How To Fix The UFC

Be more professional

-This goes for the athletes and management. Dana White is the face of the company and its biggest star. As President, he’s essentially equal to the Commissioner of the other sports leagues. The NFL, MLB, NBA, etc. all have professionals running their organizations. They largely stay in the shadows and just make sure everything is run properly. They don’t partake in reality television shows. They don’t give their opinion on their athlete’s performance. And they punish people when necessary. Those leagues would never stand for one of their athletes calling another, “Nazi”, a la Conor McGregor.

Trim the roster

-I understand you want to put on a lot of events during the year and that injuries happen, but your roster is full of fighters who aren’t the best in the world. Knowing that turns fans off of wanting to watch your product. You should employ only the best 20 or so fighters in each weight class and have everyone fight 3-4 times a year. Occasionally bring in other fighters your scouts feel could compete with the best in the world in order to add new blood. Don’t do it all the time though just to have watered down fight cards. Your product won’t be so diluted and fans will want to watch more.

Trim the fight cards

-If you’re going to trim the roster, you’ll likely have to trim the fight cards as well. 10 fights is the perfect number for an event. Anything more is overkill and oversaturation. Fans want quality, not quantity.

Have and announce injury backup plans

-If an NFL quarterback gets injured, fans and the opposing team already know who his backup is and the game goes on. Nothing gets cancelled. The UFC should have something similar. Announce a replacement fighter for each scheduled fight. They can be paid a portion to train and will get paid even more if they are needed as a late replacement. Fans would still buy the pay per views if they knew they would still get a compelling fight should someone get injured.

Have some fun

-Every fighter’s walkout is the same. Every commercial is the same. Every season of The Ultimate Fighter is the same. Spice things up. Take some chances. Do something different. Allow fighters to be more original with their walkout routines. Fans will pay to see the spectacle as much as the fights themselves.

Pay the athletes more

-I understand the best of the best in the UFC make good money and everything is not disclosed to the public, but everyone on the roster should be making more. Fans follow their favorite fighters on social media and see their struggles. This only makes fans complain and want change to happen in the UFC. It doesn’t help the business at all. Follow the old adage of, “to make money, you must spend money”. The fighters are your assets. Invest in your assets.