It was expected that a transitional phase would take place for the UFC in 2014. Georges St. Pierre and Anderson Silva aren't expected to fight in 2014, which were arguably their two biggest draws. It was expected that the likes of Cain Velasquez and Anthony Pettis would break out as must-watch stars. That hasn't been the case, as neither of them have fought this year. Injuries have riddled both fighters, where they will be fighting near the end of the year. Still even the likes of Ronda Rousey and Jon Jones aren't exactly pulling in major buy-rate numbers. The valid counter-argument for that would be that the competition hasn't been great for them so far this year. The most notable issue involving big-name draws was brought up by Luke Thomas of MMAFighting.com. On a past episode of the "MMA Beat", he mentioned how their are 500 fighters on the roster and they still couldn't find someone as a notable replacement. That is a troubling sign, when there are so many "faceless" fighters that don't have major fan bases to prove their a commodity. Besides UFC 151, the UFC never had to cancel events. They were always able to find replacements even in drastic times, such as UFC 133 when Rashad Evans went through four different opponents before Tito Ortiz stepped up. The fighters need to be showcased and promoted better. That's hard to do when 50 events are being held in 2014.
I cover the sport of MMA, along with being a fan of the sport since 2008. I've been covering the sport for two years now, along with interviewing several fighters. I also write on MMASucka.com. You can follow me on twitter @Allen_Strk or email at AStrk19@gmail.com
