Comments on: Quote of the Week – Hyping Brock Lesnar’s Importance

By: Mark

Mark — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 17:06:17 +0000

“How do you think UFC got the idea to target certain international markets?”

Um, because there’s fight fans there. And they have money. So if you go in a plane there and fight, they will give you said money to see said fight. And since Zuffa likes money, they thought this sounded like a good idea. And, you know, there was that whole “Ultimate Japan” and “Ultimate Brazil” thing I guess Dave came up with, too.

Yep, Dave Meltzer was the first man in world history to come up with the idea of touring internationally. Yes sir.

“Dave has turned into what people always claimed he never was and would never be. That being another Bob Ryder type.”

He handles travel arrangements and doesn’t pay Joey Styles’ webhost costs?

By: Jackson

Jackson — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 03:13:05 +0000

People always crap on other sites like the Torch and pwinsider with claims of bias towards certain groups or individuals. Yet, it is much more evident than it is with anybody else that Dave is like this with certain people and organizations. Follow his work and it’s very easy to figure it all out.

The thing about giving business advice to Dana is spot on. How do you think UFC got the idea to target certain international markets?

Dave has turned into what people always claimed he never was and would never be. That being another Bob Ryder type.

By: Mark

Mark — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 22:29:53 +0000

You might have a point if Tito-Ken wasn’t scheduled for free TV on Spike during the Ultimate Fighter I finale, when Franklin ended up taking Tito’s spot because Tito turned it down. So it wasn’t so much of a stretch to do it then. It wasn’t a fight that was going to get people to pay $40 again to see, but they were big enough draws to guarantee a big free-tv rating. I can’t see Dana going “Holy shit, I never thought of that! Thank you, wrestling newsletter guy!”

By: kjh

kjh — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 21:24:43 +0000

I still say you’ve got your head in the sand. Dave immediately after the controversial finish to Tito vs. Ken II was championing a rematch on free TV. Joe Silva and Dana were convinced and booked the rematch. The result from Dave Meltzer’s own words: “What very slowly got the mainstream media into MMA, and as Dana White likes to remind me, took me from one place in life to another, is the media couldn’t deny the ratings of the Ortiz-Shamrock match in 2006 on Spike when in 18-34 males it beat several games of that year’s World Series.” Their relationship sounds a lot more like Dave is a confidant of Dana’s than Dana being some egomaniac who refuses to take Dave’s words seriously.

By: Mark

Mark — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 20:59:48 +0000

Talks regularly, sure. Dana probably talks to all the bigger names in MMA media every so often. Gives business advice? I find that hard to believe, if he does it’s unsolicited. What the hell does a wrestling journalist know about running a company? I guess Dave has done well for himself living off of WO since the 80s, but he doesn’t have a business degree, only has second-hand observations of what running a fight promotion is like, and more importantly Dana’s ego is far too large at this point to take anyone seriously but his bosses Frank and Lorenzo. I’m sure Dave tosses off factoids about what UWF-i or RINGS did, but that’s not being a business adviser. Dave probably does that in line at the supermarket. He can’t help tossing out facts.

I said he “maybe”, not for sure got kickbacks, since it was rumored back in the day both he and Eddie Goldman were under-the-table paid “official reporters” for the SEG events. Mentioning oft-repeated rumors isn’t throwing somebody under a bus. Meltzer, Alvarez and Dr. Keith are my three favorite people on the internet, I wouldn’t slander them after all of the entertainment they’ve provided me over the years. And trust me, I’m not defending Zuffa for the sake of defending Zuffa. I’m no Dana fan, far from it. But I will defend him when I think he’s in the right, which is very rarely these days. But this is one of the times.

By: kjh

kjh — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 20:35:08 +0000

I completely agree with Mark that it is unfathomable that Zuffa pays Dave and Bryan money in return for favorable coverage in the Observer.

That said, you’re burying your head in the sand if you think Dana White can’t stand them. Dave is pretty open about the fact that he regularly talks to Dana and even gives him business advice. We all know if Dana couldn’t stand him, he wouldn’t be speaking to him and would be cutting promos on him on the Internet.

The statement “Zuffa isn’t paying anybody in the media period” is also misleading, as Zuffa has a well known business relationship with Yahoo.

It’s also completely unfathomable that Dave Meltzer accepted kickbacks from Bob Meyrowitz in return for coverage in the Observer, for the same reason why he wouldn’t accept kickbacks from Zuffa. His journalistic integrity. It’s nice to see you throw Dave under the bus in your defense of Zuffa.

The explanation for the gloating that they’re simply fans is ultra simplistic. Dana is a very important news source for Dave and their relationship seems much closer to friendship than an impersonal business relationship. No-one is above criticism in the Observer, but his friends and key sources (Jim Cornette, Jim Ross, Mike Tenay, Bret Hart, Brock Lesnar, Dana White, etc) seem to be less likely to be criticized and when they are the criticism seems more tepid. Maybe that’s unfair but that is the perception his coverage gives, at least to me, having read the Observer for several years.

By: Mark

Mark — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 19:32:38 +0000

I would bet my house, car, riding lawnmower and microwave oven that Bryan Alvarez, Dave Meltzer, or any other person associated with F4W/WO (Vinny V, Dr. Keith, Granny, Missy Hyatt, Joe Babinsack, or Dave’s legally blind and illiterate proof reader) do not in any way work for Dana White and Zuffa. Dana probably can’t stand either of them (especially SUPER CHICO~!) let alone pay them. Zuffa isn’t paying anybody in the media period.

Why would he need them? Alvarez freelance writes articles nobody reads and Meltzer is with Yahoo where he isn’t even the first runner up to Dana White asskissing at that organization. It’s a total stupid conspiracy theory to believe they’d give a shit about paying anybody to say nice things about them. Maybe Bob Meyrowitz gave Meltzer some kickbacks in the 90s when WO was sadly one of the biggest thing giving UFC coverage, but I can say with all certainty Dave Meltzer, Bryan Alvarez and associates do not get paid or even asked to say nice things about Zuffa.

So why do they gloat? They’re fans. Not big enough fans where they go 45Huddle and explain away all of the misdeeds, they did call Zuffa out on the Fitch situation, EA Sports situation, ignoring Ken, Tito and Royce at UFC 100, ect. If they were paid shadow-publicists, they wouldn’t. Maybe there’s a little bit of glee in UFC embarrassing Vince McMahon’s embarrassing programming, but nothing sinister. They’re just happy for the sport.

By: Jackson

Jackson — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 18:46:16 +0000

Why are Meltzer and Alvarez so excited over UFC 100’s buyrate? With the way they’re reacting you would think this is the highlight of their lives or something.

Seriously, I don’t see why anyone would really experience happiness over these things unless they’re involved with the company. So buyrate numbers influence whether you enjoy something or not?

So do Meltzer and Alvarez have a business relationship with UFC? Could this be them thinking the number somehow validates what they think makes for a good combat sports product(real or fake)? Are they marking out cause they think they finally found the answer as to what they think will take down Vince?

They’re coming off more and more like the Bob Ryder of UFC.

By: Mark

Mark — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 12:53:38 +0000

And plus in context of the entire article, Dave Meltzer is clearly saying UFC 100/Brock are the biggest MMA moments in AMERICA, not worldwide. Hence why at the top of the quote it says “It was the most eventful week in the history of North American MMA”
Obviously he knows about the size of the K-1/PRIDE supershow and all of the huge Saitama Super Arena shows UFC hasn’t come close to drawing an equal amount to, or the monster Yoshida/Ogawa rating. But in America, Brock’s officially bigger than Tito, Chuck, Ken, Hughes or Randy.

By: David M

David M — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 03:51:53 +0000

I think Saku was one of the best p4p fighters in mma history; I think if he had stayed at 170 or 185 he would have gone down in history as a legend for beating everyone instead of a legend for beating the Gracies and getting slaughtered by much larger opponents, as well as known for working a fight with Vitor, receiving a despicable gift decision against Mezger, and benefiting from Pride forcing Rampage to cut 20 pounds the night before the fight or forfeit his purse.

Everyone I know who is a sports fan knows who Brock is; not just fight fans. He was on yahoo’s front page, espn’s front page, cnnsi’s front page, number 1 on twitter, number 1 on google searches…come on, let’s be serious. Saku was probably more popular in Japan at his peak than Brock was (Brock hasn’t peaked in mma yet though), but in total number of people, Brock is clearly more popular. As far as most of the world is concerned, UFC = MMA