The Worst Business Decisions The UFC Has Made In 2023

In this video I discuss some of the most laughable business moves made by the UFC this year. I do not understand the way in which they are operating but it is not to make as much money as possible. What do you guys think? Let me know in the comments.
#ufc #danawhite
Time Stamps:
0:00 Intro
1:02 Nobody Cares About Jon Jones vs Stipe Miocic
5:32 Why Is Nunez and Pena A Main Event ??? Stop It!
9:14 The UFC Is Ruining Khamzat Chimaev
12:23 Another Main Event That Literally Makes No Sense

[@funtv4920]

The fact they put top ranked flyweights fight on prelims but makes Aldana vs Pennington 2 as the main event says it all.

[@user-vt3vo1yd3v]

No one gives a shit about male flyweights. If people cared about fly weights, they’d be having more main events for them.

[@Narasthenics]

literally who?

[@bigsmall2842]

@@Narasthenics nicolau vs Royval two weeks ago

[@dkJamzz]

​@@bigsmall2842 I was pissed seeing that fights placement

[@seamusgreenmurphy]

Actually a very solid take, holy shit I never thought of it that way

[@j.a.g.8689]

The disrespect towards Stipe with that photo is wild

[@Showerofjyzz]

Folded like a lawnchair

[@davidkovac2409]

It's crazy that stipe is so disrespected by the mma community, the guy is the ufc heavyweight goat, is a nice and normal person.

[@kingspart9828]

@@davidkovac2409 everyone knows stipe is a legend,but we dont want him to get tortured by jones who'll act like he beat the best version of Stipe lol

[@unapologeticwhiteamerican]

@@Showerofjyzz Yet you say you hate “cocky”

[@Showerofjyzz]

@@unapologeticwhiteamerican lmao how u know that? Im dead bro

[@regardlesslamron2096]

Ever since Pavlovich KO’d Blaydes the Stipe match has become 100x Less intriguing

[@neutron6304]

Fr

[@justice619]

I agree with you about stipe but itd be hilarious if stipe kod jon

[@flyingmonke]

Ya not happening.

[@siegfriedgottz698]

Underdog stipe is a beast tbh

[@stevennlmb579]

@@siegfriedgottz698if it was 3 years ago yes Stipe is completely washed he’s old coming off a 3 year layoff

[@siegfriedgottz698]

@@stevennlmb579 yea idk what he was thinking sitting out doing nothing he took a lot of dmg against Francis too

[@siegfriedgottz698]

@@stevennlmb579 itd still be hilarious lol

[@Dizzle72]

It’s sad that we don’t care about Khamzat like we did before. His hype true went to dust, even as an undefeated fighter. UFC and Khamzat’s team definitely fucked this one up.

[@User-79916_ue]

@@grimgoreironhide9985 fighting pereira at lhw does nothing for khamzat they are both Unranked at that weight class smh think with your brain fanboy

[@brencelt]

how's it the UFC's fault? khamzat missed weight. moved up, didn't take fights, preferring to fuck about partying with till. He's very low IQ and easily led/ Small matter of him being a big fan of Islamist terrprosm lol.

[@philyoutuber7270]

Disney owning UFC probably has a big factor in all these womens UFC main events…

[@devanman7920]

It honestly awful. Enjoying a good card then you get 15mins female fight in the which is 99% most likely going to be boring

[@Forcedtowipe]

@@devanman7920 yea lets be real women fighting sucks.

[@KoNNOBODY]

Your right about some of the female fighters, woman's bantam weight is dead and Juliana needed to show a little more for this rematch to be legitimate.

[@ericestes2328]

Tbh I think the reason for Amanda and Peña is because Dana is banking on Amanda to just knock Peña ass out . That would be the only reason I could see this main event

[@scottc2076]

Amanda and Peña is the best women’s fight they can make. If ESPN and Ari Emannuel tells Dana you have to have a women main event of a PPV Amanda vs Julianna is the best option.

[@funtv4920]

@@ericestes2328 or maybe Pena did some Jeff Molina action backstage with Dana to get the title shot.

[@seamusgreenmurphy]

"Stipe is a dog, but he's more of an old hound these days" bro this is such a golden line 😂😂😂

[@pluto5618]

You can also add them still doing events at the Apex since it’s completely pointless to still be doing them now

[@christianfrech6993]

a legitimate point for real, for real

[@fuckitsucka5122]

That pic of stipe lmfao 💀💀💀

[@Ziyech1]

😂

[@sirbuttfuq977]

Honestly burns got more hype and khamzat stayed roughly the same yeah he lost a tiny bit

[@LS-kl6bj]

I think Shavkat ought to be promoted and headlining cards. He is 17-0, and he has run over every fighter the UFC has scheduled him with. One could argue that he is being neglected as much as Khamzat.

[@jonaslafleur2429]

He doesn't speak English.He isn't marketable enough.Great fighter but lacks marketability and personality.The Ufc and Dana doesn't like fighters that cant speak to the American crowd.

[@vlaicurabca6987]

@@jonaslafleur2429 Shavkat was hyped before he beat Magny when he was a nobody, everyone knows who he is simply because he has 100% finish ratio which most HW don’t even have so I’d say he’s pretty marketable

[@grimgoreironhide9985]

Shavkats problem is no one wants to fight him. Even Khamzat is suddenly trying to be friendly with him. Geoff Neil was the only one brave enough to face him. Belal refused to fight Shavkat on some bullshit excuse.

[@_Shake_i]

I think they realize he should be built as the boogy man but doesn't explain the lack of hype

[@ep073132]

@@grimgoreironhide9985the way i see it, khamzat was trying to be friendly with kazakh people, not shavkat. he is promoting himself to the kazakh people

[@socialmediaego]

Tracy should do a best of video series of his worse mma takes.

[@christianfrech6993]

[@Acordionista509]

Dude has bad take after bad take

[@scottc2076]

Him saying Arman beat Gamrot 4-1 and Gane was going to beat Jon are by far the worst.

[@involuntaryinsomniac4231]

@@scottc2076 hardest sport to predict by far, if all my takes were out on the internet I’d get flamed too

[@scottc2076]

@@involuntaryinsomniac4231 Lucas picking Gane by decision is extremely braindead. No way they would ever let Jon Jones lose a decision. You would have to pick Gane, a guy with the lest finishing ability of the heavyweight division, to finish a guy who’s never been finished. Plus the best wrestler Gane fought was Francis.

[@robertdelorme7861]

There is zero logic by ufc 289, Charles getting injured saved the ufc from losing support from all of Canada, they gotta put something after that nunes fight. It’s especially insulting after the increase in the ppv price.

[@kaic-m2865]

danas admitted they've made some mistakes lately idk whats going on with them

[@kooltactic8269]

Buckwheat Chads Rise up!

[@amitai2664]

Growing the brand and keeping fighter pay low are obviously the main business priorities right now. Anyone other than casual fans are totally irrelevant. This is why Dana talks so much about all the new PIs that are opening and all these new places the company will expand to. Since Connor the task at hand was to grow the name of the company while keeping as much of that revenue from the fighters as possible. Making big fights that excite fans on a level deeper than the branding goes against that interest.

[@vlaicurabca6987]

Jan Blachovich who’s not such an immense recognisable name in MMA and UFC in general made 1.3 mil from the Ankalaev fight, Ankalaev who’s literally irrelevant made 800k simply by just being a top contender in a bigger division. Crying about fighter pay in 2015 was reasonable but since 2022, fighters are really getting paid a lot, Israel Adesanya made like 4 mil from UFC 287

[@mylesb5624]

@@vlaicurabca6987 he’s a casual who heard about fighter pay issues recently.

[@amitai2664]

@@mylesb5624 you're a casual who doesn't realize fighters exist outside the top 15

[@georgebush_4202]

@@amitai2664 how do you expect them to get paid a lot when they don’t sell? The same happens with boxing where only the big stars get paid a lot of money

[@JorisBohnsone]

If they put Oliveira vs Dariush above Nunes then I think that just isn’t showing the woman’s goat respect

[@_Shake_i]

Along with that's the only big fight they can do with that division as of right now

[@realestedm1636]

I love how you won't directly say they just want to make as many women main events as possible to meet the status quo cause you don't wanna get clipped and reposted all over tiktok and instagram out of context. I don't blame you, smart move. But you're absolutely right. It's not sexist. It's not cruel. It's just the truth. A lot of those fights are not worthy of main events.

[@L47M]

1:33 You didn't have to do Stipe like THAT & then Top it off with that falling knee-snap picture !! 🔥🔥🔥💀💀💀😂😂😂 Good stuff. Keep it up Lol

[@nicholassmieleski9710]

After watching a few of your videos, I’m convinced you don’t understand what makes good “business sense” and confuse good “business sense” with what you, as a die hard, wants to see. You know who’s a big PPV draw? Stipe. You know who’s a massive draw? Jon Jones. You know what a lot of people want to see? Stipe and Jones, even if it isn’t as competitive. People are psyched to see Jones back and winning. You know who is not a draw nearly on the caliber of either of them? Sergei. Would it be more competitive? Yes. You know what Dana doesn’t want? Jones losing. His draw is being an absolute goat. Business wise, Stipe makes absolute sense. And so many people would love to see Stipe come back for Jones, even if he’s old. Nunes is a big draw, whether you want to admit it or not. Female fighters almost never draw as big as male, except Rousey, but Nunes is a very big draw as a women and they cannot neglect female fight cards. Nunes is the one you want to draw for a female lead PPV, which they need to do to avoid so much potential backlash. You know who’s also not a very big draw? Oliveria, even as a champion. His competitors brought in the numbers. Unfortunately Oliveria is just not actually that popular. “99% of fans are more invested in Oliveria vs. Dariush than Nunes vs. Peña” is just blatantly false. People enjoy female led cards and hits a business demographic that needs to be nurtured. You just want the cards that interest you picked, don’t pretend you understand the business side of this. UFC is the fastest growing sports organization by far, I think they know what they’re doing. They’re not drawing cards out of a hat. And you know what you’re going to do when these cards drop? You’re going to watch them, like all diehard fans. Khamzat’s drop in hype is certainly not all on the organization either. Dude has ties to a genocidal warlord and can’t get his visa. He missed weight for Diaz, and despite his promises he’s clearly ducking shit. If he’s as open to any fight as he claims why is he ducking Shavkat? Shavkat’s the same rank as Khamzat was when Khamzat got Burns and Khamzat is basically the same rank as Burns at the time. Yet in when asked about he said “he needs a few fights and a top 5 guy.” If you had a savvy for the business side and behind the curtains dealings you’d understand Khamzat deserves a lot of the blame. Dana’s a scumbag, but he’s done well with the business. Just admit these are fights you want to see. Stop ignorantly giving business advice to the his exploding organization from good business savvy when you can’t even grow your channel. If you truly believe Sergei vs. Jones over Stipe vs. Jones would be a bigger PPV draw and that not doing it constitutes the UFC “not liking money” you’re just foolish. Would it be a better fight? Absolutely. Would it make way more money? Absolutely not. You need to understand die hard fans like yourself and sort of me are the minority, and most of yourself, yourself included will be tuning in to Stipe vs. Jones whenever it happens all the same, like almost all over die hard fans. Stop with this serial numb nuts behavior. Edit: and I’m truly not just trying to hate. Just I’m a designer but have a business minor and I’m by no means a business savvy expert. I run a little design firm that’s doing very well, but it’s not my realm. That being said, these things are fairly obvious. Stop speaking with so much god damn confidence in this videos, your predictions, everything you do is 120% confidence with 40% logic.

[@Forcedtowipe]

Agree but nunes and women in ufc are nowhere near a draw.

[@bewaremycurse]

You gonna make a video about Izzy calling Dricus a cracker? Im a Izzy fan but that was just completely uncalled for smh

[@User29661]

The ufc isnt holding off khamzat.. khamzat is holding down himself. In a recent podcast Jon Anik revealed somewhat between the lines of a conversation, that Khamzat has now visa issues for the usa. He did not say anything else but my guess is they took a close look after seeing photos with kadyrov and now he cant get in to the Usa and probably some other countries. But ofcourse he will get into Abu Dhabi.

[@Starvin_Marvin138]

Khamzat Chimaev has already become a "what if" career considering how he started

[@hayatiiiii]

1:04-1:16 Couldn't agree more man. I was so happy to finally hear it from someone else

[@K0TK0]

Jones vs. Pavlovich needs to happen. He’s got the one hit knockout power and I’m sure he’d be one of, if not the only, guy Jones has faced who also has his insane reach.

[@angelarballo4478]

I mean he fought Quinton Jackson back in the day, but Jackson wasn't as good as Johnson, Ngannou, or Pavlovich. Jones' career is severely lacking in power punchers, especially considering that is what makes the heavier weightclasses so enticing.

[@Jay2loud]

On a side note does anyone else think jiri prochazkas ufc career is gonna go very similar to Luke rockholds, amazing fighter, my favorite right now but with his lack of defense and samurai mentality it’s only so many times u can take big shots with no solid defense and I think a fight against Jamal hill will prove that, I hope in his time off he has improved his defense to avoid big shots 🙏🏾

[@drunkenmmamaster419]

Still using the Apex is a smart business decision just not smart to keep fans interested in fight nights I'd happily take 1 ppv and 2 fight nights a month if the ufc didn't water down all their cards

[@justintrinh3320]

I mean Gane wasn’t a monster? only lost to Francis prior and was seen as Jon Jones hardest test beforehand

[@justintrinh3320]

And he was #1 ranked heavyweight at the time, still #1 as of right now too btw whether u agree with it or not

[@mitra7195]

In hindsight he was never actually tested on the ground. I thought he was a monster, but this is MMA not Kickboxing.

[@Geebicus]

@@justintrinh3320 he’s a great kickboxer, but clearly has no ground game. He was given an easy route to the top without facing any real wrestlers or grapplers and faced all strikers

[@alejandropena1571]

Yeah but like come on, look what jones did to the motherfucker. Not a test for Jon jones, just an easy payday

[@Samsaraindo]

He turned blades down. He knows he can't beat any wrestler

[@damienfarron]

im not complaining that olives vs benny is co main because it means i can go to bed half an hour earlier

[@st2whocares988]

Another insult is how this is the very first card that has taken place in Canada since 2019 , so this is like a big fuck you to us

[@Havok999]

How Peña gets a trilogy but Periera doesn’t is absolutely absurd

[@ian1468]

I mean UFC just got valued at 12.1 billion when they were sold at 4 billion in 2016, clearly their deal with ESPN is profitable when they are recording over a billion dollars in profit every year.

[@jamesweiner5288]

On the note of Peña and Nunes main eventing, Im more than willing to bet it could bring a Title 9 lawsuit if they don’t do that.

[@TheProducer]

Dude you are so wise def the smartest guy & best channel in the youtube mma community

[@bigsmall2842]

I think Colby not fighting in a number 1 contender fight is the worst business decision the ufc has made as of late. There is no storyline between Leon and Colby, it’s gonna do way less numbers than anybody thinks due to Colby’s inactivity. Colby vs khamzat/belal would’ve been a much smarter option since they already had beef. If Colby were to earn his shot his hype would be restored.

[@Havok999]

Colby’s biggest accomplishment is losing to Usman 😂

[@darkclaw1462]

@@Havok999 Twice.

[@christianfrech6993]

Lucas favorite/most used argument:"hes old!"

[@XPRnukezen]

A firefighter in a wheelchair is a crazy concept 😂😂

[@cathaldowdall7467]

Great video. Watching from Ireland 🇮🇪

[@minifridge6330]

Stipe vs jones is a much better money move for the ufc casuals will not care if he’s fighting serge

[@jefftaylor8644]

You could make a 1 hour video talking about apex fight cards like yadong vs Simon and how putting a weak card in the apex is worse than just taking a week off

[@kuurtesy]

That intro was too funny 😭😭

[@Starvin_Marvin138]

I think a big part of why they don't have many good fight nights is pressure from ESPN to get ppv sales so they save as many as they can for a handful of stacked ppvs

[@gabrieldiasdafonseca1425]

What's your take on Pavlovich's wrestling/grappling? I know there isn't a ton of tape to analyze, but he has a greco roman wrestling/ combat sambo background and his loss to Overeem was 5 years ago when he was a 25 year old rookie.

[@bilalak9090]

man i agree with all your points on jones v miochic but that photo was dirty lmao

[@dkmma3312]

Hey for legacy stipe jones im all about it. Makes sense brother. Stipe also has a win over francis . It sells

[@flynndota1179]

i agree with all of your points... lol. my cousin has his second amateur fight on may20th so i lookked up the ufc card for that day and low and behold it was aldana vs pennington lol...i was like wtf..

[@ricardoreyes7966]

Man I love how you're sooo passion in giving shit to the people 😂🎉

[@nicholaschryssafis5797]

They know Stipe loses, they want to add his name to Jone's resume. Like it or not Stipe still holds the Heavyweight title defence record making him, by the numbers, the goat and is definitely better known than Pavlovich. The fight is there to build Jones so when he does have to fight Pavlovich his star is even brighter than it is now.

[@desktopmma3178]

Khamzat’s hype is so non existent rn it’s pathetic. UFC ruined him

[@speeddash1]

Do you think there is a chance there is some agreement behind the scenes for there to be a minimum amount of female headliners per year?

[@Obamanomicon]

It’ll be crazy when the crowd looks like glovers retirement for nunes/Peña 3

[@jordanrules6643]

L take for Jones and Stipe man You’re 23 years old and sometimes have these teenage level takes Gotta grow up bro

[@bertov12]

Stipe is the worst, if he wins, he will hold the division for years.

[@jonjonescellmate4955]

Lucas Tracy try not the speak in hyperbole challenge (impossible)

[@evilkhamzat]

Glad I’m not the only one who noticed 😂

[@colinanderson8256]

i think the ufc wants to save him for costa bc they know he'll win and costa is the only guy robert hasn't beat that way he can get the title shot without having to lose to bobby knuckles

[@Ryan-qp4bl]

when i found this channel i was excited for another source for mma content but watching a lot the content is extremely hyperbolized and not always accurate. I definitely would prefer a more objective look, obviously it’s his channel and he decides what he posts and he can have opinions but look at past videos you see him being so sure of something then eating his words. his perspective on things are also not very analytical like he’s a fighter that actually understands what’s going down. Definitely TheWeasle for casuals using big extreme words and opinions.

[@ghostjason878]

bro idky but your content has gotten much much better imo good shit

[@vaderentertainment8879]

There hasn’t been a non title main event with a title fight on it tho lol

[@successkarate6393]

Tom Aspinal is the toughest challenge for Jones

[@rudi5139]

Chimaev : Usman at welterweight or Vettori at middleweight

[@jonaslafleur2429]

Great idea.

[@Forcedtowipe]

Usman agreed

[@ryanm7097]

7:30 Covington vs Masvidal and McGregor vs Cerrone didn't have any other title fights on the card. A world title fight not headlining the card would completely undermine and destroy the legitimacy of the championship and those who compete for it.

[@notthisguyagain8557]

Honestly. Just cut Jones and get a young guy like palvovich thats going to stay, fight, and not play hardball that damn hard

[@Staysharp3211]

Aldana did have a huge KO victory against a Brazillian cannot remember her name but she was bigger and winning the fight until the stoppage but I agree this shouldn't be the main fight.

[@Geebicus]

Any womens fight that isn’t a championship fight should never be the main

[@Staysharp3211]

@@Geebicus No not really depends on who is fighting...

[@HeliodromusScorpio]

Honestly women are just taking good spots on the main card, should be prelims only

[@SGTxSAT1V420]

Dana needs some big buckwheat pancakes 🥞🥞

[@justdetro2856]

So tired of seeing women's fights headline cards.

[@Geirks280]

UFC 289 is just an event that ends early for me lmao. Just get to go to sleep earlier.

[@percules3333]

Luke is on fire 🔥🔥🔥

[@James-kt4ju]

Having the two London cards 3 months apart so Leon can't headline both

[@ferniesperspective]

You say Shahbazyan is a draw? When all he does is get fucked up and just known for being Rousey’s boy

[@MarlowRicky]

why u had to do stipe like that tho

[@riles3100]

this dude is hilarious

[@armplanet7524]

4:16 ah tracy youre wrong about power going away at an old age... power is the last thing to go with a fighter

[@elgringolobo97]

Before watching this video, Im just gonna say two words: POWER SLAP!

[@randomprodigius914]

13:05 that is a lie. Don't lie. I don't even know when was the last fight of the two dudes. Aldana just got a win with a bicycle kick.

[@zayzay2x_yt424]

you violating stipe lmao

[@Priestwhitelotus]

Ehh, I think Khamzat's recent inactivity has more to do with issues outside of the UFC than anything else.

[@vaderentertainment8879]

Speak for yourself, Jones Vs stipe >>

[@josechamu240]

But some of these are outta the ufc hands like jon jones does what he wants. HE doesnt want sergei (money reasons).

[@mitchellrice]

Exactly, he signed an 8 fight contract maybe to lock him up for life, or if Stipe is going to be so easy, then he can fight Pavlovich afterwards (if he wants to) More Jones fights are better for business

[@charlietoombs9533]

This guy is right.... Yesterday usman and khamzat agreed to fight. I hope it doesn't take months and months to book it. Book the damn thing Give khamzats fans something to look forward to

[@juzo888]

Spitting facts

[@joshuarai738]

agreed brother

[@HikariDesu]

I kinda do wanna see stipe fight ngl…

[@ieatpizza371]

I miss your fitness instagram content

[@saiyanhashem8380]

I get that you're critiquing fighters but sometimes it comes off as just disrespect (especially to stipe whose the heavyweight GOAT).

[@raiden_187]

12:50 absolutely right

[@megamanx766]

LucasTracy was never my friend - Dana

[@Acordionista509]

If you're so good at business why haven't you reached 1 million subs? Im sure the ufc will take your 'business lesson" very seriously 😅😅😅😅

[@SgtJager00]

The miocic bit is a certified L take

[@lucastfitness7299]

Keep coping brother. He’s about as dangerous to Jon Jones as a fly. Jones beats him and 99% of people agree. Just accept it. Pavlovich is more interesting.

[@j.a.g.8689]

The usual Lucas Tracy wack take

[@Rammsteinfanboy2]

Stipe is not gonna be a problem for Jon. Old and injury plagued Miocic isn't a threat to Bones.

[@flyingmonke]

How is he wrong? Stipé hasn't fought in 2 years and is 41 now. He's super washed.

[@successkarate6393]

Spivak got out grapples by Overeem.

[@Cruzylife]

I wanted to hate ur channel cuz u copied the guru , but ur takes r valid. Subscribed buddy

[@cathaldowdall7467]

If Nunez is beating the 💩 outa her in -3-4 round 🏎 💨 🚪 everyone be beating traffic

[@silverback6497]

Sergei is a better match up for Jones then francis

[@MightyBeast21]

I disagree with what your say about aldana and pennington

[@alexandrelima3697]

I do give a fick about stipe vs jones

[@MichaelHunt_WasTaken]

Both Stipe and the Russian would get eaten alive by Jones. It’s more about a send off to Stipe

[@jimbean1371]

Let’s face it, UFC making Nunes the main event isn’t a sporting decision and nor is it a business one. It’s entirely political, them not putting a female championship fight as main event would look bad for all the gender equality stuff. It’s a load of rubbish

[@LilNiteWing]

That stipe picture is fucked. I still gave the video a like.

[@raiden_187]

Facts in everything