The Next Big Thing

Brock Lesnar is no longer The Next Big Thing. That title has been emphatically usurped by MMA and the UFC in general. Over the past two years (relatively no time at all in the world of sports entertainment), the UFC has risen from limited notoriety to international recognition. Boxing and professional wrestling, the older bullies of sanctioned fighting, are now getting tapped out by a younger, faster, and more fun sport.

In 2005, the UFC debuted "The Ultimate Fighter," choosing a perfect timeslot after WWE RAW. The popularity steadily grew following this weekly syndicated show, spawning three more seasons before the current fifth.

With this increased popularity, UFC's pay-per-view buy numbers exploded. UFC 52, the first event after the completion of the first season of The Ultimate Fighter, drew a pay-per-view audience of 280,000, nearly double their previous benchmark of 150,000 set at UFC 40. Following the second season of The Ultimate Fighter, the UFC's much-hyped rubber match between Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell drew an estimated 410,000 pay-per-view buys at UFC 57.

For the rest of 2006, pay-per-view buy rates continued to skyrocket with 620,000 buys for UFC 60, 775,000 buys for UFC 61 which featured the second fight between Ken Shamrock and Tito Ortiz. UFC 66, featuring Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell in their second match, garnered 1,050,000 buy rates, the current PPV buy rate record for the UFC and MMA in general.

If you aren't impressed with a rise like that over the short course of 2 years, consider this: The UFC broke the pay-per-view industry's all-time records for a single year of business, generating over $222,766,000 in revenue during 2006, surpassing the WWE and boxing. The UFC grossed more revenue in 2006 on PPV than any promotion in history, and yet, the sport has still been cast to the end of the line in terms of media coverage and inclusion as a legitimate sport. It is now impossible to deny, if you didn't already believe it, that the UFC is THE next big thing.

If those numbers don't command your respect, then I believe there's a man named Chuck Liddell who would like to speak with you personally.