The Current State Of The UFC

Is the UFC on its first down trend since 2020?

After four consecutive years of the UFC’s fan base and brand notability skyrocketing, majorly since the start of the pandemic where it was the only sport to watch at the time, It is unfortunate to say the UFC is hitting a major rough patch one that likely won’t be resolved quickly. 

This downturn is largely due to the current champion landscape across several weight classes. Many divisions are now dominated by wrestle-heavy, control-time merchant, crotch sniffing fighters like Merab Dvualishvili, Belal Muhammed, and to a lesser extent Islam Makachev. While Islam is the exception as he finishes his opponents in most fights, others have developed a reputation for less entertaining styles. Other Belt holders that are just simply less exciting to watch, such as Dricus Du Plessis,  Magomed Ankalaev and Alexandre Pantoja (Pantoja has no compelling matchups at 125) just don’t push the needle when it comes to bringing in fans and garnering attention.

On the other hand, the fan favorite champions Jon Jones and Ilia Topuria are both in their own respective situation with Topuria vacating the Featherweight belt, only looking to challenge Islam for the Lightweight Strap and Jones yet to have a official announcement to fight Tom Aspinall although the deal is rumored to have been signed.

So what can happen to put the UFC back on track? Wishful thinking would be to try to stop the gamification of control time on the ground with no action, even though wrestling is a part of the sport, and it is difficult to get guys in submissions and stop guys on the ground. Ultimately, the UFC relies when exciting fighters deliver memorable performances. 

Looking ahead there are several  promising matchups to help the UFC head in the right direction. Rematches with Pereira vs Ankalaev and O’Malley vs. Dvualishvili, along with fresh matchups such as Muhammed vs. Rakhmanov or Du Plessis vs. Chimaev. Additionally making a strong push to deliver highly anticipated fights like the Topuria vs. Makachev and Aspinal vs. Jones fights could significantly boost fan engagement.