Even though the UFC on Xbox has been well-received during its preview phases, the first large-scale integration of the service – presenting the highly-anticipated UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem – will go down in the record books as a major loss for the streaming service. Doling out 25,000 free PPV buys on the day of the app’s debut and5,000 more the day of the PPV, plenty of fight fans should have been able to experience the app’s high-quality streaming and unparalleled interactivity, all while watching one of the biggest fights of 2011.

That didn’t happen. Shortly after the 5,000 additional buys were made available, the UFC on Xbox Live app experienced constant outages that lasted long into the PPV. The app’s official Twitter feed was slow to provide updates, waiting until 10 minutes before the Pay-Per-View began to advise the public to “make alternative plans to watch UFC141 through your PC or your cable provider.”

In the time since the mishap, the UFC on Xbox Live service has promised a free future PPV buy for fans, but given the fact that thousands of viewers were faced with a last-minute scramble to purchase the event (not to mention that giving out free PPVs at the last minute may have been the reason for the outage), it’s likely that a good portion of the stifled audience may be wary about returning. With that in mind, here are a few suggestions for how the UFC on Xbox Live can further extend the olive branch.

LET FANS PICK THEIR PAY-PER-VIEW
Even if all parties bump up the server capacity and prepare, fans may be wary of signing up for a UFC event en masse once more. On top of that, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a fight of Lesnar-Overeem’s caliber on the horizon. So why not let the more casual fan wait to find the card they want to get for free, thus lessening the load for the folks that snatch up the first event the UFC and Xbox make available?

LET THEM WATCH UFC 141 FOR FREE
Even if the results are readily available, plenty of fans who were shut out of UFC 141 want to see the amazing highlights, from the “blink-and-you’ll-miss-it” Fitch-Hendricks bout, to the highly-hyped heavyweight clash. The UFC regularly drops prices on their past PPVs once the event has concluded, but given the bad taste left by the event on Friday, tossing a free stream to the 30,000 fans shut out mightn’t be a bad idea.

DISCOUNT AN UPCOMING EVENT ON XBOX
This one mightn’t be very likely, since UFC will probably try to keep purchase price parity amongst its streaming partners. However, if Xbox can foot some of the bill, dropping $5-10 from the purchase price of an upcoming UFC could serve as a catalyst for jilted fans to give the UFC on Xbox some of their hard-earned money.

Even if the UFC on Xbox didn’t start the fight with high marks on the judges cards, the fight is far from over. We know that the app has a top development pedigree, with upgrades easily delivered and a continually evolving service. However, the fans need to show up to make it all worthwhile, and keeping the most hardcore contingent happy is key. Here’s hoping the majority will be satisfied after the next round concludes.