Could Dominick Cruz ever carry a PPV?

Unless he starts earning quality stoppages, I think he would be by far the poorest drawing champion in the UFC. Normally I don't buy into the theory that little guys can't sell, but with his style being a similar version to Frankie Edgar's dance and dodge, there would be little reason to think anyone would pay attention to a 135'r that can't bust a grape and wouldn't try to hurt it anyway.

Would it be possible for Cruz to bring in 500K buys as a headliner, with an average co-main event fight?

Maybe the UFC should do TUF with him instead. They have to sell him somehow.

No Bantamweight fight will ever draw 500,000 buys as the main event. The only way possible is if they have a great co-main event.

Don't count out his nice guy personality and boyish good looks.

maybe they can include him as a co main event in those cards such as mir vs cro cop ,nog vs cain or evans vs thiago. U know, the cards that dont have a title on the line. I could see cruz headlinin or perhaps co headline a card like that. Heck if faber wins his next match tuf with him and cruz would be interesting

I have the Cruz bubble bursting soon, so I went no.

freakzilla316ftw wrote:

No Bantamweight fight will ever draw 500,000 buys as the main event. The only way possible is if they have a great co-main event.

Freak, no offense but that is baseless poppycock. You personally must not like little guys or something because you always say this but there isn't a shred of truth to it in any data. If Faber becomes the BW champion in 2011 500k is the basement for what he would do with average UFC quality co-mains.

Ya, confirms(not that his "opinions" otherwise haven't) that Freak is just a step beyond a casual fan. Doesn't like watching girls, doesn't like WEC fights, etc.

He can't watch the WEC though I am sure in Australia because if he did he'd be a huge fan. Wasn't it you OU who said you didn't like the WEC before you ever watched it? One of us said as much before and was immediately repentant after watching...

I can't predict the future. But I did vote:

[X] He could sell 500K, but only if he starts finishing fights.

If he does that, interviews well, has a Sports Center Top Ten play highlight, and keeps the ball rolling on publicity and exposure(TUF Coach maybe, good ad commercial or something, something that sticks out side the cage), he can turn into a draw. A lot of things to do but in no way impossible.

Also, the right opponent is a factor.

Wolfgangsta wrote:

Ya, confirms(not that his "opinions" otherwise haven't) that Freak is just a step beyond a casual fan. Doesn't like watching girls, doesn't like WEC fights, etc.

He can't watch the WEC though I am sure in Australia because if he did he'd be a huge fan. Wasn't it you OU who said you didn't like the WEC before you ever watched it? One of us said as much before and was immediately repentant after watching...

LOL no man, we talked about this before when you thought it was me. I have always been a small guy myself and always loved the smaller fighters. Funny because you asked me that before. But no I have never hated on the smaller fighters.

Weird, I thought it was OU as well. I remember what Wolf is talking about though because one of the regs on here said they weren't into the small guys and then actually watched a WEC and were raving about it. Don't remember who though

bobbitt15 wrote:

Weird, I thought it was OU as well. I remember what Wolf is talking about though because one of the regs on here said they weren't into the small guys and then actually watched a WEC and were raving about it. Don't remember who though

I wish I could remember what thread we had this conversation in just a few months ago. I don't remember who it was. But being a small guy myself I have always been a fan of the small guys.

I hear that talk occasionally and it bugs me, the, "I'm not into watching midgets pretend to fight," talk. WEC was without a doubt the #1 org in 2010 for fight quality I think. Just a lot of decent action.

My other guess was going to be GDP. Was it you homie? Maybe Capt?

Of course!!


I think several people have said as much, here and elsewhere, but I don't drop names, I steal credit.

so it was you?

Wolfgangsta wrote:

My other guess was going to be GDP. Was it you homie? Maybe Capt?

not me. Tim or Bigs?

Oh ya, Bigs.

Wolfgangsta wrote:

Oh ya, Bigs.

possible.

OU wrote:

bobbitt15 wrote:

Weird, I thought it was OU as well. I remember what Wolf is talking about though because one of the regs on here said they weren't into the small guys and then actually watched a WEC and were raving about it. Don't remember who though

I wish I could remember what thread we had this conversation in just a few months ago. I don't remember who it was. But being a small guy myself I have always been a fan of the small guys.

i did say that after my first WEC event that i was hooked, and prior to that i wasnt a big fan...

Not even a well known Champion, never could headline and carry a card wtih him, maybe as the co-main with a bigtime HW or LHW fight.

LA wrote:

Not even a well known Champion, never could headline and carry a card wtih him, maybe as the co-main with a bigtime HW or LHW fight.

Translate that into something that makes a clear statement.

Wolfgangsta wrote:

LA wrote:

Not even a well known Champion, never could headline and carry a card wtih him, maybe as the co-main with a bigtime HW or LHW fight.

Translate that into something that makes a clear statement.

Not even a well known Champ, never could headline and carry a card with him, maybe as the co-main with a bigtime HW or LHW fight.

Two things I think that cannot be discounted.

1. MMA is not at a ceiling, the buy rate pattern is continuing a steady pattern increase (factor/less spending+more streaming=sustained buyrates). In a couple of years 500k sells could be on the lower end of the buy spectrum.

UFC Buyrates wrote:

UFC PPV Buyrates For 2009:
UFC 93: Franklin vs Henderson 350,000
UFC 94: St-Pierre vs Penn 2 920,000
UFC 96: Jackson vs Jardine 350,000
UFC 97: Redemption 650,000
UFC 98: Evans vs Machida 635,000
UFC 99: The Comeback 360,000
UFC 100: 1,600,000
UFC 101 Declaration: 850,000
UFC 102: Couture vs Nogueira 435,000
UFC 103: Franklin vs Belfort 375,000
UFC 104: Machida vs Shogun 500,000
UFC 106: Ortiz vs Griffin 2 375,000
UFC 107: Penn vs Sanchez 620,000

UFC PPV Buyrates For 2008:

UFC 80: Rapid Fire 225,000
UFC 81: Breaking Point 600,000
UFC 82: Pride of a champion 325,000
UFC 83: Serra vs St Pierre II 530,000
UFC 84: Ill Will 475,000
UFC 85: Bedlam 225,000
UFC 86: Jackson vs Griffin 540,000
UFC 87: Seek and Destroy 625,000
UFC 88: Breakthrough 480,000
UFC 90: Silva vs Cote 300,000
UFC 91: Couture vs Lesnar 920,000
UFC 92: Ultimate 2008 1,000,000+

UFC PPV Buyrates For 2007:

UFC 67: All Or Nothing- 400,000 buys
UFC 68: The Uprising- 530,000 buys
UFC 69: Shootout- 400,000 buys
UFC 71: Liddell .vs. Jackson 2- 675,000 buys
UFC 72: Victory- 200,000 buys
UFC 73: Stacked- 425,000 buys
UFC 74: Respect- 520,000 buys
UFC 76: Knockout- 475,000 buys
UFC 77: Hostile Territory- 325,000 buys
UFC 78: Validation- 295,000
UFC 79: Nemesis- 534,000

2. I think a significant audience is going to be truly introduced to the excitement level WEC fighters bring. There is no exposure anywhere else to it here that compares. There will be some new fans, new eyes that will take notice who had not before.

These things plus what I said Cruz would need to do could develop him into a decent draw.

LA wrote:

Wolfgangsta wrote:

LA wrote:

Not even a well known Champion, never could headline and carry a card wtih him, maybe as the co-main with a bigtime HW or LHW fight.

Translate that into something that makes a clear statement.

Not even a well known Champ, never could headline and carry a card with him, maybe as the co-main with a bigtime HW or LHW fight.

So you're actually meaning to say that a well known champ couldn't carry a card with him either? That statement which is pretty absurd, coupled with the gawd awful gagglefuck of a sentence that was(I mean awful) made me believe you were trying to say something else. My mistake LA.