UFC now holds three of the top ten combat pay-per-views of all time

[Impractical Poster]

Except for the fact the biggest name in MMA and boxing is Floyd Mayweather. Let's look at facts not opinions.

Are you on crack?

[lazboy]

A little absurd when you think about it. To make things competitive, you are taking into account views for all boxing across the spectrum against only one MMA organization. That should tell you all you need to know right there.

Yea and thats what we are talking about. Boxing vs UFC in the next 8 months. Thats the discussion. If you want to widen the goal posts thats your perogative.

How are you going to monitor viewing numbers for all boxing events? They happen everyday all over the world and are being televised somewhere by some network. Are you going to limit it to HBO/Showtime/PPV? How do you plan on getting accurate viewing numbers?

I'm going to ask everyone I know, then their going to ask everyone they know, then we are all going to report the findings through email, text message, snail mail, morse code, letter in a bottle.

[Impractical Poster]

Yea and thats what we are talking about. Boxing vs UFC in the next 8 months. Thats the discussion. If you want to widen the goal posts thats your perogative.

How are you going to monitor viewing numbers for all boxing events? They happen everyday all over the world and are being televised somewhere by some network. Are you going to limit it to HBO/Showtime/PPV? How do you plan on getting accurate viewing numbers?

I'm going to ask everyone I know, then their going to ask everyone they know, then we are all going to report the findings through email, text message, snail mail, morse code, letter in a bottle.

Sounds reasonable.

Do you believe boxing will fall to second place after 8 months?

[lazboy]

How are you going to monitor viewing numbers for all boxing events? They happen everyday all over the world and are being televised somewhere by some network. Are you going to limit it to HBO/Showtime/PPV? How do you plan on getting accurate viewing numbers?

I'm going to ask everyone I know, then their going to ask everyone they know, then we are all going to report the findings through email, text message, snail mail, morse code, letter in a bottle.

Sounds reasonable.

Do you believe boxing will fall to second place after 8 months?

If Conor's back. If Aj wk is a dud. If ggg Canelo isn't on. Yea it reverts back to 2016. Just we have a good early line up this year. I'm hoping it captures some attention/fans. There's a window of opportunity.

[Impractical Poster]

I'm going to ask everyone I know, then their going to ask everyone they know, then we are all going to report the findings through email, text message, snail mail, morse code, letter in a bottle.

Sounds reasonable.

Do you believe boxing will fall to second place after 8 months?

If Conor's back. If Aj wk is a dud. If ggg Canelo isn't on. Yea it reverts back to 2016. Just we have a good early line up this year. I'm hoping it captures some attention/fans. There's a window of opportunity.

Look man, I'm really hoping boxing can get back on track. But, the politics and multiple governing bodies are causing headaches for everyone involved. Plus, the record breaking viewership for Floyd/Manny didn't do the sport any favors. It was just that many more people who paid a shit ton of money to realize that the biggest draw in sport was a huge dud. Think of the shadow that cast on the sport as a whole. It's going to take some time, but I believe boxing can come back in a big way if it can somehow get rid of the multiple greedy devils that are all fighting for a piece of the pie. Good luck. It's a good time to be an MMA fan.

[lazboy]

Sounds reasonable.

Do you believe boxing will fall to second place after 8 months?

If Conor's back. If Aj wk is a dud. If ggg Canelo isn't on. Yea it reverts back to 2016. Just we have a good early line up this year. I'm hoping it captures some attention/fans. There's a window of opportunity.

Look man, I'm really hoping boxing can get back on track. But, the politics and multiple governing bodies are causing headaches for everyone involved. Plus, the record breaking viewership for Floyd/Manny didn't do the sport any favors. It was just that many more people who paid a poo ton of money to realize that the biggest draw in sport was a huge dud. Think of the shadow that cast on the sport as a whole. It's going to take some time, but I believe boxing can come back in a big way if it can somehow get rid of the multiple greedy devils that are all fighting for a piece of the pie. Good luck. It's a good time to be an MMA fan.

Fair enough all true. I despise the greedy devils as much as you.

[lillywhite14]

Who cares? It still ain't Boxing!

I'm sick of these MMA/UFC fundamentalists who seemingly want me to swear allegiance to their cause and admit it's super dooper fantastico and that Boxing is shite in comparison. Nutters.

Boxing is 100x better and no matter how many PPV's are sold watching a mediocre boxer with a ginger beard hit fat wrestlers on the chin will make me change my mind. We live in pathetic, celebrity obsessed, shallow times. Gimmicks and catchphrases are the order of the day. UFC and certain fighters in their organisation fit that absolutely perfectly.

I don't actually mind it and appreciate the skills on show but for me, not a patch on Boxing nor will it ever be.

I imagine every other thread on an MMA forum will be about how much bigger and better than Boxing 'their' sport is. Why the obsession? It's weird.

Good post.
To me it's comparing apples to oranges.
2 different sports. Some similarities but that's it.
Boxing will always be number 1 to me

No, it's a one sided, biased post. His stance was ruled out once he stated that boxing was 100x better. Let's look at facts, not opinion.

And on MMA forums, boxing is very rarely talked about as it's not on the radar.

Of course it was an opinion. My point is, why are nutters like yourself, obsessed with trying to prove MMA is somehow 'better' than Boxing? It's all about opinion. Am I supposed to start following and admiring the Kardashians because they have plenty of followers? I decide what I enjoy watching and following, and Boxing is high on my list and MMA is way down the list.

You enjoy MMA, I'm happy for you. Allow people to prefer Boxing or even, heaven forbid, actively dislike MMA if they choose to.

MMA fundamentalists. Honestly, there's more important things to worry about in the world.
I blame Dana White. All he talks about is Boxing. The silly fat prick.

[lillywhite14]

I will agree that your argument regarding the multiple organisations and money grabbers in Boxing isn't doing it much good.

From what I gather though, the UFC is starting to go down this road itself isn't it? Certain fighters being allowed an easier time than others? Getting more promotion and being given more opportunities than others etc? That's the beginning of a slippery slope potentially. The top earner is already clearly after earning a lot more, to keep him happy do the paymasters make more allowances for him?

[caldo2025]

May 2, 2015
Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao - HBO/Showtime (4,600,000)

May 5, 2007
Oscar De La Hoya vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. - HBO (2,400,000)

Sep 14, 2013
Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Canelo Álvarez - Showtime (2,200,000)

Jun 28, 1997
Evander Holyfield vs. Mike Tyson II – Showtime (1,990,000)

Jun 8, 2002
Lennox Lewis vs. Mike Tyson - HBO/Showtime (1,970,000)

Aug 20, 2016
UFC 202: Diaz vs. McGregor 2 (1,650,000)

Jul 11, 2009
UFC 100: Lesnar vs. Mir 2 (1,600,000)

Mar 5, 2016
UFC 196: McGregor vs. Diaz (1,600,000)

Nov 9, 1996
Mike Tyson vs. Evander Holyfield – Showtime (1,590,000)

Aug 19, 1995
Mike Tyson vs. Peter McNeeley – Showtime (1,550,000)

If the UFC cut down the amount of PPV's from every month to every quarter, you would see more UFC in the top 10. The NFL this year is a prime example of the delicate dance present in sports marketing. When the NFL was just one Sunday and Monday, numbers were through the roof. Then the NFL decided to put games on Thursdays and some Saturdays. Now, NFL games are not as special as they used to be and viewership has declined.

It looks as though Boxing is trying to copy UFC's PPV success with their reliance on PPV events scheduled for 2017. They will not have remotely the same success charging money for horrible fights. Can you imagine if Cotto/Kirkland becomes a PPV event? Who in the world is spending money for that fight? You could put ANY UFC event on PPV and people will buy it. Boxing doesn't have that kind of fanbase.

[Impractical Poster]

Of course it was an opinion. My point is, why are nutters like yourself, obsessed with trying to prove MMA is somehow 'better' than Boxing? It's all about opinion. Am I supposed to start following and admiring the Kardashians because they have plenty of followers? I decide what I enjoy watching and following, and Boxing is high on my list and MMA is way down the list.

You enjoy MMA, I'm happy for you. Allow people to prefer Boxing or even, heaven forbid, actively dislike MMA if they choose to.

MMA fundamentalists. Honestly, there's more important things to worry about in the world.
I blame Dana White. All he talks about is Boxing. The silly fat prick.

I never ever said MMA is better than boxing.

[Impractical Poster]

I will agree that your argument regarding the multiple organisations and money grabbers in Boxing isn't doing it much good.

From what I gather though, the UFC is starting to go down this road itself isn't it? Certain fighters being allowed an easier time than others? Getting more promotion and being given more opportunities than others etc? That's the beginning of a slippery slope potentially. The top earner is already clearly after earning a lot more, to keep him happy do the paymasters make more allowances for him?

Kinda. I don't care for the preferential treatment Conor is getting. However, it has not been consistent. And, I am hoping this doesn't become a trend. I don't think it will. Rizen and Bellator are competing MMA organizations, that if they get big and popular enough, can create an atmosphere where the sport could potentially end up in a similar boat as boxing. But, as of right now, it is a good time to be an MMA fan.

To clarify.... I do not think boxing, as a sport, is better than MMA, or the other way around. But, the current state of boxing as a whole, the way it is being run is in poor shape compared to the UFC in particular. 99% of the time in the UFC, the fighters who should fight each other, do. And they do so when they are supposed to. This along with their quality promotional and production value is what allows them to enjoy better consistent PPV numbers compared to boxing....atm.

[Ricky_]

Ppv numbers are 1. Rumours and/or guesswork & 2. Limited only to 1 country.

[IKSRTFO]

Talking overall views not just ppv and compared to the ufc, not the other mma markets . But as you say, whether the weekly mma fights and a few big fights boost the numbers overall to trump boxing. Well, obviously its more of a gamble to go with boxing given 2016's track record but I have hope that some of the boxing fights already announced will generate numbers, nothing to smash records like the list in the post title mind you, but solid numbers. AJ - WK for example, I would expect very solid numbers, globally.

Kovalev vs Ward, promoted as two undefeated champs in their primes for the undistputed 175lb title and P4P #1 generated 160K PPV buys. Let that sink in for a minute.

It's a terrible result for PPV. But remember, bigger names than those are fighting this half of the year. WK-AJ, GGG Jacobs, Canelo- someone, plus these "free to air fights" (depending where you live) Garcia Thurman , Kell Brook someone maybe Kahn or Spence, Pacquia Horn maybe on free to air also, even add into the mix ward kov 2. I'm positive about total viewership. These are solid names. Whether UFC beats it overall, well I don't know, of course thats been the norm and I'm only speculating but I'm hopefull that boxing does well/better.

None of them would break 500K