FACEBOOK TWITTER RSS APP PODCAST Opinion & Analysis : Roundtables THURSDAY ROUNDTABLE: What strategy can WEC take to succeed on PPV? Amadi, Hansen, Matthew, Walker

Feb 11, 2010 - 3:36:22 PM

By Wade Keller, MMATorch Supervising Editor

We have brought back the popular MMATorch Roundtable feature. Most days we will publish a question followed by several staff members' answers. We will run several batches of staff responses to the following question over the next several days, and then introduce a new topic after that.

TODAY'S NEW TOPIC:

What would you do to try to make WEC successful on PPV, even if in general you disagree with WEC going on PPV? In other words, what advice would you give to Zuffa assuming they were open to some outside-the-box or aggressive marketing ideas?

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JASON AMADI, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

WEC going on PPV can only be successful if they do some sort of SuperShow where all the championships are on the line, and they only do one or two shows per year where the UFC is offering a fairly weak PPV. That is the only way they Zuffa can effectively compete with themselves and not really take much damage to either side. If you could place a WEC card anywhere, running a WEC card against a card similar to UFC 108 would be great for everyone involved. The UFC PPV would probably do well under the normal mark, but the WEC could get a real chance to shine.

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SAM MATTHEW, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

I personally don’t think the WEC can be successful on PPV. The fanbase just isn’t that strong as can be seen by their recent ratings numbers. But here’s one idea for a show they could put on PPV that would attract tons of attention. Force the current WEC Champions, Jose Aldo, Brian Bowles, Ben Henderson, and the top Contenders, Mike Brown, Urijah Faber, Miguel Torres, Donald Cerrone, and Jamie Varner to fight their way into the UFC. Put them up against some of the mid-range UFC fighters and see how they fare. Make em’ earn their move up if and if they win then they’re on a fast track to contention status. If they lose, then its back to the WEC. This format would probably never happen because it has the potential to bankrupt the WEC who could lose all their top guys, but that would still be one hell of a PPV event and even I might pay for it.

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WESLEY WALKER, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

Go back to the old formula of what made the WEC successful. Yes, Urijah Faber is the most known fighter in the WEC. In the old days before they combined divisions they had two title fights each card. For the WEC to be successful on PPV they need to make sure there are at least two title fights per WEC card plus do WEC fight night cards on VERSUS to keep the MMA world thinking about the WEC.

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BJORN HANSEN, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

Dream and Strikeforce have been trading more partners than a kinky couple of swingers while the UFC and WEC have steered clear of one another.

First they should kick things off with a title unification bout of the only overlapping division they have: Lightweight. B.J. Penn vs. Ben Henderson could get people talking.

Then as a co-headliner for that night, and headliner from there on, a Spike Fight Night formula should be followed. Insert two top UFC fighters in an exciting barn-burner of a fight (under a one-fight contract in which the UFC would compensate any salary discrepancies).

This will do a few things. First and foremost it gives incentives for fans to purchase a WEC PPV event. Secondly, it adds credibility to the WEC and their fighters by mere proxy to UFC talent. Lastly, it gives flexibility to both fighters and their respective promotions when it comes to finding suitable headliners.

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UPCOMING TOPICS

Our next batch of Roundtable Topics to be addressed over the next week or two are as follows (so keep coming back to MMATorch every day for this and more exclusive features):

-Who are the two or three current Strikeforce fighters (other than Fedor) you'd be most intrigued to see acquired by UFC. What match-ups would you make from those acquisitions?

-Who are the two or three current UFC fighters you'd be most intrigued to see leave UFC for whatever reason (perhaps not being given a fair shake, already fought everyone, hit a ceiling, etc.) and be acquired by Strikeforce. What match-ups would you make from those acquisitions?

-Would you prefer Strikeforce in two years was out of business, close to UFC's equal (in revenue, ratings, buyrates, talent roster), or had surpassed UFC (assuming UFC stays static in the mean time)? Why?

-Should UFC add a women's fighting division?

ALERT: Every Tuesday night, listen to the MMATorch Livecast from 9-10:30 p.m. ET or listen now to the most recent shows by clicking here. Listen live this coming Tuesday as Jamie Penick, Rich Hansen, and Matt Pelkey discuss the latest MMA happenings. Online listen at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/mmatorch or call into the show at 646-716-8090 to either just listen or participate.