The UFC has adapted well during the COVID era
Despite the struggles facing countless businesses since the outset of the global pandemic earlier this year, the UFC is adapting, and doing pretty well. Huh.
There were about 8,000 locations around the world that showed the fights regularly before the coronavirus forced shutdowns. While that number has shrunk, the UFC PPV business still takes in about 75% of what it did pre-pandemic, according to figures provided to Front Office Sports. A person with knowledge of the pricing structure said UFC has cut the fees down to account for the shrunken capacity, which is used to calculate how much bars are charged to carry the fights.
“Certainly since the middle of summer, there’s been a pretty steady increase as restrictions are lifted; it gives bar owners an opportunity to widen the footprint to give them more patrons,” David Shaw, UFC senior vice president of international and content, told Front Office Sports. “As they get back on track, having gone through shutdowns or restricted capacities, UFC has become a centerpiece for their return.” – via Front Office Sports
The Front Office Sports article has more interesting insight into an aspect of the UFC’s business model that isn’t often discussed. It highlights the unique nature of the promotion, which has enabled the UFC to function fairly well given the global pandemic. Especially compared to other businesses, promotions, and sports leagues. Their flexibility and drive to continue to put on events has tentacles that reach all the way to supporting and helping local restaurants stay afloat. How noble.
Of course, doing all of that is much easier to do when, as the article mentions, you don’t have fans in attendance, you have a relatively small “field of play” when it comes to the Octagon, and you produce all of your own broadcasts.
Oh, and the lack of a union to negotiate with. That helps, too. Having a working relationship with the Abu Dhabi government also helps. As, on some level, a relationship with the President of the United States has. Balancing the books is a bit easier as well, when the totally-not-employees fighting in the cage earn less than half of their counterparts (in terms of percentage of total revenue) in other major sports leagues.
The UFC’s ability to put on events and relatively thrive while a global pandemic rages across the globe is undeniably impressive. Unfortunately, that flexibility is built on the back of underpaid and underrepresented fighters. It’d be nice to think there’s a world where the UFC could still put on events and fighters could get paid and represented better. But that’s a world with a fighter’s union.
The already-loaded UFC bantamweight division could be even more fun next year, beginning with a Dillashaw-Sandhagen bout. And if we’re picking fun things, we’ll take UFO Diego Sanchez over UFC Diego Sanchez in 2021. But, the business must continue, and guys like Sanchez will still get fights well into next year and beyond. Fun, right?
Huh? for the road
One of the Mike Pyle clones got out of the lab again. https://t.co/bclKUtYBa3
— Zane Simon (@TheZaneSimon) November 12, 2020
