Jim Ross Talks UFC 119 and the Possibility of Oversaturation in MMA

There are some in the MMA world that believe the UFC, and even MMA as a whole, has a problem with oversaturation. I'm one of these people. It's to the point now that each month there are usually 4 or 5 fight cards between the major promotions. That's every month without a break. Absence truly does make the heart grow fonder. Major sports leagues, most notably the NFL, which has the longest one, all have an offseason. It allows us as fans a break from the sport and time to miss it. You never get that in MMA and because of that, you end up with cards like UFC 119. Jim Ross gives his thoughts:

There is little buzz for UFC 119 featuring Frank Mir vs. Cro Cop on September 25. UFC will have to turn up the burners for the 'go home' promotional time to encourage an acceptable PPV number. It seems as if UFC's expectations for this fight are not lofty but will be for the much anticipated Brock Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez Heavyweight Title fight In October that some feel will be Lesnar's most challenging fight to date. Knowing Lesnar as I do, he will always perceive that his 'next fight' or 'upcoming fight' will always be his toughest. Velasquez brings an entirely different skills set and body type to the Octagon which will absolutely necessitate that Lesnar be better than he was against Shane Carwin.

He's completely right when he says there is little buzz for UFC 119. In fact, Ross himself, without actually saying so, shows how little interest he has in it by immediately talking about Brock Lesnar. Which is largely what the greater population of UFC fans are going to do. They'll forget about a card like this, read about it online or stream it illegally, and focus on the upcoming Lesnar fight. By running so many shows every year, the UFC, in effect, forces our hands as far as what we want to purchase. Yes, they give us free shows scattered throughout the year, such as the next numbered event after this one, UFC 120, but the amount of PPV shows still dictates a pick and choose mentality.

UFC 119 should be a very good show. There are plenty of fights on that card, such as Evan Dunham-Sean Sherk and Matt Serra-Chris Lytle, that should be barn-burners. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if every fight on the show ended up being highly entertaining. The problem is that the casual fans will already say no due to the perceived weakness in the headliner and even the hardcores may choose to miss it for lack of funding. We're getting a lot of free MMA this month, with the start of TUF 12, Fight Night 22, Bellator 28-31 and WEC 51: Aldo vs Gamburyan. UFC 119 is the one show that we would have to pay for. 

What it comes down to, ultimately, is do you want to pay to see a card that could be good but could also bomb, or do you want to save your money and catch all the free MMA you can? Another question. How much is too much? Do you eventually get to a point where you end up saying, I've had my fill for a while, I think I'll watch something else or I'll just catch the next PPV? I know I've heard plenty of people say that they'll just read up on UFC 119 but they can't wait to buy UFC 121. Part of that is a weak headliner for this card and Lesnar headlining a huge card. But part of the reason for that is the UFC is putting on a ton of events. There are only so many draws to go around.