So in short, not a very sound comparison if you ask me.

Maybe if the demand for UFC was as big as McDonalds (47 million customers a day) they’d consider franchising.

You’re right in that McDonald’s has larger demand. But other companies with that business run in fringe markets too. I’m using the example of monsterously huge brands to prove the point that companies with far more to lose in terms of image do something as “risky” or more so than what I’m suggesting.

However, there is most assuredly the want by many of these companies to associate themselves with the UFC. The best examples, by far, were TKO/WCC and WEC, the latter of which were eventually purchased by Zuffa. I’m suggesting a larger scale of the efforts those two promotions had. Again; Do that, UFC *will* have no competitors, *will* be the dominant brand, on and on and on. If they don’t, we’ll hear another 5-6 years of “the UFC is running out of competitors!” while new ones keep popping up like they have during the entire history of the sport, even when it was unprofitable.

Maybe if the demand for UFC was as big as McDonalds (47 million customers a day) they’d consider franchising. For the time being it’s more cost effective establishing an international headquarter or three.

I never stated that they should build franchises for everyone and anyone. You don’t understand the argument, clearly, and you’re hiding behind some obtuse understanding of BIZ to do it.

The point is that enforcing those criteria takes a lot of effort, so much so that the UFC might as well do it themselves.

Why doesn’t McDonald’s own all their restaurants then?

Gucci isn’t sold in Wal-Mart either. How will they ever make money?

The UFC is not a luxury brand. The UFC has replaced those retailers with nothing.

5 years ago, the sport was fractionalized.

The sport was fractionalized the day Ken Shamrock worked a bout with Minoru Suzuki to get the KOP title off of him. Or when Battlecade started. Take your pick.

“Like all the aformentioned franchises, you would have to meet a standard criteria. What is tough to understand about that? ”

The point is that enforcing those criteria takes a lot of effort, so much so that the UFC might as well do it themselves. If they found someone they like and admired enough to enter a deal like that, why not just hire the guy as a full-time Zuffa employee?

“This is the problem. Don’t you see that? The UFC should have displays of their clothes and Tapout (who they own a share in) at Wal-Mart, Target, just about every retailer there is instead of the cheap knockoffs.”

Gucci isn’t sold in Wal-Mart either. How will they ever make money? Why does the UFC need Wal-Mart when they get loads of people buying of merchandise from their website? I see people in UFC and Tapout shirts all the time. On one hand, you seem like you want them to sell-out more than they have, and on the other hand you seem to think they sell out too much (charging sponsors, UFC gyms, etc).

“They don’t because they’re run by a control freak. As long as that is the case, there will always be openings for competition and people will take them and the sport will be fractionalized. Period. End of story.”

5 years ago, the sport was fractionalized. Today, the UFC basically has a monopoly. They’ve been doing something right.

Like all the aformentioned franchises, you would have to meet a standard criteria. What is tough to understand about that?

The only way the UFC would allow their brand to be used is if it was actual UFC fights with the quality they demand from themselves,

This is the problem. Don’t you see that? The UFC should have displays of their clothes and Tapout (who they own a share in) at Wal-Mart, Target, just about every retailer there is instead of the cheap knockoffs. They don’t because they’re run by a control freak. As long as that is the case, there will always be openings for competition and people will take them and the sport will be fractionalized. Period. End of story.

To go with your “franchise” examples, that would be like Coke telling some guys to go ahead and use whatever is handy to make some soda, and paste the Coke brand name on it.

The only way the UFC would allow their brand to be used is if it was actual UFC fights with the quality they demand from themselves, and at that point they may as well cut out the middle man and expand Zuffa’s international marketing department. You don’t sully your hard-fought branding by selling rights to it to any promoter in a 3rd world country that wants to use it. This is arguably the worst idea you’ve ever had.

Here’s how your list is in reality of fighters’ records from January 1st 2008 – December 1st, 2009.

Wladimir Kltischko : 4 ( Sultan Ibragimov was WBO Heavyweight champion, Tony Thompson was ranked #9 by Ring Magazine, Hasim Rahman was ranked top 10 by the IBF, Ruslan Chagaev was #1 contender).

Tomasz Adamek – 3 (O’Neil Bell was a Cruiserweight elimination fight and he was top 10 in Ring Magazine as a recently defeated champion, Steve Cunningham was IBF Crusierweight champion, Jonathan Banks was IBO Crusierweight champion)

Chad Dawson – 4 (Fought Glen Johnson twice once for the WBC Light Heavyweight belt, fought Antonio Tarver twice for the IBF and IBO Light Heavyweight belts.)

Andre Ward – 4 (Jerson Ravelo was for WBO and NABO Super Middleweight belts, Henry Buchanan was the WBO #1 contender, Edison Miranda was in Ring’s top 10, and Mikkel Kessler was for the WBA Super Middleweight belt.)

Kelly Pavlik – 4 (Jermain Taylor was a WBC Middleweight #1 contender, Gary Lockett was the WBO Middleweight #1 contender, he lost to Bernard Hopkins but the fight was not his weightclass so like Penn losing to GSP it doesn’t count against his division, Marco Antonio Rubio was the WBC Middleweight #1 contender.)

Paul Williams – 2 (Carlos Quintana was WBO Welterweight champion, Verno Phillips was WBO Junior Middleweight champion, Winky Wright was a superfight but I won’t count it because he was gone so long. Now he has the misfortune of waiting on Pavlik to finally fight.)

Manny Pacquiao – 4 (Juan Manuel Márquez was WBC Super Featherweight champion, David Diaz was WBC Lightweight champion, Ricky Hatton was IBO and Ring Magazine Light Welterweight champion, Miguel Cotto was WBO Welterweight champion.)

Problem with your list is that you named 7 boxers that consistently face top opposition.

You just read the Ring ratings without any context/knowledge.