| 20 October 2011
UFC 136, both on paper and in the cage, was one of the best events the UFC have put on this year. Two title fights. A couple of other top contender matches. Should have been easy money for the UFC in terms of pay-per-view buys, right? Wrong. Early estimates are that the event only sold 225,000 - 250,000 PPVs, which are just horrible numbers for an event headlined by a title match (not to mention TWO title fights).
If these numbers are correct, this will make UFC 136 the worst-selling PPV of 2011, and the worst since UFC 110 (February 2010). It would also be the worst-selling PPV with a title on the line since UFC 80 (B.J. Penn vs Joe Stevenson) sold 225,000 PPVs in January 2008.
Blame whatever you want - an oversaturated market, a poor economy, the average fans disinterest in lighter weight fighters - but it spells bad new for the UFC. Poor PPV sales have become the norm, not the exception, this year for the company. Say what you will about the UFC's big deal with Fox that will put $90-100 million in their coffers a year, but the UFC still lives off of its PPV revenues. After all, they grossed somewhere in the neighbourhood of $230 million from pay-per-view sales last year alone. The UFC is a PPV driven business, and business isn't good.
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