Though a report claiming UFC has decided to move its UFC 111 pay-per-view from 3/13 to 3/27 is correct in principle, the context of the report offers a very misleading perspective on the matter.
While it is true that the new date places the Georges St. Pierre vs. Dan Hardy-headlined event on the same weekend as WrestleMania 26, there is more to the story than some wrestling outlets are suggesting. The event, which features one of UFC’s most popular fighters in GSP, will make an impact on WrestleMania 26’s buyrate, but UFC insiders, unlike the wrestling media, are not ignoring the fact that it will be a two-way street. WrestleMania is a stable annual performer for WWE, and its presence that weekend will return the favor by making a dent in the UFC show’s performance.
More important is the fact that the original 3/13 date would have tentatively put the UFC show head-to-head with the planned Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao boxing match. UFC 103 was dominated in the buyrate game when it went head-to-head with Mayweather’s last fight, and this particular boxing show will do more than twice as many buys (likely setting the buyrate record). GSP might be a bigger draw than UFC 103 headliners Rich Franklin and Vitor Belfort, but he will not be able to overcome a boxing PPV of that magnitude.
The feeling is that a two-week barrier was the bare minimum needed to minimize the boxing show’s effect on the buyrate, and even that might not be enough.
Plus, as F4WOnline.com noted, UFC President Dana White has cracked that he too wants to see the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight and thus would not want to program against it.