UFC digs in for ratings test

LOS ANGELES - If nothing else, tonight's Ultimate Fighting Championship event on Fox will have taught UFC president Dana White a lesson about the American public's viewing habits.

"It's funny. We were talking about, 'Oh, the Olympics are on (against us). So? Do people really watch the Olympics?' " White said with a laugh. "Oops. People really watch the Olympics."

Despite the complaints about tape-delayed action, too much swimming coverage and, perhaps worst of all, Ryan Seacrest, ratings for the London Games have been astronomical.

Tonight's UFC on Fox 4 event will compete against that juggernaut with a card airing live - Fox promos have pushed that fact - from Staples Center at 5 p.m.

White says viewers always have other options.

"It is what it is, man," he said, adding the company deals with the same issues setting pay-per-view dates. "You're always going up against something. If it's not on television, it's a movie or it's this or it's that. Anything that grabs the attention of 18- to 34-year-old males is our competition."

Year one of a seven-year deal with Fox has been a learning process for the organization and the network as they try to figure out what will work best for attracting viewers. The UFC is still a pay-per-view business first, and the elite draws are not going to be shown on free television.

It appears as if the organization is trying to go in the direction of having name fighters with fan-friendly styles compete for top contender spots. Rashad Evans earned a light heavyweight title shot on the Fox card in January, and Nate Diaz became the No. 1 contender at lightweight in the main event of the May card.

Four fighters have that chance tonight, and White unveiled a bit of a gimmick to make sure they provide a good show. After first announcing the winner of the main event between Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Brandon Vera would get a title shot, White bowed to fan reaction and amended the statement that co-main fighters Lyoto Machida and Ryan Bader also are in the running.

Of those four light heavyweights, who all have suffered losses to champion Jon Jones, the one who gets a victory in the most impressive fashion will become the No. 1 contender. While a directive like that could encourage fighters to take more chances instead of concentrating solely on winning, all four insist that is not the case.

"Everybody is asking if it changes things or whatever," said Vera, who was the main source of fan discontent after the original announcement as he enters the main event 1-2 with a no-contest in his past four fights. "I don't know what makes people think we weren't taking the fight seriously before, that we weren't trying to knock someone out anyway. That's a bonus. We'll just go in, do our job and beat the hell out of each other and then worry about that stuff later."

Bader said he thinks about what's at stake but doesn't plan to change his approach.

"I always try to win the most impressive way I can anyway," said Bader, a Reno native. "Hopefully I win impressively, and Dana White says 'Ryan Bader gets the next title shot.' It changes nothing; it's just in the back of your mind."

No criteria is set for what constitutes winning most impressively, but White says he will make the determination after watching the fights who will take on either Dan Henderson or Jones after their Sept. 1 bout. He hopes both of tonight's fights end in spectacular fashion and he is faced with a tough decision.

"The best-case scenario would be that it's tough to pick," White said.

Mike Swick returns to action after more than two years to face welterweight DaMarques Johnson, and Joe Lauzon rounds out the main card in lightweight action against former World Extreme Cagefighting champion Jamie Varner.

The preliminary card, featuring Las Vegan Ulysses Gomez making his UFC debut against John Moraga, airs live on Fuel TV (Cable 319) at 2 p.m.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him on Twitter: @adamhilllvrj.