The UFC Has Changed Since the Fertitta Brothers Sold Up for 4 Billion Dollars… Legendary Referee Big John McCarthy Explains Why the Company Misses Them…
Big John McCarthy is one of the real OGs. When MMA referees spring to mind, it’s going to be either him or Herb Dean that pop into your head. McCarthy has been around since the beginning when Royce Gracie was on top of the world. He’s experienced and had to adapt to all the changes: good and bad.
The long-serving referee is a fan-favorite in his own right. Recognizing this, Bellator handed him a contract to work as a commentator for their events, after Jimmy Smith left. His knowledge and experience are obvious, making him a valuable addition to their team.
McCarthy made a guest experience on Joe Rogan’s MMA Show yesterday. Rogan is, of course, a long-serving commentator for the UFC and together the pair reminisced about the good old days. McCarthy firmly believes the UFC just isn’t the same since Lorenzo Fertitta left. Maybe he’s got a point, but remember he does work for Bellator…
Brains
Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta are a Las Vegas-based pair of casino owners who famously bought the UFC for $2 million back in 2000. In what must be the greatest piece of business ever done, they sold it for $4 BILLION to WME-IMG in 2016.
Since then the UFC has definitely changed in its approach. The infamous Reebok deal has come in since the brothers left – although the Fertitta brothers actually signed the contract, a fact that is very easy to forget. There’s no doubt that it helped them to sell their product. Big John acknowledged how sharp Lorenzo was in particular. He said:
“The greatest thing that the UFC had was Lorenzo Fertitta. I’m just being honest. Dana White was fantastic for the UFC as far as his work effort and the amount of work he put into it and non-stop just going after deals, trying to make things happen.”
Poor Decisions
One of the major problems the UFC has now is that it doesn’t know how to promote itself. Fans love the golden era of fighters like Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, and Matt Hughes. Even the likes of Anderson Silva, Conor McGregor, and Ronda Rousey came along under the Fertitta Brother’s ownership. But now the UFC lacks star power and arguably less exciting.
“Having too many events is part of the problem. For a while there, they were almost competing against themselves with pay-per-views,” McCarthy said “You had two pay-per-views in a month, and you went and said ‘I’ll buy that one, I’m not gonna buy that one. You can’t be in business against yourself.”
That is a major problem. The number of UFC pay-per-views sold in 2017 actually went down, although Conor McGregor’s boxing match against Floyd Mayweather managed to disguise this. The UFC has a problem. Big John is right. The new management isn’t exactly sure where it is going.
Teething Problems
It might not cheer the fans up but the fact is that maybe this is to be expected. When there are only two guys signing off on decisions, it’s much easier to streamline an organization as massive as the UFC. On the bright side, they are actively trying to promote younger fighters and have cleaned up the sport, with substance abuse much tougher now.
At the end of the day Big John is old-school so of course, he’s going to yearn for the good old days. The UFC is moving forward whether we like it or not. Now that they’ve got a deal with ESPN, further changes could be on the horizon. Fans just want better value for money for their fight passes. It’s in everyone’s interest.
