Ditch posted:

Supposedly, there's a break-even point for the added cost of doing PPV and the provider not giving the UFC much of a cut until a certain number of buys. Small shows are often at or below this amount. Meanwhile, various sports bars are getting rid of PPVs because the small shows are worthless. And to top it off, fewer people watch a small card on PPV than when it's on free TV, so the fighters on the card get less exposure. They clearly don't have 12 PPV-worthy cards per year or even close to that amount. Fewer PPVs would be more special, and they could load the cards up enough that they wouldn't be ruined by a single injury.

I suspect there's a fear that they will look like they're shrinking if they cut back, but to casual fans the small shows might as well not exist, so I really don't see the harm.