It’s no secret that Brock Lesnar was one of, if not the greatest pay-per-view draw under contract with Zuffa’s juggernaut promotion, the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A former WWE standout, Lesnar’s transition to mixed martial arts brought with it a whole new legion of fans that had yet to be exposed to “real” fighting. Not only did Lesnar bring a new audience to the fold, his anti-hero personality won many over; the typical politically correct character can become a bit stale in this business and Brock new to spice things up with his outrageous stage persona.
It all worked like a charm, for a while, as UFC 100, headlined by a heavyweight duel between Lesnar and Frank Mir drew approximately 1.6 million viewers. In fact, Lesnar’s meeting with Randy Couture also surpassed the 1 million viewer mark… hell, Lesnar’s collision with Shane Carwin at UFC 116 pulled down an estimated 1.2 million purchases. There can be absolutely no denying the appeal fans find in Lesnar, the question is, with the former champion now retired, is there anyone poised to fill the position of most marketable fighter?
Continued exposure for heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos could work wonders for his PPV buy-rates, though his still slightly rocky English could serve as a detriment to ignorant fans. Nick Diaz is certainly polarizing enough to snatch sizable buy numbers, and Jon Jones’ remarkable performances could prove to be a game changer with more time. Of all of the aforementioned fighters to be mentioned however, Alistair Overeem could be the man to fill the whole. He’s got the looks, the physique and the brutal assault to make it happen, but, does he have enough personality to really fill Brock’s shoes?
The UFC will continue to win big with fans, especially considering the numerous changes the company will be undergoing in the following year. The loss of Brock Lesnar will hurt a few pay-per-views, but it certainly won’t prove a devastating blow to the promotion. There is enough talent and enough personality to keep this ship floating for years to come. It’s a shame Brock won’t be around to play a part in that, but that fact certainly cannot derail this locomotive.
Some MMA fighters like Brock Lesner take a gamble and take what they call the ‘backend money’. That is the money that is received from the pay per views and gates. The MMA fighters get a percentage on these amounts taken in by the network and the UFC.
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