UFC fans have two options for keeping up with the action. You can watch Fight Night or a numbered UFC event. But that raises a big question. What is the difference between these shows?
The biggest difference is the price. UFC Fight Nights airs on a subscription basis on ESPN. UFC fights are sold in PPV form. Another key difference is the nature of the names involved. Fight Nights tend to focus on rising stars, while established fighters feature in the UFC's numbered bouts.
There are two main televised events that the UFC will broadcast. Read on to learn more about how each of them works.
What is UFC Fight Night?
Though a staple now, UFC Fight Night has humble beginnings. It originally started out as the culmination of the popular reality TV show UFC Ultimate Fighter. Interestingly, the title fightfeatured Ken Shamrock versus Rich Franklin. The success of the event and reality show showed there was a big market for the UFC to tap into.
UFC Fight Nights will air on the ESPN+ network. Usually these events feature aspiring wrestlers. However, the occasional event features a headline featuring one of the biggest stars in the middle class. It would be very unusual to see a big star like Connor McGregor fight at UFC Fight Night.
This program fulfills some important functions for athletes. First, they can introduce themselves to the audience. This can be a great way to build a following and build momentum. Second, it will allow them to impress UFC owner Dana White.
The show also plays an important role for the business side of the UFC. It offers a constant stream of future stars. It is also used to advertise upcoming numbered events. For example, there may be interviews with the stars that will overwrite the events. This allows them to build anticipation and excitement for UFC events and increase the amount of pay-per-view sales they receive.
What is a "numbered" UFC event?
A numbered event is a pay-per-view match. These are typically much larger events than Fight Nights. There are a few reasons for this. These are:
- It shows well-known stars.
- Guided by a title fight
- More hype caused by UFC Fight Night events
These events also play an important role in the commercial sector. Pay-per-view sales form a crucial part of the revenue stream. For example, the UFC 257 eventHave more than 1.6 million purchases. This is where the company is increasingly generating a large part of its income.
What do the event numbers mean?
Some fans are confused by the way UFC events are named. Often it will just be a number. These numbered events move in sequential order. For example, the first UFC PPV event was one. The next was two and so on.
What is the difference between UFC and UFC Fight Night?
There are some important differences between these events. Some of the key distinctions are:
- where you can see.Fight Night is available to anyone with an ESPN+ subscription. To view a numbered event, you must pay for the PPV.
- Preis.UFC Fight Night is featured on ESPN+,which costs about $69.99 per year. On the other hand, you have to pay about $69.99 for the pay-per-view event.
- Meaning.UFC events will have title changes and bigger games.
- Regularity.UFC Fight Nights is a fairly regular event, held weekly before a pay-per-view. UFC numbered events will happen less frequently.
How many UFC PPVs are there per year?
The number of PPV events the UFC hosts each year varies. However, it's often about one a month. That's an average of 12 events per year.
How often is UFC Fight Night held?
The frequency of Fight Nights will also vary somewhat. For example, the UFC signed with ESPN in 2019. This agreement meant they were neededproduce 42 events for the network.Although these events don't happen every week, at least two or three will happen before the numbered events.
Does the UFC have an offseason?
Individual wrestlers must rest between bouts. This gives their body time to recover and prepare for the next game. However, the UFC has built a steady roster of stars. If one is injured, another can take its place. Because of this, there is no off-season and the UFC is able to host events throughout the year.
What were the highest PPV buys in UFC history?
The UFC has multiple sources of income. Although one of the largest is the number of people buying pay-per-view (PPV), the largest number of tickets to date is from the event UFC 229. The headline read Connor McGregor fights Khabib Nurmagomedov. This results in2.4 million PPV purchases. This does not include the amount of money paid by persons attending the event in person.
Several factors determine the number of people who buy PPV. However, history shows that the fighters are the main driving factors. Big names like Connor McGregor and Israel Adesanya are becoming synonymous with huge increases in UFC PPV purchases.
While the number of PPV purchases is a good indication of how popular the card is, it's not the only way the UFC can monetize an event. They can sell tickets to the fight. They will also sell goods. They can also sell replays of the fight. This includes DVDs or TV station royalties. Additionally, sponsors pay to have their ads placed around the venue or within the octagon.
Does the UFC Fight Pass include all fights?
For many fans, the cost of managing PPV purchases can be a big concern. With an average of 12 per year and priced at $69.99 per game, you would have to pay around $840 to see them all. As a result, many people turn toUFC fight pass. The company refers to this as "The Netflix of Fights." The subscription only costs about $10 per month.
If you choose Fight Pass, you can access a lot of content. This contains:
- Access preliminary events for UFC fights
- All historical UFC games
- Original content, such as interviews with the fighters.
- events of other organizations. For example, you can see Strikeforce. These events can be live.
- Martial arts films (mainly kung fu)
- The Official UFC Podcasts
However, if you want to watch UFC's numbered fights live, you still have to pay a premium. After one month, the event will be included in the subscription service.
Is Ultimate Fighter included with UFC Fight Pass?
One of the most popular UFC reality franchises is The Ultimate Fighter. This follows a group of aspiring fighters who live and train together. Each episode ends with a fight.
Since it first aired, the show has garnered a huge audience. The UFC Fight Pass includes all episodes of the show. He also has other reality shows, such as Dana White's Contender series.
final thoughts
UFC is a major sports provider that broadcasts several events each year. These can be broken down into UFC Fight Nights and numbered UFC events. Fight Nights is available to anyone with an ESPN subscription. But if you want to see the biggest names and title fights, you'll have to buy the PPV. This system works for the UFC, allowing them to create new names and promote their latest PPV events.
FAQs
Why are some UFC fights numbered? ›
The biggest type of UFC events is the PPV (pay-per-view) events. They are marked as “UFC “. The number after the “UFC” refers to the chronological order of the PPV event that was held, starting at UFC 1 and going all through the UFC 248 (at the moment the article was written).
How is UFC Fight Night different? ›They're all Fight Nights with different titles based on where they're airing and the various broadcast deals the UFC has had over the years. In 2022, they're either titled UFC on ESPN or UFC Fight Nights, but they're the same event.
What do UFC record numbers mean? ›Record – The number of wins, losses, draws and no contests in a fighter's career in UFC, WEC, PRIDE, DREAM and Strikeforce.
What do the 3 numbers in UFC mean? ›The numbers following UFC serve a very simple meaning. Each one such as ufc 197 are just the number of the pay-per-view. So that would mean ufc 197 is the 197 pay per view of the UFC.
Do UFC fighters weigh more on fight night? ›In some cases we see fighters 10 to 15 pounds heavier than they were the day before at the weigh-ins. Some fighters have the body types that allow them to put on weight much faster than others, and for them it can serve as an advantage at times.
Are fighters heavier on fight night? ›MMA fighters are required to 'weigh-in' before a fight, to show they don't exceed the upper weight limit for the weight-class they're competing in. But fighters can 'game' the weigh-in system and hit the scales significantly lighter at the weigh-in than they would on fight night.
How many UFC numbered events are there a year? ›The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is in a unique situation that they do not have a traditional schedule like other sports leagues. Instead, they are fighting all year and typically have 40-45 events per calendar year so the UFC Schedule is all year long.
What does the negative number mean in UFC? ›The UFC's negative odds mean that you can win more money by betting on the underdog. This is because the odds are calculated based on the probability of the underdog winning, and not the favorite. For example, if the UFC odds for a fight are -200, that means that you would need to bet $200 to win $100.
What does +150 mean in UFC? ›American odds are usually represented by a positive or negative amount, like -210 or +1500 to denote the probability of winning a fight. The higher the number, the less likely that fighter will win, and the lower the negative number, the more likely that fighter is to win.
How does fight of the night work? ›More/fewer bonuses have been awarded at some events, especially when no knockouts or submissions occurred. Fight of the Night: Awarded to the two fighters who delivered the most impressive fight on the card. Knockout of the Night: Awarded to the fighter with the most impressive knockout/technical knockout.
Are UFC Fight Night main events 5 rounds? ›
Preliminary bouts would consist of two five-minute rounds with a minute rest between; main-card matches, three five-minute rounds; and championships, five five-minute rounds.
How much do UFC fighters make on fight night? ›Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.
Do you have to buy UFC fight night? ›You'll need an ESPN+ subscription. ESPN+'s streaming service now has exclusive rights to the MMA promotion, so you'll need to be an ESPN+ member to watch any UFC events — including UFC Fight Night. Luckily, once you get an ESPN+ subscription, you'll be able to live stream UFC Fight Night for free online.