Ideas UFC Could Take from WWE to Make a More Entertaining Product
The UFC has begun a new era with its partnership with ESPN, but the product largely remains unchanged. It's the same UFC fans have been accustomed to for years. And it's stale.
Meanwhile, the WWE marches toward its marquee event on Sunday—WrestleMania. An event that is awe-inspiring to fans both hardcore and casual. A true spectacle that brings the glitz and glamor to professional wrestling.
Juxtaposing the WWE's flash against the UFC's ongoing product highlights the simple fact that the UFC needs to add a little shine to its production.
But what can they do?
Professional wrestling and the sport of MMA have continually been linked together, and each has learned from the other. The UFC could do with a little more time under the learning tree of WWE's production department to help bolster the fan experience.
Here are five simple ideas for the UFC to take from WWE to liven up its live events and provide a fresh product for fans.
Compelling Promo Packages
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One of the simplest and quickest changes the UFC can make centers around its promo packages.
We have seen glimpses that the UFC creative staff can deliver compelling short-form promos in the form of commercials. The UFC 189: Aldo vs. McGregor and UFC 193: Rousey vs. Holm commercials were exceptional and stood out. UFC also succeeded in telling the story of Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones with a longer package.
Those are rare instances reserved for the promotion's biggest fights, however. While that makes sense to an extent, it also makes other events seem average and fails to truly market their other fighters.
On fight night, we see the same brass tacks interview promo packages leading into fights. We get the same average talk from every fighter. Nothing to draw you into the bout.
The UFC can do a much better job of stepping into a creative field to capture the stories like WWE does for its rivalries. The WWE staff comes through in telling stories for more than just one main-event fight. It goes after everything that can be elevated. In 2015, WWE put together an exceptional promo for its developmental brand NXT and the chief rivalry between Bayley and Sasha Banks.
The UFC rarely does anything outside of a special commercial, and it is disappointing because MMA is filled with compelling characters and rivalries. There is more than enough there to share with their fans.
Its fight week staple UFC Embedded is a fun watch, but there isn't a touch of flair to captivate an audience that isn't already going to buy the PPV it is trying to chronicle.
Innovative Social Media
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This loosely ties in with the previous entry. While the UFC does have YouTube shows like UFC Embedded, the UFC should utilize multiple social media outlets in crafting their stories so that it can be seen by a greater audience.
It is also a strange entry to write because years ago the UFC was the leader in social media for sports organizations. Dana White and the UFC roster were incredibly engaging on Twitter. They put fights on Facebook long before other sports entities were using the site for live events. But in recent times, that has died down and they've become just another sports league with a profile.
Meanwhile, WWE has doubled-down and bolstered its social media presence. Just last month, WWE surpassed 1 billion followers through social platforms.
How did it get there? By creating content for each separate platform. You get something different everywhere you go. While WWE has more shows and content to create, the UFC can still develop new angles to explore and drive fans to its social media profiles.
The UFC has dropped the ball with its social media. You may get some highlights on fight night or an occasional tweet worth sharing, but it doesn't push the envelope like it once did. WWE has shown how to leverage the social engagement of fans to better showcase their product.
Unique Gear
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Maybe we should absolve the UFC a tiny bit on this one as it falls a lot on the shoulders of its fight kit partners, Reebok.
These fight kits have never inspired anyone to do anything. They are bland. It took quite a while before certain colors even came into play, but now we see the occasional yellow, blue or red trunks.
Even when fighters were clad with sponsors, it still felt somewhat unique and special. Now, it is the equivalent of watching a create-a-fighter from a video game step out into the arena. Looking the same as everyone else and not showing anything special.
Reebok and the UFC need to take input from fighters and allow them to craft their own styles and looks. Once fans latch onto that then they create merchandise fans would actually want to buy. Also, allow fighters to experiment with walkout attire.
Sure, maybe allowing a fighter to go full Ric Flair with a sequined robe would be over-the-top, but at least it'd be memorable. That's more than we can say for anything that has happened in recent years under the UFC-Reebok partnership.
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Match Stipulations
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It is already a cage match, so what match stipulations could the UFC institute? It's a sport after all. They can't have asinine WWE-style TLC or Inferno matches. It still has to be real and authentic.
The real key to using fight stipulations is to make sure they elevate a fight. So, what options could the UFC use?
Imagine two rivals bickering back and forth through the media. Now imagine one of them saying they would put their fight purse on the line. If both parties agree, why not use that to market the fight?
A "winner-take-all" contest in the middle of a fight card would create higher stakes for a mid-tier fight and make fans actually care about the action.
It's a high-risk, high-reward contest that the fighters themselves would propose between each other. The UFC would simply be playing host to the bet.
Another option would be a loser leaves town scenario. Crass? Yes. Harsh? Yes, but fighters know when their back is against the wall and they are fighting for their contract. Being released rarely comes out of the blue when you are on an extended losing streak.
Two fighters who are on 0-3 skids meeting with those stakes would be captivating.
Does that make us all mean-spirited to watch that fight with a UFC career on the line? Perhaps. It would call into question our own morals, but we are still watching two individuals do harm to one another with glee. And they still have other promotions to fight for if they lose.
The stipulation would also serve to motivate fighters to put it all on the line instead of fighting reserved. Imagine, a fight is at one round apiece, and it all comes down to the final frame. Caution would likely be thrown to the wind leading to exciting action.
A fight that a casual fan would absolutely not care about, airing deep on the undercard, could have a story and purpose to draw eyes to the fighters. One fighter saves his UFC tenure while the other washes out. Drama is what we live for with television and sports and higher stakes could take the UFC to new levels.
Grand Staging for Signature Events
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WrestleMania is a spectacle unlike most other things, and one of its major draws is the set design. That's it. Fans love seeing what new set WWE will use for its largest event.
And in the past, WWE has developed unique sets for its PPVs. Meanwhile, the UFC is typically hesitant to embrace something new and spectacular for its biggest events.
Think back to the last time we saw something out of the norm. Was it the gold mat at UFC 200? Or Sinead O'Connor and Aaron Lewis playing live when Conor McGregor and Chad Mendes, respectively, walked to the cage?
One of the few times the UFC stepped up the spectacle was for the Tito Ortiz vs. Ken Shamrock fight. It had an expanded stage with pyro. It was hard not to get goosebumps when the pyro went off and Ortiz marched to the cage for his grudge match. It was a special moment.
It is understandable why the UFC is hesitant at times. UFC 200 lost its major fight on fight week, UFC 189's fight between McGregor vs. Mendes was also a late-notice matchup when Mendes replaced Jose Aldo. But fans will still respect the attempt.
The UFC has International Fight Week on the horizon with two massive title fights. Imagine if it constructed a stage for that instead of the tired walk to the cage that we see at every event. Picture Amanda Nunes, Holly Holm and Jon Jones getting special walkouts.
The UFC doesn't need pyro or a WrestleMania-sized set. But it does need to freshen up these live events with elevated production in some form. There are opportunities to make events feel more special and more of an event.
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