never watch anything else on wwe maybe some raw leading up to it thats about it. Why though? cause they got bored of the product the common long time wrestling fan can always tell whats gonna happen next. But with ufc if they keep decent matchs on all their ppvs people will always be interested cause no knows who really will win (except most silva fights). I like how things are now good matchs on all paper views and then some stacked to semi stacked cards on some paper views. Obviously its working for them so might as well keep it going.

 

[twisterwrw929]

I think that the event would draw huge, but I don't think that it's the best thing to do. Like you said, fighters need 3 months to train for a fight which would mean the events leading up to it will most likely be weak. But then after the event, the fighters would still need about 3 months to train for their next fight, meaning the next few events would be weak as well. So in approx. 6 months there would be 1 stacked card, and 5 weak ones. It's possible it could all make more money in the end, but I personally think they would make less money then they could or have been making.

 

[Frank the Frowner]

I think that the event would draw huge, but I don't think that it's the best thing to do. Like you said, fighters need 3 months to train for a fight which would mean the events leading up to it will most likely be weak. But then after the event, the fighters would still need about 3 months to train for their next fight, meaning the next few events would be weak as well. So in approx. 6 months there would be 1 stacked card, and 5 weak ones. It's possible it could all make more money in the end, but I personally think they would make less money then they could or have been making.

Think of it this way, the UFC talent roster is really deep. They could conceivably put out a super card, and still be alright for the other five months. I think I remember hearing that to celebrate the release of the video game, they were going to put on a huge card of mammoth proportion.

I also think that if you relegate the bigger names to this one card, it opens up opportunities for the guys who are still trying to make a name for themselves to really shine through by having matches on the main card that they otherwise wouldn't have. There would be 5 fights on the main card. That's 10 guys that would be delegated to this card, and I'm sure all the titles wouldn't be on the line.

I think it's a great idea, and with the release of the video game coming up, I think it's very much in the realm of possibility for next year.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

The problem with UFC is that the shows aren't leading to anything. Sure they're leading to a huge main event that will get everybody talking. But that's just one match on a card, two if your lucky. Once that match has happened then it's just on to the next one.

WWE have WrestleMania. Now even if the programing has been awful in the leading months, or the matches don't tickly your fancy, you still get a little bit excited. Over the years there have been some awful Mania's. But it's always a huge event. The show will sell even if the card is poor. And in the end it's the main event matches are the ones that sell the shows.

It's pretty simple. Once a year you have one card with each of the champions in a title match. It's so simple it's unreal. The opponents don't even have to be great in each of the matches, it's the whole every title on the line that would sell. Imagine how excited people would be for that card with the current champs UFC has.

 

[8five]

What they should do is once a year put together an 8 man tournament similar to what they did back in the day they could even call it the throwback or something. Being as u need weight classes now you make it a 205 contest which would allow the smaller guys to bulk up or just take the fight in the weight class regardless of their own weight. You let your 205, 185 and even 170 champ compete with former champs and its a clash of the present with the past and future if u want to throw in contenders also. It would essentially be a supercard and then to break it up you have a heavyweight title and 155 title fight

 

[jimufctna24]

well i think that for the past two years they have tried to make the december card the biggest in 2006 it was chuck vs tito which was a huge draw and last year it was chuck vs wandy and rumor is this year will be bj vs gsp and mir vs nog coming of tuf 8 however they have made the last two may events special with the stacked card this year and the big drawing one last year with chuck and page 2 so i think they try to go all out in them two months

 

[Slim Pickns]

I think TheHaircut and Jake made good points. They don't have to have all the top fighters there, just all the belts. Whenever Chuck Liddell fights, he fights as the main event without a title on the line against a lackluster opponent. With Chuck being handily defeated by Jackson and Jardine, he has no place on a Wrestlemania type card. He could, still draw big buys on his own, so that would work. Plus, you could look at the UFC 89 card and take only Dan Henderson and Rich Franklin off and it would still work. Then they could be saved for the huge card. With the UFC roster as deep as it is and only getting deeper, this could be pulled off in the near future.

 

[Shocky]

Pretty much all the negatives about this situation are true. You simply can't afford to use all of your big guns on one show with MMA. That's the downfall of that sport. If you do that, you're killing yourself on sales for essentially half the year. It takes 3 months to train for fights, so you're essentially saying screw it for the three pay per views before and after that one event.

It's too much of a gamble. In theory it's pretty damn good, but in reality, it just can't conceivably happen. Now, you could have a situation where you line it up so all of the belts are on the line. Not all of the big name fighters are champions, so you could build it up that way. This is the problem with going to ppv's once a month, the UFC has essentially killed itself of a supercard.

 

[Kasey]

I wouldn't mind seeing one like that. Pride used to do it with Shockwave. Anyone who wants to see the most stacked MMA card in history needs to look no further than Shockwave 2003. The UFC should take some more time off before the New Year's show and try to build that one around at least two title defenses in one night. I know they have a huge roster and are constantly looking to fill up programming, but I would think they'd love to draw in the Christmas time dollar/pound when everyone is blowing money left and right and do it with a card that is really something special.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

but I would think they'd love to draw in the Christmas time dollar/pound when everyone is blowing money left and right and do it with a card that is really something special.

All well and good. But do people really have money spare to spunk on an expensive PPV during the Christmas holidays? They might, or the might not. It really could be hit and miss. Maybe it would be better earlier in the year. The Easter Bunny shouldn't mess with the buys too much. Nothing to do on Easter Sunday anyway.