Knuckle Up With Ron – Too Many Events?

Too many events? This argument has been circulating a bit online for a while, well, I would say since 2013. I’m going to put my two cents in. Are there too many events nowadays? Hell yeah there are. Dude, what the hell? At times we get at least four events in one month; one every weekend. These events were pay-per -view events, events on sports channels, and finally on the UFC streaming service, “UFC Fight Pass”, which you had to pay around $8 a month. I know I keep saying that MMA is the only sport I watch, but by no means am I such a diehard fanatic that’s going to stay glued to each fight, article, and other special events like interviews and training documentaries. No thanks. I usually wonder how we can have so many different sports channels, some covering an entire day of just football, baseball, and of course soccer. I’m not actually asking this question, because obviously there is a huge market, especially for soccer. The problem is half these cards are filled with up and coming prospects, and new blood, but to the casual viewer this usually means a bunch of unknowns. Sometimes I just don’t feel like watching any of these fights. Come on, they’re just filled with nobodies and they might have two good fights! Now, this year we have had some great PPV’s and some snoozers, and many of the free ones have also been great.

There’s also the Ultimate Fighter, and there’s a few shows on YouTube, I believe. Honestly, I don’t watch any of them. Now, you’re probably wondering if I’m actually a fan of the sport, which I really am, but I just can’t, and honestly don’t want to invest all that time into it. Of course this started happening as the UFC started expanding as a company. What was once a fringe sport gradually became the global phenomenon it has become. When I say global I mean they’re huge in the Middle East, Europe, Japan, and starting to get some footing in China. They hold conventions as well in Las Vegas.

My problem is that with all these events taking place within a month, I honestly lose interest in some of these fights. It’s a common issue, I think, when something gets really popular and the company does all it can to capitalize on its popularity. The same thing can be said about other forms of entertainment. Comics for example; DC comics has Batman and Marvel has Wolverine. They put those two characters in almost every team. (Exaggerating) They’re in a ton of merchandise and more than a few movies. UFC used to really have an amazing roster of characters, fighters of all different style types, backgrounds, and some from different organizations. Not to sound like a snob, but a lot of them just don’t stand out at all. Like I said, a lot of these cards are filled with a bunch of newcomers and I just cannot keep up with all of these new fighters. Now, this is just me. I have a friend that manages to watch almost every event. He’s watched almost all the pride events, WEC, and I believe he’s also watching Bellator.

On October 5, 2014, the UFC actually held 2 cards on the same day. Granted, they were on different continents and at different times, but that’s just too damn much, man! I’d feel guilty about missing these fights at times. Then I remember I can just stream it, but then you already find the results on Facebook sometimes. There have been a few fights I’ve missed due to horrible scheduling on the UFC’s part, not mine. UFC has had events that have been back to back, like one on Saturday and one on the same Sunday. There have been events that you can only catch on the UFC Fight Pass very early in the morning on a Saturday. I remember one time there was an event on a Thursday. We have prelims before every fight and we also have Facebook exclusive prelims to the prelims! Seriously!? I don’t know, but I have never seen any of them in my life. They have stated in the past the reasoning is to reach as many casual fans as they can.

I do enjoy the tradition of getting together with the guys, having a few beers, and eating some greasy ass food, but every weekend becomes kind of the same. I think they need to cut back on events and make every pay-per-view worth watching, develop new stars instead of filling cards with the same people, and the rest with just filler. I don’t know half the fighters at times on pay-per-views. The free cards are entertaining at times, but then they only have like two recognizable faces. OK, don’t take this the wrong way, in the past I have said how these no-name fighters usually put on a very good show. They’re in there fighting with all their heart, but at the end of the day we want to see big names progress, and become the knockout artists we come to love do their thing. With that being said, see you guys in West Palm on Wednesday night for Battleground MMA event. Cheers knuckleheads!

We’re bringing that #SportsLemonade back the octagon! See you in West Palm next week, Wednesday, Oct. 25th! @battlegroundliv pic.twitter.com/CrDqcYIguR

— Lemon City Live (@LemonCityLive) October 19, 2017

Knuckle up with Ron is a column in which an MMA enthusiast will bring you the latest news, opinions and what else might be happening in the world of MMA. You’ll get unique articles and a humorous perspective on this growing sport from the mind of a not so typical Miami resident. We’re not claiming to be experts, we’re just here to give you our thoughts, so make sure to comment and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.