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ASK MMATORCH: Reader questions answered on Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson rematch, UFC 174 underperforming on PPV
Jun 21, 2014 - 8:00:39 PM ASK MMATORCH: Reader questions answered on Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson rematch, UFC 174 underperforming on PPV

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Welcome to another edition of "Ask MMATorch," where Torch Editor Jamie Penick answers reader questions on the world of MMA. If you have a question you'd like addressed, make sure to send it in to askmmatorch@gmail.com. The more questions we receive, the more frequently we can run this feature!

Tanar D Writes: Simple question: Which rematch do you think Jones v. Gustafsson 2 will most resemble?

* Silva-Sonnen 2 (total vindication by the champ)
* Hughes-GSP 2 (total domination by the challenger)

MMATorch Editor Jamie Penick Answers: Of the two, I'd lean towards total vindication by the champ. I don't mean to disparage Gustafsson or what he managed to do against Jones last September, but it was still Jones landing the more significant strikes in that fight, and nearly stopping the challenger in the fourth and fifth rounds. It was a close fight, the closest Jones has yet faced, but I think it was also pretty clear that he just wasn't on his game that night.

Of course, the argument can be made that Jones wasn't on his game because Gustafsson didn't allow him to be on his game, and there's some real merit to that. However, it's just as likely that Jones didn't take him as seriously as a challenger as he should have, has learned his lesson, and will leave no doubt which of them is the better fighter on Sept. 27.

MMATorch Columnist Rich Hansen Answers: Seeing as how Jon Jones won the first on all three cards, and on most of the cards of observers who aren't filled with Jones-hate, I don't see how "vindication" comes in to play here. The very best performance of Alexander Gustaffson's career, combined with a surprising game plan, wasn't enough to beat Jones, so I don't see how Gustafsson does better in the rematch. Jones won't dominate Gustafsson necessarily, but only the staunchest and most irrational Jones-haters will have any desire to see a third fight between the two after the rematch.


Kevin P. Writes: I'm seeing comments online that UFC 174 may not have even gotten 100,000 pay-per-view buys last week. What would that mean for UFC if a Bellator pay-per-view show out-drew one of their events?

MMATorch Editor Jamie Penick Answers: To start off, those numbers are amongst the earliest estimates, and it could absolutely be above 100,000 at this stage. That said, if it's right around the level of Bellator's May pay-per-view, it shows that the UFC is getting to a point where they cannot sell pay-per-view shows on brand alone.

It's the same situation they've had on free TV, just with a different level of fight. Fans have access to so many fights on such a frequent basis that they're not going to plop down $60 a show for just anything anymore. Everyone is picking and choosing what they're watching, and unfortunately it means there may have been more fans willing to pay for Rampage Jackson in 2014 than one of the best fighters in the world in "Mighty Mouse" Johnson.

Part of this is the UFC's inability to find a massively effective way to push the top guys in lighter weight classes. They're putting it on the fighters themselves to break themselves out, but there's only so much they can do with their cage time. Guys like Johnson, Jose Aldo, T.J. Dillashaw, and more are fantastically talented, and can be very exciting, but for whatever reason they don't connect with the fanbase at large as of yet.

Add in a watered down product because of a bloated roster and too many events, and we get pay-per-view cards with maybe two to three of the five fights worthy of a pay-per-view slot. With less events, they'd be able to bring more quality over quantity; unfortunately a lot of these cards are filler with a couple of fights on top worthy of their slot.

With so many free events, the UFC has to find a way to distinguish the pay-per-view events. They've been hurt by several injuries to Champions and other top guys, but more can and should be done in the future to make the cards more palatable to pay-per-view buyers. UFC President Dana White has shrugged it off in the past of "if you don't like it, don't watch," and they're finding out now that fans are taking him up on that.


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