SCRAPP! FIGHT MAGAZINE
May - 2015
23
the UFC Jon Jones has once again found
himself in legal trouble.
Jones’ alleged hit and run accident is a
public relations nightmare in itself. Com-
bined with Jones’ checkered legal past
and failed drug test for Cocaine the UFC
took action and suspended him indefi-
nitely. They also stripped him of his title,
to allow them to continue to move for-
ward and give Jones’ the time to straight-
en out his life. The UFC did there absolute
best with the situation, and the event re-
mains largely intact with two titles on the
line.
Just when you thought it couldn’t get
any worse, news broke that Khabib Nur-
magomedov was out of UFC 187 as well.
Over the past few years Khabib has been
developing into a star. His dominance in-
side the Octagon, international appeal,
and new found ability with the English
language all add up to exactly what the
UFC needs right now, another big name.
He was scheduled to fight Donald Cer-
rone for the number one contender spot
in the light weight division. With another
injury to Nurmagomedov’s knee it’s un-
likely that he will be back fighting any
time soon.
The rapid changes are nothing new, but
Zuffa, LLC (owner of the UFC) has been
able to turn it into a very successful busi-
ness model over the years. As with any
business it’s all about growth. In many
ways the organization is subject to the
same “you are only as good as your last
fight” rule that their athletes are. The UFC
needs to put on big shows, and draw big
numbers consistently to establish to earn
the faith of the financial institutions that
back them. Though Q1 was successful,
it was clear that there were many events
that could have, and almost did change
everything. Now with Q2 facing even
larger issues the future is uncertain.
FrontRow Brian recently shared on twit-
ter that there are rumors once again that
Zuffa, LLC is in talks to sell the UFC. Tak-
ing into account the last year, it isn’t a
far-fetched rumor. They have admitted to
considering sale in the past, and found
a way to keep it going. It’s been a long
road for the Zuffa, LLC since there pur-
chase of the UFC and you have to imag-
ine they are getting tired of the ups and
downs. It’s a challenging business model
to find success in, and the athletes are
largely unreliable. Time will only tell.
