A prominent UFC lightweight contender has raised concerns about what he perceives as declining promotional efforts from the organization. He suggested in a recent interview that the company has shifted away from the aggressive marketing campaigns that once defined major events.
Alex Hernandez currently holds the second longest active winning streak at 155 pounds. He didn’t mince words when discussing the current state of UFC promotion during a recent interview.
“It’s been kind of a lackluster effort,” Hernandez stated, pointing to what he sees as a noticeable decline in the quality and intensity of promotional campaigns.
Hernandez theorized about potential reasons behind this shift, wondering if the UFC’s expansion into multiple ventures has spread resources too thin. “I don’t know if it’s just because there’s so many promotions happening at once within the UFC, you know, with the boxing, jujitsu, power slap and everything else that it’s almost just the brand just stands on itself,” he explained.
Hernandez also floated another possibility that could explain the change in promotional strategy. He suggested the UFC might have adopted a more conservative approach following the Conor McGregor era, speculating: “Or if there was this idea after McGregor that it was like, we can never have a star become bigger than a company.”
The contender pointed to recent high-profile matchups as examples of underwhelming promotional efforts, noting that even significant title opportunities aren’t receiving the marketing push they once would have. “No contending or premier fight or event is really getting pushed too hard,” he observed, citing specific examples of recent title situations that he felt lacked adequate promotion.
When comparing current promotional materials to those from previous years, Hernandez was particularly nostalgic about the marketing content from around 2015. “We certainly don’t get those sick promos we used to get back in, you know, like 2015, that’s for sure,” he remarked.
The discussion touched on whether this reduced promotional emphasis might be a calculated business decision. Hernandez acknowledged that despite the apparent decrease in marketing intensity, the UFC might not need the same level of promotion to achieve similar results. “Maybe if you look at the numbers, maybe it’s selling all the same. So maybe they just don’t even need to worry about it,” he conceded.
UFC CEO Dana White appears to be managing multiple responsibilities across the organization’s expanding portfolio. The suggested idea is that White’s involvement has been diluted as the company has grown, leading to less hands-on promotional work for individual events.
