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Thursday trash talk: Not interested in UFC 75? You have a problem
By Zach Arnold | September 6, 2007
Adam Morgan is moving on from Fight Opinion to 411 Mania. I wish Adam a lot of luck and hope he does well with his new job.
Tonight, Luke Thomas is interviewed Jon Fitch on his radio show starting at 10 PM EST. Details here. The phone number to call in is 646-478-5091. I want at least five readers to call into the radio show tonight.
Cage Rage and Pro Elite partner up financially… well, if you mean Pro Elite buying out Cage Rage, that is. Plus, David Dinkins Jr. will oversee production of all boxing & MMA telecasts on Showtime.
Komikazee has a radio interview with Dan Henderson. Dr. J has a UFC 75 preview. So does Denny Burkholder over at CBS Sportsline. Setanta Sports has an event preview. Rampage was interviewed recently on Fight Network Radio. Jake Rossen tries to come up with reasons as to why there is little interest in the Rampage/Henderson UFC 75 fight this Saturday.
I can give you a laundry list of reasons why UFC 75 is struggling to generate energy with the American public.
- This is the start of football season. People are geared up to watch college football and the NFL. There has been little or no media talk whatsoever about UFC 75 on cable TV. Outside of specificly placed advertisements (like at the AOL Fanhouse or during the WEC telecast last night on Versus), there has been next-to-no advertising of the event at all. If I wasn’t spending hours a day focusing on MMA, I would have no clue (as a casual fan) that there was a UFC show happening this weekend.
- Very few American MMA fans know who Dan Henderson is. That statement may cause an uproar with hardcore fans, but ask yourself this question – does the average UFC mark know who Dan Henderson is? The answer is likely ‘no.’ Furthermore, Henderson really has never been marketed throughout this career as a main-eventer in UFC or PRIDE. Henderson’s biggest profile match was against Silva this past February in Vegas. However, in Japan, Henderson was never placed higher than the mid-card. If he did work main events (like he did at Bushido against Kazuo Misaki), those were often the B-level shows (in the eyes of fans). Henderson was never a mega star for PRIDE like he should have been, but that was not his fault. Outside of fighting Chuck Liddell, Rampage Jackson wasn’t known to the masses in America either. Until he gets a string of victories and has some new ‘file footage’ for UFC to market, he’s going to remain drawing at the same level he is now.
- People are not belt marks unless those belts are treated and protected well. I’ve heard this argument from both Jake Rossen and Luke Thomas that we should care about the PRIDE belt. Who the hell cares about that belt? PRIDE is out of business. It’s finished. The belt means nothing to the casual fan or to the hardcore fans. In an era where we’ve seen so many alphabet soup title belts in boxing, why should American fans care about the PRIDE title belt? In order for a belt to mean something, you have to protect it as a promoter. It would also help to protect the promotion that the belt represents, but PRIDE is dead as a doornail.
- MMA fans in America are not spoiled. Last night, there was a terrific WEC event on The Versus Network. With that stated, the over-expansion of events by Zuffa LLC (along with competition from other promoters) is not the fault of the fans, it’s the fault of the promoters. When you dilute your product to the point where you have a show every week or every other week, you’re putting stress on your fans to have to pay more money to watch PPVs or dedicate more of their free time to watch events on cable TV.
- UFC has done a piss-poor job in promoting the UFC 75 event to the casual American fan. Combine this with the fact that the event will air tape-delayed from London and you have the makings of an audience that is somewhat ambivalent to the show. Jake Rossen argued that American MMA fans should care about the PRIDE vs. UFC double titles match because history will be made. What history will be made? Dana White already said that the PRIDE title belt will be retired after the match. What PRIDE-related history does a casual fan know about the company? None! Of course, the great irony is that the most current history about PRIDE is the story about how they went extinct and the reasons behind it. I don’t expect Spike TV to feature a PRIDE: All Access show talking about the yakuza scandal any time soon, do you?
- What does PRIDE mean to the American MMA fan? Not even Dana White knows what it’s supposed to mean. One week he’s proclaiming that it’s Japan’s strongest MMA brand, the next week he’s telling Alex Marvez that it’s “tainted” and another week he’s spouting off how mismanaged of an organization PRIDE was. OK, fine. However, in order for unification matches to work, you have to be willing to promote the entity outside of your company just as strongly as the entity you own. In this case, you have to promote PRIDE as strongly as you promote UFC. Dana White has never been willing to do that. PRIDE is dead, buried, finished. He has publicly talked about and treated PRIDE for the last two years like Vince McMahon talked about WCW. In the case of both McMahon and White, they bought the assets of their defeated rivals and practically buried any history that came along with it.
Onto today’s headlines.
- Fight Report: McCullough KO’s Crunkilton at WEC 30
- The Houston Chronicle: McCullough slices through Crunkilton at WEC 30
- Dave Doyle: Chase Beebe, Rob McCullough wins highlight WEC 30
- Sportsnet (Canada): John Alessio gets it done versus Brito
- The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner (Alaska): North Pole’s Scott McAfee suffers loss in MMA event at WEC
- Fightlinker: One woman does not a division make
- Jordan Breen: A Smack in the Face
- The Arizona Republic: Fight girls – frenzied female fans punch up ultimate fighting’s popularity
- Gryphon: K-1 cannot allow Yoshihiro Akiyama to come back?
- Bloody Elbow: Terry Martin takes on the Chicago Machine
- MMA Weekly: Zac George talks Steele Cage title win
- The UNLV Rebel Yell (NV): IFO crowns new champions – Richard Steele’s promotion continues to usurp from UFC
- UFC Junkie: Michael Bisping discusses UFC 75
- WEC HP: Versus announces extension of partnership with WEC
- The Broward-Palm Beach New Times (FL): Mixed and Matched – see asses beaten at Warriors Collide II
- The Clitheroe Advertiser (UK): ‘Count’ out to settle score
- The Daily Star (UK): Docs in a Cage Rage
- The East London Advertiser (UK): Cage Rage – Brad Pickett lines up to be a real star
- The Gillette News Record (Wyoming): Injured Ringwars MMA competitor Josh Hungerford expected home later this week
- The Press-Register (Alabama): Randall “Kid” Yonker returns to ring for cage match
- The Sarasota Herald Tribune (FL): Sarasota MMA organization announces expansion
- The San Diego Union-Tribune: Getting his kicks – a versatile all-around fighter, KJ Noons wants to make his mark in boxing ring
- CBS Sportsline: Interview with UFC Lightweight Kenny Florian
- The Long Beach Press-Telegram: Rich Crunkilton finally gets message
Topics: Japan, Media, MMA, PRIDE, Pro Elite, UFC, UK, WEC, Zach Arnold | 60 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
That’s not true. Not even remotely. Making such an assumption implies that you have a personal feeling about this (likely that Dana hates Rampage and all PRIDE refugees) and are not open to reason. Fine. State that.
Not at all – I’ve clearly documented numerous occasions where this has occurred. It’s neither personal feeling nor opinion…its cold hard fact.
You and I aren’t going to agree on this…so there’s no point continuing the argument.
You love Dana and there’s nothing I can say to change that…sorry bro.
“Because maybe the network that televises UFC and makes money off the ad revenue from their programming wants a recognizable talent on the show? One that’s guaranteed to draw viewers? I assume you considered this as a possibility, right?”
Because they argued in the past about not allowing the UFC’s LHW champ (there most competitive and recognizable division) to be one of the coaches?
Because they never let the UFC name carry the show and let the coaches feud brew?
You’re soooo smart…clearly no one can match your amazing thinking abilities…
The rest of your arguments are awful at best….I’m pretty sure a HL reel finish like powerbombing Arona would sell better than any L’n’P decision by Hughes, or Liddell punching out a fat 185’er…
And to argue that the horrific editing of the PRIDE FSN and lack of consistent exposure would make no difference is a fucking laugh….keep telling yourself that bro 🙂
Its the US – presentation is 95% of the package son.
Are you actually complaining about putting aside some time to watch a free MMa event on a Saturday night?
Ever heard of the great invention called Tivo? I hear it’s starting to catch on.
Anyway….that’s just silly. If you’re a fan of the sport….then you can make time for something like this.
The bias in ZA’s articles is getting childish….along the same lines of Josh Gross and Fightsport –
Not at all – I’ve clearly documented numerous occasions where this has occurred. It’s neither personal feeling nor opinion…its cold hard fact.
You and I aren’t going to agree on this…so there’s no point continuing the argument.
You love Dana and there’s nothing I can say to change that…sorry bro.
Oooh! Ad hominems! Fun times.
The rest of your arguments are awful at best….I’m pretty sure a HL reel finish like powerbombing Arona would sell better than any L’n’P decision by Hughes, or Liddell punching out a fat 185?er…
How is it going to sell better? Its pro fighting. FIGHTING. Not wrestling. A real sport. You can’t guarantee to people that Quinton Jackson will win via powerbomb. You can’t even guarantee he’ll win. Nobody is buying PPVs on the basis of taped fights. No one anywhere. And nobody buys replays of UFC events in any sizeable enough amount that the way someone finishes a fight is going to make them spend $40 to see it again (or $50 in HD).
(BTW, I find it really hilarious that you use Hughes as a comparison, given that he won the 170lb belt the first time WITH A HIGHLIGHT REEL POWER BOMB.)
And to argue that the horrific editing of the PRIDE FSN and lack of consistent exposure would make no difference is a fucking laugh….keep telling yourself that bro
Its the US – presentation is 95% of the package son.
lol. If you’re that committed to the viewpoint that the key for UFC has been their replay shows, so be it. One has to wonder why boxing hasn’t taken off via replays of bouts on ESPN Classic. Was Ike Ibeabuchi/David Tua significantly less interesting than Ricco/Couture? This is something to ponder.
Not at all – I’ve clearly documented numerous occasions where this has occurred. It’s neither personal feeling nor opinion…its cold hard fact.
You and I aren’t going to agree on this…so there’s no point continuing the argument.
You love Dana and there’s nothing I can say to change that…sorry bro.
Oooh! Ad hominems! Fun.
The rest of your arguments are awful at best….I’m pretty sure a HL reel finish like powerbombing Arona would sell better than any L’n’P decision by Hughes, or Liddell punching out a fat 185?er…
How is it going to sell better? Its pro fighting. FIGHTING. Not wrestling. A real sport. You can’t guarantee to people that Quinton Jackson will win via powerbomb. You can’t even guarantee he’ll win. Nobody is buying PPVs on the basis of taped fights. No one is buying replays based on the method of victory. This is stupid.
(BTW, I find it really hilarious that you use Hughes as a comparison, given that he won the 170lb belt the first time WITH A POWER BOMB.)
And to argue that the horrific editing of the PRIDE FSN and lack of consistent exposure would make no difference is a fucking laugh….keep telling yourself that bro
Its the US – presentation is 95% of the package son.
lol. If you’re that committed to the viewpoint that the key for UFC has been their replay shows, so be it. One has to wonder why boxing hasn’t taken off via replays of bouts on ESPN Classic. Was Ike Ibeabuchi/David Tua significantly less interesting than Ricco/Couture? This is something to ponder.
Not at all – I’ve clearly documented numerous occasions where this has occurred. It’s neither personal feeling nor opinion…its cold hard fact.
You and I aren’t going to agree on this…so there’s no point continuing the argument.
You love Dana and there’s nothing I can say to change that…sorry bro.
Oooh! Ad hominems! Fun.
The rest of your arguments are awful at best….I’m pretty sure a HL reel finish like powerbombing Arona would sell better than any L’n’P decision by Hughes, or Liddell punching out a fat 185?er…
How is it going to sell better? Its pro fighting. FIGHTING. Not wrestling. A real sport. You can’t guarantee to people that Quinton Jackson will win via powerbomb. You can’t even guarantee he’ll win. Nobody is buying PPVs on the basis of taped fights. No one is buying replays based on the method of victory. This is stupid.
(BTW, I find it really hilarious that you use Hughes as a comparison, given that he won the 170lb belt the first time WITH A POWER BOMB.)
And to argue that the horrific editing of the PRIDE FSN and lack of consistent exposure would make no difference is a fucking laugh….keep telling yourself that bro
Its the US – presentation is 95% of the package son.
lol. If you’re that committed to the viewpoint that the key for UFC has been their replay shows, so be it. One has to wonder why boxing hasn’t taken off via replays of bouts on ESPN Classic. Was Ike Ibeabuchi/David Tua significantly less interesting than Ricco/Couture? This is something to ponder.
Oooh! Ad hominems! Fun.
“Making such an assumption implies that you have a personal feeling about this (likely that Dana hates Rampage and all PRIDE refugees) and are not open to reason. Fine. State that.”
Don’t like the fit of the shoe on the other foot? Ouch-y 🙁
“How is it going to sell better? Its pro fighting. FIGHTING. Not wrestling. A real sport. You can’t guarantee to people that Quinton Jackson will win via powerbomb. You can’t even guarantee he’ll win. Nobody is buying PPVs on the basis of taped fights. No one is buying replays based on the method of victory. This is stupid.
(BTW, I find it really hilarious that you use Hughes as a comparison, given that he won the 170lb belt the first time WITH A POWER BOMB.)”
No one said anyone is “guaranteeing” anything, but I guess this entire concept of “promoting” people and having the resources available to do so but not using them, is of course beyond you.
Nice that you can bring up 1 time Hughes did something 10 years ago, “hilarious” that you could fill a whole show on fights featuring Rampage finishing guys with devastating slams. (I can hear the japanese girls giggling at the hilarity)
“lol. If you’re that committed to the viewpoint that the key for UFC has been their replay shows, so be it.”
Obviously it doesn’t fit the way you see things, thus its not a good point. I like that you changed my argument for me, so that you could then break it down…thats some nice work.
NO ONE IS ARGUING THEY SHOULD BE DOING RECAP SHOWS.
*Rolls eyes* There’s no point of trying to “debate” things here. You’re so clearly out of touch with the argument and in love with your point of view that you’re shaping things I’m saying into things they are not so you can easily dismiss them (i.e. “replay shows are the key to UFC’s success”) – nice strawman bowling son. 😉
Please return your head to your ass, you’re clearly more comfortable there.
Don’t like the fit of the shoe on the other foot? Ouch-y
If that’s the method which we’ll be arguing, then so be it.
No one said anyone is “guaranteeing” anything, but I guess this entire concept of “promoting” people and having the resources available to do so but not using them, is of course beyond you.
They had no confidence yet built in Rampage. They might have a little more…assuming he never fights Silva or Shogun. Considering both are under contract, well, what do you think their ultimate plan with Rampage will be? You think throwing millions into a guy who has his anathema carted over along with him is a good idea. I think they might be a little smarter than you.
Nice that you can bring up 1 time Hughes did something 10 years ago, “hilarious” that you could fill a whole show on fights featuring Rampage finishing guys with devastating slams. (I can hear the japanese girls giggling at the hilarity)
You can? Because I can’t, because I live in America, the nation that never saw nor cares about Rampage dropping lousy kickboxers on their skulls. But hey, who am I to argue to the guy who thinks Arona/Rampage or Rampage/Vovchanchin is significantly more recent than Hughes/Newton, so why bother?
Obviously it doesn’t fit the way you see things, thus its not a good point. I like that you changed my argument for me, so that you could then break it down…thats some nice work.
What other argument is there? Are they going to force Rampage interviews on the big 4 networks and CNN?
NO ONE IS ARGUING THEY SHOULD BE DOING RECAP SHOWS.
But watching Rampage power bomb people 6 years ago in PRIDE is what can build him the audience, isn’t it? So what is your point?
*Rolls eyes* There’s no point of trying to “debate” things here. You’re so clearly out of touch with the argument and in love with your point of view that you’re shaping things I’m saying into things they are not so you can easily dismiss them (i.e. “replay shows are the key to UFC’s success”) – nice strawman bowling son.
You’re the one arguing they replay his old fights and that it would build an audience. So, how are they going to do that? I think it would be called a “replay show”. Or are you saying he should rematch Alexander Otsuka?
Please return your head to your ass, you’re clearly more comfortable there.
PRIDE~! ICHIBAN~! FIGHTING SPIRIT~!
So much for this entire article seeing how UFC 75 is not the ratings leader for MMa in America….lol…