The turn of the calendar to a new year means another UFC pay-per-view price increase.
For the fourth straight year, ESPN will increase the amount of their monthly UFC PPVs by $5. Starting with January’s UFC 283, the price will now be $79.99, up from $74.99.
In a quote to the Sports Business Journal, ESPN parent company Disney said the increase reflects “the value of ESPN+ and the popularity and quality of UFC events.”
There will be no corresponding ESPN+ price increase as there has been in the past.
In December 2019, ESPN, the sole distributor of UFC PPVs in the United States via ESPN+, raised prices to $64.99 after an initial reduction to $59.99 to accommodate fans that were also new to paying a $5 ESPN+ subscription fee required to even be able to buy PPVs.
After that last increase, UFC president Dana White was asked about it at a press conference and said, “We don’t have any say in that. We gave the pay-per-views to ESPN, so that’s their decision. You know how I feel about that stuff. I don’t love when prices get raised, but it’s not my decision. It’s theirs.”
UFC 283 will be headlined by Glover Teixeira vs. Jamahal Hill for the vacant light heavyweight title and Brandon Moreno vs. Deiveson Figueiredo IV to unify the flyweight title.
Job Listing: Onlamp php/mysql developer. Experience with vbulletin and drupal/WordPress a plus. Email [email protected] with subject PHP DEVELOPER with resume.
Vince McMahon, the non-disclosures, the economic effect, reaction from talent, the investigation, keys as to whether he stays or goes, keys to the current investigation, the settlements, details of the most recent settlement story and key points in it, comments from women over the years, the 2006 tanning bed story, Rita Chatterton talks, and follow-ups of other investigations.
WrestleMania, SummerSlam and ROH Death Before Dishonor
Stardom Midsummer Champions and the next major Stardom events
UFC notes from this past week
Ratings from all wrestling shows
2022 World Grand Prix tournament
AAA major summer show
What will be Triplemania’s major title match
Dragon Gate’s biggest show of the year
Triple Crown title change
Pro Wrestling NOAH co-promoting this year’s tournament that led to the formation of ROH in 2001
Keiji Muto has one of his final matches this week
Update on Kota Ibushi
First week of G1
Two legendary tag teams have singles matches against each other
Three AEW stars on Japanese women’s show
Bill Goldberg talks Bret Hart
Ric Flair documentary series
Japanese stars coming to base in North America
Legendary promoter cutting back after 52 years
Full breakdown on ticket sales to All Out
Lots of injury updates involving the biggest stars
Goal of the three-way tag title match on Dynamite and original plans
Upcoming ticket sales for WWE and AEW
Chris Jericho talks his illness from last year
AEW star in Bare Knuckle fight in England
Streaming numbers for WWE & AEW
UFC lobbying for a bill that could have great effect on pro wrestlers
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Friday News Update
Garrett and I will be back tonight talking the news of the week.
ESPN+ is raising its monthly subscription rate from $6.99 to $9.99 per month starting on 8/23. That means if you subscribe to ESPN+ and buy every PPV over the course of the year the price will top $1,000.
There have been a lot of questions regarding ROH Honor Club. Subscribers can’t access footage and you can’t join or renew. Paid members say that they can’t even watch the tape library. I’ve asked AEW about the future of Honor Club a few times with no answers.
Regarding AEW ticket sales, All Out sold out its individual block of tickets plus the combo pack which would be about 7,000 tickets. There are still plenty of combo tickets where you have to buy all three shows that week so the show is far from sold out,. It would have sold out on the presale yesterday if they put tickets available to the show individually as people didn’t want to buy tickets for all three shows and, at first, there was barely half the arena put up for the PPV for individual tickets.
WWE SmackDown tonight from the Amway Arena in Orlando, FL, where they had a good advance with more than 7,500 expected:
Jimmy Uso vs. Angelo Dawkins
Liv Morgan vs. Natalya non-title
Theory vs. Madcap Moss
The referee for the Usos vs. Street Profits match is to be announced on tonight’s show
AEW Rampage tonight at 10 p.m. Eastern on TNT
Alex Reynolds & John Silver vs. Brody King & Malakai Black
ROH Champion Jonathan Gresham vs. Lee Moriarty title match
WWE Smackdown tonight in Orlando (dark matches only)
GCW tonight in Los Angeles
Pro Wrestling NOAH Saturday at Budokan Hall
WWE on Saturday in Tallahassee, FL, and Estero, FL
WWE on Sunday in Fort Lauderdale, FL, and Daytona Beach, FL. The Daytona Beach show, based on an advance of less than 1,500 tickets, has a chance to be the least attended WWE house show in years.
We’re doing polls this weekend for the first two nights of G1 so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match for each sow to [email protected]
The G1 Climax tournament starts at 4 a.m. Eastern Saturday morning and has a second show late Saturday night at 1 a.m. Eastern. Both shows are free on New Japan World.
UFC tomorrow from the UBS Arena in Long Island has topped $2 million in advanced sales making it the largest gate for a non-PPV show ever in the U.S.
ESPN & ESPN+ at 11 a.m. Eastern
Jessica Penne (115.8) vs. Emily Decote (115.6)
Dwight Grant (184.4) vs. Dustin Stoltzfus (185,.6)
Dustin Jacoby (205) vs. Da Un Jung (205,.6)
Bill Algeo (146) vs,. Herbert Burns (145.4)
Ricky Simon (135.6) vs. Jack Shore (136)
Punahele Soriano (185.6) vs. Dalcha Lungiambula (185.6)
ABC at 2 p.m. Eastern
Lauren Murphy (125.2) vs. Miesha Tate (125.8)
Shane Burgos (145.8) vs. Charles Jourdain (145.6)
Matt Schnell (126) vs. Sumudaerji (125.8)
Li Jingliang (170.6) vs. Muslim Salikhov (170.8)
Michelle Waterson (115) vs. Amanda Lemos (116)
Brian Ortega (146) vs. Yair Rodriguez (145.4)
Because the Briscoes are not allowed on TBS or TNT, an angle with the Briscoes and FTR was shot today on YouTube. The teams will have a 2/3 fall match on the 7/23 ROH Death Before Dishonor PPV show.
UFC officially announced that UFC 280 takes place on 10/22 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Tickets for the event go on sale on 7/22.
GCW tonight from Los Angeles on FITE:
Alex Zayne vs. Titus Alexander
Komander vs. Tony Deppen
Rocky Romero vs. Gringo Loco
Nick Wayne & Jordan Oliver vs. Ciclope & Miedo Extremo
Joey Janela vs. Kevin Blackwood
Tag Team Champions Bussy (Allie Katch & Effy) defend against Peter Avalon & Ray Rosas
Reaction to Claudio Castagnoli joining BCC: “Yeah, Claudio was someone that I’ve always really had a lot of respect for as a wrestler. He’s, he’s incredible. Yeah, he, he’s someone that I’ve really, really appreciated and knowing that he ended Regal’s career and it only made sense that he would be someone that could fit in with our club, he does our style. He can do so many things. He’s absolutely incredible. So, it’s really great to have him now as a mentor as someone that I can talk to on my team and hopefully learn from and it’s been just great to have him here so far.”
Lessons learned from BCC members: “Yeah, there’s, there’s countless like little techniques that they’ve shown me and I could go on for days about that. But I think the main thing that we’ve we’ve talked about is just the mindset of knowing that when you’re in when you’re in the ring, you’re trying to when you’re trying to hurt that guy. For us in the Blackpool Combat Club, our thing’s we’re trying to leave a mark on you, trying to leave a scar. So whether it’s, you know, a literal scar that you see on your forehead, or maybe it’s maybe it’s a limp, maybe it’s something that something that you get up every day and you go, ‘Oh, wow, I wish those guys hadn’t done that.’ That’s the mindset. So that’s what we really try to focus on. And that’s, that’s been the biggest lesson they’ve taught me.”
BCC training classes: “Yeah, those training classes are a weekly occurrence. So we’re there every week. It’s Regal, it’s Bryan, it’s the BCC and we’re running class, we’re training, we’re learning. And yeah, that’s something they really instill is you have to prepare. So every little piece of information they can give me I try to get and we do that every week.”
Other Notes
Impact Wrestling star Eric Young talked to Kurt Angle about this weekend’s Derby City Rumble TV tapings and Triple H (thanks to DJ Garner)
On the AEW/Impact angle: “Rich Swann, who was our world champion, wrestled Kenny Omega as their world champion and that’s never really happened before. I don’t think it worked out as good as anyone would have hoped it would have. I feel like there was a lot of missed opportunities that could’ve gone back and forth both ways.”
On this run in Impact being the most fun he’s ever had: “Right now is the most fun, the most rewarding time in my wrestling career and I’ve been doing it a long time. I’ve been other places where I made more money and I’ve been other places where I had more say. This is the most fun I’ve ever had and there’s something very special going on here. It’s the best pro wrestling show on tv, minute by minute, written by pro wrestlers for pro wrestling fans. I’m super proud to be a part of it.”
J.J. Dillon will manage on the NWA’s 74th anniversary PPV show in St. Louis.
AAW tonight at 8:30 p.m. Eastern on FITE TV from 115 Bourbon Street in Merrionette Park, IL
Mat Fitchett defends the AAW title against the winner of the Manders vs. Fred Yehi match earlier in the show
Christi Jaynes defends the women’s title against Heather Reckless
Ace Perry & Hammerstone defend the tag titles against ACH & Jah-C
Manders vs. Yehi
Billie Starkz vs. Lady Frost vs. VertVixen vs. Sierra
Shane Hollister vs. Davey Vega
Silas Young & ? vs. Brayden Lee & ?
LFA runs tonight at 9 p.m. Eastern on UFC Fight Pass from Sao Paulo, Brazil
AIW on 7/23 in Akron, OH at the Tadmor Shrine features a meet and greet with Johnny Gargano.
Rooted in Wrestling on 7/23 at the Alameda Point Gym with Godfather as a special guest, plus Jeckles vs. Gangrel, Tasha Steelz vs. MJ Jenkins, Carlito vs. Juicy Finau, Moose vs. Cody Hall plus Jacob Fatu and JTG.
Cage Fury Fighting Championships on 8/26 at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia has Jose Perez (6-1) vs. Frank Wells (3-1) for the interim featherweight title. Bantamweight champion D’Mon Backshear (12-4) defends his title as well. C.M. Punk will be announcing the show.
Beginning with UFC 270 on January 22nd, the price of UFC pay-per-views on ESPN+ will increase by $5 to $74.99.
The news was announced Thursday by ESPN’s marketing agency.
This is the third-such increase since ESPN became UFC’s exclusive PPV distributor in the United States. The last one came in January 2021 when prices increased by $5 to $64.99 prior to UFC 257, headlined by Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier II.
The moves come off a record-breaking year of profits for UFC’s parent company, Endeavor, who has credited UFC for being a major part of that. Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel said previously that through the third quarter, the UFC had their “best nine-month, year-to-date period” in company history.
The ESPN+ PPV package which includes one yearly PPV and a year’s subscription to ESPN+ is also increasing in price to $99.98, up from $89.98. The monthly and yearly subscription for ESPN+ are not increasing.
UFC 270 is headlined by a heavyweight title unification match as undisputed champion Francis Ngannou takes on interim champion Cyril Gane in addition to the flyweight title trilogy bout between champion Brandon Moreno and former champion Deiveson Figueiredo.
Both the cost of UFC pay-per-views and ESPN+ will be increasing in 2021, according to Variety.
Starting in January, UFC PPVs will cost $69.99, an increase of $5. The timing is perfect for ESPN/Disney as the UFC’s first PPV offering of the year is UFC 257 featuring Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier.
Since becoming the exclusive home of UFC PPVs in the U.S., this is the second price increase ESPN/Disney has enacted. They increased to $64.99 at the beginning of 2020 after an initial cost of $59.99 when ESPN+ launched in the spring of 2018.
Additionally, ESPN+, required in order to get UFC PPVs, will increase annually by $10 up to $59.99 starting in early-January. Renewals for the 2020 price of $49.99 will be accepted through early-March, ESPN told Variety.
ESPN+ reported 11.5 million subscribers in early-December, up 50% over the last year. Earlier this year, UFC president Dana White said this has been the company’s most successful financial year to date despite the lack of fans for nine months.
Early indications are that Saturday night’s UFC debut on ESPN and the ESPN+ streaming service were a major success.
The company is touting a record-setting one-day number of 568,000 new ESPN+ subscribers on Friday and Saturday, with over 525,000 on Saturday alone.
While total viewership numbers aren’t yet available, the preliminary cable rating for the ESPN prelims was 1.4. UFC and ESPN are claiming this to be the highest-rated Fight Night prelims show since at least 2013.
As a point of reference, the Fight Night prelims that aired on FS1 on January 17, 2016 did an average of 1.757 million viewers, so the final viewership number should come in higher than that. The interesting comparison between those two shows is that they were both headlined by TJ Dillashaw. He defended his bantamweight title against Dominick Cruz on the 2016 show and challenged Henry Cejudo for the flyweight belt this Saturday, losing via TKO in 32 seconds.
This would also be the most streamed event on the ESPN+ subscription service since its launch in April 2018.
