Five Reasons 2017 Could Be A Rough Year For The UFC

2015 and 2016 turned out to be two of the best years in promotional history for the UFC, specifically from a financial standpoint, as fight fans were treated to some of the best-selling pay-per-views of all time during that time period. The UFC also inked some lucrative deals over the last year or two.

However, we may not be saying the same about 2017 12 months from now. Many changes are looming not only within the UFC, but within mixed martial arts as a whole and that may cause a change of the tides next year. WME-IMG talent agency purchased the UFC for a whopping $4.2 billion earlier this year, but various issues may now be heading its way.

Let’s take a look at why 2017 may end up being a rough year for the UFC:

Potential Absence of Conor McGregor

The UFC is a star-driven company given that pay-per-view (PPV) is its most prominent source of income, but it seems as if the promotion is dealing with a lack of stars as of late and to make matters worse, its biggest star may be taking some time off to begin the year.

After winning the lightweight title at Nov. 12’s UFC 205, Conor McGregor said that he could potentially be taking a break from action given the fact the he and his longtime girlfriend will welcome their first child. UFC President Dana White has said that the “Notorious” one could be on the sidelines for up to 10 months, although McGregor hasn’t confirmed a specific timeline.

Either way, the brash Irishman has headlined some of the best selling pay-per-views of all-time over the last two years. If does end up taking a break for the majority of 2017, the UFC would feel certainly his absence in the pocketbook, and that’s not something the new owners can afford to do when attempting to repay such a massive loan.

Ronda Rousey’s Uncertain Future

In addition to McGregor, former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey is one of the biggest stars in the sport and perhaps the only other top-level PPV draw. After losing her title in Nov. 2015, however, Rousey spent all of 2016 on the sidelines, although she will finally return at next Friday’s (Dec. 30, 2016) UFC 207 in hopes of recapturing her title against champion Amanda Nunes.

Although her return is finally coming to fruition, her future still remains unclear. She has already said that she’ll likely only fight a few more times and there’s no telling how many more times she’ll fight if things don’t go her way next week.

Depending on the results of UFC 207, the UFC could be facing a year in which two of its top pay-per-view (PPV) stars aren’t too active, which certainly wouldn’t be beneficial from a financial stand point.

Fewer Shows

With new owners being in charge of the UFC, changes are obviously coming and WME-IMG has already announced that the promotion will be putting on less shows in 2017 than it has in recent years.

While oversaturation has been a debated topic in recent memory, there is always a risk with switching things up. Fewer shows could certainly result in cards being more appealing rather than cards being thinned out in order to spread the wealth, but could it also result in fewer earnings for the UFC? If that ends up being the case, WME-IMG could be in trouble, as they are undoubtedly looking to profit on the $4.2 billion dollar deal they made to buy the UFC.

The Rise of Fighters Unions and Associations

The creation of a potential fighters union or association has been a topic that has been discussed for quite some time now, as fighters have been lobbying for better pay, better conditions, and better benefits. Up until this year, however, little had been done.

That could change heading into 2017, as three different associations have been formed including the Mixed Martial Arts Fighters Association (MMAFA), the Professional Fighters Association (PFA), and most recently the Mixed Martial Arts Athletes Association (MMAAA).

The MMAFA is supported by former UFC veterans Jon Fitch, Nate Quarry, Cung Le and Randy Couture and they have been focused on bringing the Ali Act into mixed martial arts, something that the UFC has always opposed. A few of these fighters had also filed a class action lawsuit against the UFC a few years back, which could, at some point, end up being an issue for the new owners.

The PFA was created earlier this year and is being headed by notable baseball agent Jeff Boris.

The MMAAA, on the other hand, recently announced its formation with a board led by big name fighters such as Georges St. Pierre, Tim Kennedy, TJ Dillashaw and Cain Velasquez. The association also called on former Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney to serve as an advisor. Perhaps it could be argued that this association possesses the must ‘muscle’ in terms of influence and star power.

While it’s currently unclear what, if anything, will come from the formation of these associations, it could indeed cause some issues for the UFC down the road.

USADA

2016 marked the first full year that USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency) spent working with the UFC and it’s safe to say the third party testing organization left its mark.

Some of USADA’s biggest busts in the UFC thus far include Mirko Cro Cop, Frank Mir, Chad Mendes, Yoel Romero, Lyoto Machida, Jon Jones, Brock Lesnar and most recently Cris Cyborg Justino.

While USADA has certainly helped to clean up the sport, which the UFC has claimed is its ultimate goal, the promotion can’t be too pleased with losing some of its biggest stars and having some of its biggest cards ruined just days prior at some points due to drug test failures.

With USADA settling in, this trend may only continue into 2017.

Do you feel as if there are any other issues that could set the UFC back next year?