Friend of our site


MMA Headlines


UFC HP


Bleacher Report


MMA Fighting


MMA Torch


MMA Weekly


Sherdog (News)


Sherdog (Articles)


Liver Kick


MMA Junkie


MMA Mania


MMA Ratings


Rating Fights


Yahoo MMA Blog


MMA Betting


Search this site



Latest Articles


News Corner


MMA Rising


Audio Corner


Oddscast


Sherdog Radio


Video Corner


Fight Hub


Special thanks to...

Link Rolodex

Site Index


To access our list of posting topics and archives, click here.

Friend of our site


Buy and sell MMA photos at MMA Prints

Site feedback


Fox Sports: "Zach Arnold's Fight Opinion site is one of the best spots on the Web for thought-provoking MMA pieces."

« | Home | »

Crazy headline of the day

By Zach Arnold | October 1, 2008

Print Friendly and PDF

Elite XC garners more press than the UFC.

a) no

b) Even if you buy into the author’s premise, the answer is that EXC continues to lose money at a big clip. There’s a difference between getting press coverage and getting effective press coverage.

Perfect example: Spike TV preview shows = good, Kimbo Slice PTI interview = train wreck.

With press like this

Topics: Media, MMA, Pro Elite, Zach Arnold | 23 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

23 Responses to “Crazy headline of the day”

  1. Mateo says:

    UFC can’t be sending Liddell out on Leno or Letterman. The guy would give another one of his gorded-out interviews. And Silva doesn’t speak English well enough to conduct one. The others are too bland or are not ready for that big a stage yet.

    Since Brock isn’t going to get turfed out anytime soon, maybe the UFC will send him out to do some major media interviews before his November fight. Getting Couture or Lesnar or both to appear on Leno or O’brien would probably help their goal of breaking the MMA PPV buyrate record.

  2. Chuck says:

    EXC isn’t getting a ton of press. Kimbo Slice is getting a ton of press. Big difference.

    It basically reminds me (yes, a pro wrestling reference. Brace yourselves!) when Adam “Pacman” Jones was signed by TNA wrestling last year. TNA wasn’t the one getting a ton of press. It was Pacman Jones and the fact that he signed with a wrestling company that got a ton pf press. TNA’s tv ratings and ppv buyrates didn’t move a centimeter with Pacman coming in.

    With EXC most casual/fair-wheather fans only care about Kimbo Slice, Ken Shamrock, and Gina Carano. Not Scott Smith, Robbie Lawler, Jake Shields, etc. I think that sucks, but Ce La Vie.

  3. Mike Rome says:

    You can say no all day long, this show already has more mainstream press than UFC 87 or 88, and those shows had the UFC’s three biggest stars pretty much.

    Second, you’re arguing against a straw man. I was sounding the alarm about EXC’s impending death when you were still worried about how Xyience would destroy Zuffa. They are completely fucked financially, but it doesn’t change the fact that the UFC still hasn’t figured out a way to get consistent press on ESPN and other mainstream outlets. And no, it is not the negative press causing their financial problems.

  4. David says:

    “Since Brock isn’t going to get turfed out anytime soon, maybe the UFC will send him out to do some major media interviews before his November fight. Getting Couture or Lesnar or both to appear on Leno or O’brien would probably help their goal of breaking the MMA PPV buyrate record.”

    Just thought I would put it in quotes for the rats at UFC to read twice 😉

  5. David says:

    That is in reference to (hopefully) the UFC listening to the fans/critics. That would be great if they could out do the previous PPV buyrate record, for even MORE publicity. I love this sport, but I worry that if it gets too big something bad will happen.

  6. Zach Arnold says:

    You can say no all day long, this show already has more mainstream press than UFC 87 or 88, and those shows had the UFC’s three biggest stars pretty much.

    And what has it meant for the bottom line financially for both companies?

    They are completely fucked financially, but it doesn’t change the fact that the UFC still hasn’t figured out a way to get consistent press on ESPN and other mainstream outlets.

    Why should UFC be worried about press coverage at this point? You’re stuck in a mindset of the early part of this decade. It’s no longer just about getting on TV or getting any sort of PR — it’s about what kind of PR, what kind of target marketing, and how effective your fighters are at hyping a fight that ultimately matters the most.

    As I argued before, Gina Carano and Kimbo Slice are fine at marketing themselves in the media. However, and I believe many others believe this as well, both of them have done a poor job of a) marketing the company they work for and b) marketing upcoming fights.

    I’m trying to figure out what the motive or what the point of you arguing about EXC getting more press coverage than UFC is. Is EXC better than UFC at PR? Volume… maybe. Quality? No, not even close.

  7. Mike Rome says:

    We’ll see Saturday night. Despite almost impossible competition, I suspect the show will do a great rating. I’d be shocked if it did worse than, say, the Anderson Silva show on Spike a few months ago.

    The first time they obviously did a good enough job with the press because they did very well in the ratings.

    Again, you’re arguing a point never made, which I’m sure you’ll do again in response to this post. Dana has made extensive efforts as of late to get guys onto Sportscenter and other shows, mostly to no avail. They are heavily focused on that goal inside of Zuffa, even if you think it doesn’t matter.

    I didn’t have a “motive” in posting it. I’m just curious why Gina Carano can get E60 specials with an incompetent organization behind her and the UFC can’t get that program to touch one of its fighters.

    The company is dead in the water financially, but it has nothing to do with good or bad press. It has to do with stunning waste and incompetence by executive management. Gina Carano’s fight drew a great number and a huge increase in viewers in May, and I bet it will do so again this Saturday.

  8. David says:

    I’m with Rome. Zach it sounds like you don’t want ProElite to succeed but I love what they do for the sport and see them around in 10 years.

  9. si says:

    “and see them around in 10 years.”

    fuck.king.hell.

    I want as much competition between MMA orgs as possible, but let’s be realistic: this is make or break for ProElite, and unless everyone involved pulls out something ridiculously good, that makes viewers go “give me more of this shit”, they’re beyond fucked.

  10. Ultimo Santa says:

    Elite XC needs to pray that they have competent referees and doctors this time around.

    The first Smith/Lawler stoppage from that retarded ‘doctor’ was possibly the worst screw-up in MMA history; and in the main event, the ref stopping the Slice/Thompson fight *may* have been justified from a safety standpoint, but it just came off badly on TV.

    A trademark Shamrock ‘pop-up and complain’ after he’s KOed by Slice is going to elicit some huge boos from the crowd, and leave the audience with a bad taste in their mouth.

    The ref needs to let Ken get beaten unconscious, or else the entire show will be called a complete failure by the casual viewer and mainstream fan alike. Even if every other fight is entertaining, it seems like the weight of the show rests on Kimbo’s performance.

  11. 45 Huddle says:

    UFC has basically no press, and they sell 300,000 to 500,000 on a regular basis for PPV’s. EliteXC has a lot of press and they would be lucky to get 50,000 PPV Buys.

    1) People are putting way too much emphasis on E60 or Chris Ferguson (which Serra was also on). As hardcore fans, we know every show they were on. Casual fans MIGHT catch one of these shows, and doesn’t even mean they will watch.

    2) I’m not sure how much this publicity matters to the core demographic of 18-34 Males. Those fans know UFC. Everything else appears to be minor leagues. That is the reality of it.

    I think EliteXC will have great ratings for this show. I just don’t think it will matter. Kimbo/Shamrock is a big main event for casual fans, and it will draw good numbers. But they are giving away everything for free. And we have yet to see how they can make money.

  12. b.d.w. says:

    E60 did a show on pat militech and his fighters, mainly focusing on the ufc, so the ufc HAS been on E60 and several other espn’s shows like mike and mike in the morning, espn’s 1rst take, jim rome is burning, sportscenter etc.

  13. Dave says:

    I’m waiting for the Luke Thomas run-in, personally.

    I can see both sides of this, personally, but think that the key here is that EliteXC is getting limited good press. I don’t think Rome is getting too ahead of himself — Carano and Kimbo are getting a bunch of press. But while this is true, it is really only getting through to people who already know about the event or are already UFC fans. UFC gets its share of Sports Illustrated and ESPN coverage at this point, and you have to believe that EliteXC’s link to CBS is providing them with anything extra, or that they are flat out paying for it.

    UFC has ads on television, while EliteXC really hasn’t (from what I’ve seen — I don’t watch much TV anymore), and the general populus really doesn’t know about this show as opposed to the next UFC show. It is an uphill battle for sure.

  14. 45 Huddle says:

    The advertising CBS is donig shows how out of touch they are with the age demographic the are trying to get. They want the male 18-24 or 18-34. Why put a fighter on Craig Ferguson? Old people watch that show. They need stuff like viral marketing. They need to be advertising on social networks. On websites, not TV. That is how you get that young male viewer. Heck, even the telecast itself makes the sport feel monotone.

  15. Dave says:

    Well, here is what gets me, how much promotion went into the first show? Because that pulled down some good ratings for MMA. I don’t remember there being much advertising at all for that show, to be honest.

    Taking out ads on sites like myspace and youtube would probably be the best bet for them.

  16. IceMuncher says:

    Mainstream press is overrated.

    The UFC has a weekly reality show on Spike that gets over a million viewers every Wednesday. Every regular viewer of that show is a guaranteed MMA fan. Their commercials for upcoming shows squarely hits the intended demographic. More importantly, they have a continuous presence. The advertisements play every week during every commercial break. The more they repeat their advertisements, the more likely the fans will remember the date, and the more anticipation they feel for the next upcoming show.

    EXC is sending out commercials blindly. They dump them out there and pray that at least some of the viewers are interested enough to catch it. I see Danika Patrick on ESPN and late night talk shows, but I’ve never felt the desire to watch Nascar, so I imagine the same thing happens quite often when people catch Carano or Kimbo on these same shows. Also, the repetition isn’t there either. I imagine next Monday I’m going to hear a lot of my casual MMA viewing friends saying “Oh, I didn’t realize that the EXC show was last weekend” simply because the date hasn’t been ingrained into them enough.

  17. The Gaijin says:

    Well first IceMuncher, I’m pretty sure Danika Patrick hopes you don’t see her and watch NASCAR since she’s an IRL/CART (open-wheel) driver. However, I think that goes to show you just how “effective” she apparently is in marketing her “company”. 🙂

  18. 45 Huddle says:

    hahaha, I thought Patrick was in NASCAR as well.

  19. D.Capitated says:

    Well first IceMuncher, I’m pretty sure Danika Patrick hopes you don’t see her and watch NASCAR since she’s an IRL/CART (open-wheel) driver. However, I think that goes to show you just how “effective” she apparently is in marketing her “company”.

    She does a great job for AGR. She’s really more a hanger on for why they’re investing millions on a series without any stable TV in the US, but she provides the sponsorship money. But if you’d like to continue talking about things you don’t know about….

  20. The Gaijin says:

    Yes, I forgot you are the “master and expert of everything”…it’s called a joke douche – look into it.

    I’m well aware of what Danica Patrick does, who she works for and her impact on mainstream press in racing.

    Why don’t you try and bring somehow bring boxing politics into this though.

  21. Jeremy (not that Jeremy) says:

    I’m sure boxing has nothing to do with it, but we might get some tips on how to pick the best bitches down at the greyhound track, or possible some pointers for tournament mahjong.

    We’ll meet down at the speakeasy and toss down some gin and something while we ruminate on the subject.

  22. D.Capitated says:

    Yes, I forgot you are the “master and expert of everything”…it’s called a joke douche – look into it.

    Then pick a better subject next time.

    I’m well aware of what Danica Patrick does, who she works for and her impact on mainstream press in racing.

    Well, she never drove in CART, which no longer exists anyhow. She never drove “for” the IRL either. That might take an understanding of sports over pro wrestling to understand though, I suppose.

  23. The Gaijin says:

    Yes, I know she never drove for CART but CART & IRL amalgamated – so while I don’t know what “name” they ended up with, she is for all intents and purposes driving under the IRL/CART banner.

    And while obviously she drives for her own “team” (i.e. AGR) she still competes in/for the IRL. That’s like saying that someone isn’t an NFL player because they “play for” the Dallas Cowboys. If there was no league in existence she’d hardly just be out there “driving for AGR”.

    So while it’s nice that Carano/Slice/Patrick can garner interest for themselves and their teams, but that says little for their ability to do things for the greater overall health and/or exposure of their respective “company” or sport.

    It’s a nice attempt to play semantics to make your insult relevant, but it’s stupid any way you try to cut it.

Comments

*
To prove you're a person (not a spam script), type the security word shown in the picture.
Anti-spam image