The same week that it was reported that Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz did an estimated 1.6 million pay-per-view buys for UFC 202, Zuffa put MMA neophyte Mickey Gall in the cage to hammer “CM Punk” Phil Brooks and meanwhile, the promotion continues to push pretty young things Paige VanZant and Sage Northcutt. Breen and Wyman look at the UFC's potentially record-setting year on PPV behind McGregor and Diaz, the rise of “moneyweight” main events and how the McGregor era has altered the UFC's promotional philosophy and ethos.
Breen and Wyman also analyze how the UFC's product has now emphasize cable and network TV ratings independent of its PPV product, utilizing much-publicized fighters like VanZant and Northcutt in a non-PPV space, why the TV platform suits both fighters competitively and promotionally and how “Paige and Sage” could offer unique leverage for new owners WME-IMG when they head into the company's next round of TV rights negotiations in the not so distant future.
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