"If the sport wants to move into the mainstream"
This has been said for MANY years. The UFC has reached it's biggest point n the US mainstream. Like boxing, WWE, etc, it will always be a big time money maker. It'll attract casual fan interest when there are big time fights with storylines people can relate to.
But it's not exactly gonna become a national sport like the NFL/MLB, broadcasted every day on hundreds of channels, paying hundreds of millions to fighters, etc. It's fighting. Most people don't understand it, nor do they care to. Fighting, even boxing, is not something a ton of people care about. A few million in the US, yes, but there are 300+ million in this country alone.
It's the prize fight game. It's always been this way. The sport is 1000000x more mainstream right now than anyone could've imagined 12-13 years ago. Combat sports peaked in the 60s and 70s in America as far as mainstream visibility and coverage. The UFC can still grow, increase buy rates, ticket sales etc. But MMA will never be on the level of soccer, football, baseball etc.. It's crazy to think so. Not saying you are crazy - just that it's silly to hear that said by Dana, Lorenzo.
It's a fight. Only so many people can relate, usually males between 18-34, sometimes older.
BTW I'm not saying this to shit on MMA. I LOVEEEE MMA and combat sports period are my entire life from when I wake up til when I sleep, for over a decade. I just know that there is a certain limit to the popularity of fighting. Fights like Jones/DC where there is a lot at stake, a lot of drama (the brawl and insults).. will ALWAYS pique the public interest, generate ESPN coverage, etc. Mayweather is a rare exception, and until a guy comes around like him or an Oscar De La Hoya in either MMA OR boxing - a fighter who transcends the sport, is a big part of pop culture, etc.. We will see 900-1 mil buys as the absolute ceiling for a UFC show unless they stack it with a bunch of huge draws.
Anyway just a rant. But I always felt MMA was way way bigger than anyone expected, and it can't really get much more "mainstream" than it s in America. A single fighter, yes. But the sport itself, nope. Problem is, the UFC thinks it's bigger/more important than any fighter it has, which is why I don't think we will see guys like a Mayweather, Oscar, etc... Rise to the same heights in MMA that they can in boxing, as far as visibility and popularity wise. Boxing is about the individual. Sadly, MMA right now is about the organization, and the individuals are seen as expendable.
Brock was the closest thing MMA had in modern times/in America to that type of fighter. And his popularity was made outside of MMA. It's going to be really hard for any one MMA fighter to capture that kind of attention in the US. Even Jon Jones, an absolute phenom athlete who dominates everyone, has barely broken 500k buys more than a few times. IF the fight with DC happened in September when it was supposed to, shortly after the brawl, it probably would've done a mil +, but because it was delayed it did around 800.
Anyway.. rant over.. There is just, kind of a ceiling to MMA's popularity in the US, and honestly the PED issue isn't really gonna change that much. It won't help the sport become more mainstream if they are cleaned up, nor will it shrink if the problems keep growing.
