UFC 229: Khabib vs McGregor

[David]

36 minutes ago, ColinBollocks said:

Not for the commission. Khabib is looking at a massive fine and probably a decent suspension. There is also talk of Visas getting revoked etc.

Yeah, there was all kinds of outrage after the bus incident as well, remember? Visa's being revoked, possible jail time, all that jazz. If anything, there was more of a chance of McGregor's Visa being revoked due to his issues actually being dealt with in a criminal court.

Khabib isn't going to jail, he's not been charged with anything. Unless the UFC and/or the Vegas commission suddenly have Governmental powers that allows them to decide who can and cannot enter the country and work, there'll be no Visa issues.

In all probability there's going to be a whole lot of apologising, there's going to be a serious fine, and maybe a suspension. As Dead Mike says, no one actually got hurt in the fracas.

If there is a suspension, it's only going to make Khabib more of a draw in reality. Can you imagine if he's sidelined for, say, 18 months? Belt stripped, all that jazz.

Then, the promos kick in, proclaiming that "he's back," the most dangerous man in the sport, video footage of him asking for location, showing him stomping Danis and trying to crush Conor's jaw. Who the fuck can stop this man who's never lost a fight? Who's gonna disrespect him in the build up to a fight? What's he gonna do next?

Only one way to find out. Pay for the PPV.

When the next Khabib fight rolls around we'll see how many sponsors and casuals refuse to tune in because they were "horrified" by what he did.

[d-d-d-dAz]

34 minutes ago, Dead Mike said:

Go through your own posts pal.

Bringing new eyes to the sport isn't the same as getting more people watching. UFC's target audience is 18-34yr old males. How many of that demographic do you honestly believe are unaware of what MMA/UFC is? People know exactly what it is, it crossed into the mainstream years ago. People may have watched it & interest faded. Watched it but favour other sports or been priced out/jaded from over-exposure, too many events etc but the idea that this is a fledgling organisation trying to convert 'fresh eyes' is just silly.

I'm at work so can't dissect how wrong this is.

But the average age of the UFC viewer is 49. Age based target demo's are old news. We live in an age where growth is based on maximising penetration using sophisticated mass marketing. What you'd have previously called a 'target demo' is now just the group most likely to have affinity to your content.

[BigJag]

49 minutes ago, Dead Mike said:

True but once it goes to the hearing they'll have to look at what actually happened, who got hurt etc etc. Given that nobody was hurt & there were no victims I'd be amazed if that resulted in Visa troubles. McGregor actually committed a crime & can still fight in NYC. I might be wrong but I hope I'm not, who knows with the Nevada commission though? They're not the most consistent.

Has Rogan announced when Derrick Lewis is on his podcast yet?

Surely for Visa revocation the immigration authorities would need to be involved? I doubt the commission have that sort of reach. With Mcgregor not pressing charges, it seems the police won't be following this up. At the moment the commission have withheld Nurmagamedov's purse and are reviewing the incident.

https://twitter.com/arielhelwani/status/1048998282314362882

They'll likely fine him and give him a suspension. Can't see much more than that happening. Unless the sprinting governor decides that he needs to hammer someone for making him sweaty.

Doesn't Fight Pass have a corner cam feature? Would that have been live during the fight? It may have picked up whatever was said by the McGregor team. That Caused Khabib to go into such a crazy rage. Was Danis definitely the target? Could Khabib have been going after Lobov? How many of the Mcgregor corner crew were part of the bunch of dummies that attacked the bus? Lobov was definitely there in Brooklyn.

[David]

7 minutes ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

I'm at work so can't dissect how wrong this is.

But the average age of the UFC viewer is 49. Age based target demo's are old news. We live in an age where growth is based on maximising penetration using sophisticated mass marketing. What you'd have previously called a 'target demo' is now just the group most likely to have affinity to your content.

This may be oversimplifying this, but as someone who works in PR, albeit not sports, sometimes it's best to keep shit simple.

There's very few people who are drawn to the idea of watching two men (or women) batter fuck out of each other in a cage who are going to be "horrified" or "disgusted" by what happened after that main event. 

As far as sponsors go, they'll most likely know the demographic they're getting with this kind of product, right? And they'll know that controversy only really serves to increase interest, not drive it away.

Will we see widespread condemnation? Of course we will, but I really doubt that most of that condemnation is coming from people who are fans, or would consider becoming fans of the sport.

I honestly think you're overreacting wildly to this, and reading way too much into it.

[Dead Mike]

6 minutes ago, BigJag said:

 

Doesn't Fight Pass have a corner cam feature? Would that have been live during the fight? It may have picked up whatever was said by the McGregor team.

I want to hear what Khabib was saying to Conor as he was pounding him & what McGregor's corner were saying to Khabib. It's sure to surface in the coming days.

 

9 minutes ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

I'm at work so can't dissect how wrong this is.

But the average age of the UFC viewer is 49. Age based target demo's are old news. We live in an age where growth is based on maximising penetration using sophisticated mass marketing. What you'd have previously called a 'target demo' is now just the group most likely to have affinity to your content.

Dissect away. If you honestly believe there's more to this than some reactionary faux-outrage by people who wouldn't buy a PPV or ticket anyway you're deluded. Like the bus incident, what was apparently 'the worst thing for the sport ever' yesterday is tomorrows 'promo package' being shown on every outlet, on every advert to pique interest. Hardly an incident they're 'sweeping under the carpet' or 'trying to get past', the polar opposite.

[ColinBollocks]

16 minutes ago, David said:

As Dead Mike says, no one actually got hurt in the fracas.

Well that makes what he did ok then. Not like he was trying to kick a dudes head off or anything.

We'll see how it plays out, but the whole "it will be forgotten about next week" just isn't true, which was my point. Dana was very clear he thinks the commission will come down hard on Khabib.

[Egg Shen]

1 hour ago, Dead Mike said:

Go through your own posts pal.

Bringing new eyes to the sport isn't the same as getting more people watching. UFC's target audience is 18-34yr old males. How many of that demographic do you honestly believe are unaware of what MMA/UFC is? People know exactly what it is, it crossed into the mainstream years ago. People may have watched it & interest faded. Watched it but favour other sports or been priced out/jaded from over-exposure, too many events etc but the idea that this is a fledgling organisation trying to convert 'fresh eyes' is just silly.

100% agree with this. MMA is in the position now where it will be up and down depending on star factor because that ultimately what sells in this kind of sport. The introduction/education stage is over.

[David]

Just now, ColinBollocks said:

Well that makes what he did ok then. Not like he was trying to kick a dudes head off or anything.

We'll see how it plays out, but the whole "it will be forgotten about next week" just isn't true.

It doesn't make it okay, and he'll likely have his pocket felt for it, and maybe suspended for a chunk of time, but you mentioned Visas and shit like that. Neither the UFC nor the Commission have any kind of authority over who can and can't enter the US to work, that's a Governmental issue. His Visa is only at risk if he's charged and convicted of a crime, which he isn't.

You're smart enough to know how this plays out. It plays out with him being a bigger deal in his next fight, whenever that is, and it plays out with the footage of the aftermath being used as a promotional tool.

Come on man, you've been around this sport long enough to know that.

[BigJag]

There's also the factor of this new Broadcast deal. The viewing landscape will change with the Eleven Sports deal. I personally am unlikely to bother with trying to watch UFC via the streaming options. I much prefer watching via an STB. It's much more stable and reliable. Even though BT messed up with the bleeping on Sunday morning.

[ColinBollocks]

I bring up the visas because, again, Dana brought it up. How that plays out, we'll see. I'm not saying it will or won't, just that he stressed that it could be a possibility.

I'm very aware of how all this plays out, David. Still doesn't mean I have to like what Khabib did because he's Khabib. I'm just annoyed at him for ruining his big moment. All people are talking about this morning to me is what a shit show that was, rather than how accomplished Khabib's performance was.

[BigJag]

That's the crux of all this. He'd humbled Connor. Proved himself to be the better man. What possessed him to go after the corner team is something that we are never likely to understand.

[Dead Mike]

5 minutes ago, ColinBollocks said:

I bring up the visas because, again, Dana brought it up. How that plays out, we'll see. I'm not saying it will or won't, just that he stressed that it could be a possibility.

I'm very aware of how all this plays out, David. Still doesn't mean I have to like what Khabib did because he's Khabib. I'm just annoyed at him for ruining his big moment. All people are talking about this morning to me is what a shit show that was, rather than how accomplished Khabib's performance was.

Yeah, this is the killer. I completely understand why a lot of people (media, fans etc) would rather focus on the post-fight handbags though, rather than the fact McGregor got mauled as there's more currency in protecting Conor's brand than talking about how he was roundly beaten. The shenanigans are a good distraction in that sense.

Quote

That's the crux of all this. He'd humbled Connor. Proved himself to be the better man. What possessed him to go after the corner team is something that we are never likely to understand.

Until the corner cam sound gets released

[David]

Just now, ColinBollocks said:

I bring up the visas because, again, Dana brought it up. How that plays out, we'll see. I'm not saying it will or won't, just that he stressed that it could be a possibility.

No, we won't see how that plays out. Khabib cannot lose his Visa due to anything the UFC or Vegas Commission can do. That's not going to happen, no matter what hyperbole Dana throws out there.

He can be fined a percentage of his fight purse, and he can be suspended by the Vegas Commission and prevented from fighting in their territory. That's it.

5 minutes ago, ColinBollocks said:

I'm very aware of how all this plays out, David. Still doesn't mean I have to like what Khabib did because he's Khabib. I'm just annoyed at him for ruining his big moment. All people are talking about this morning to me is what a shit show that was, rather than how accomplished Khabib's performance was.

And that's fine, you can be upset about it. I'm not saying you shouldn't be. All I'm saying is that, considering how the UFC have been known to deal with these kinds of situations, it's probably going to play out as I said.

[BigJag]

1 hour ago, Dead Mike said:

Has Rogan announced when Derrick Lewis is on his podcast yet?

 

[Rey_Piste]

The interview where Dana talked about Khabib getting his Visa revoked was less than an hour after the incident. Since then the guys who got arrested were released because Conor didn't press charges. It will be  this evening when we get a preliminary report about what the NSAC are going to do, due to them being 8 hours behind.