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Source: Calvin Ayre getting involved in MMA
By Zach Arnold | July 28, 2006
By Zach Arnold
An MMA insider is telling us that Calvin Ayre (of BoDog.net fame) is getting into the business, with a tentative date scheduled for November in Los Angeles. Ayre, who is based out of Costa Rica, is expected to be running shows very shortly. He is listed as #746 on the world’s richest people ist and recently bought time on the Fox Sports Net channel in America to air his Calvin Ayre Wildcard Poker series (which heavily featured celebrities and a party atmosphere).
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This could be good for MMA. Calvin knows the sport and has piles of money to throw at it. I would expect excellent production values and well paid fighters. My only concern is that it might be too much about celebs and ring girls and not enough about the sport. I don’t mind mixing a little of that stuff in there but if it just masks a bad card or takes away from the fights it could make the sport look to much like spectacle.
Well, competition is good, but to me it seems the sport is starting to attract more and more “money marks”…
[...] Last month, we reported an industry rumor online first about Bodog.net owner Calvin Ayre getting involved in the MMA business. Today, a press release was issued on the Casino City Times detailing Ayre’s plans. In short, the first MMA show series taping is underway right now in Costa Rica (where Ayre is located) and the series will air on the Dish Network. [...]