Why has UFC had so many problems with corporate sponsors?
By Zach Arnold | March 23, 2009
A company that clearly dominates it sector in the sport of MMA has had a volatile record over the past several years with corporate sponsors. From the whole Xyience debacle, to Amp’d Mobile going out to business, to Mickey’s (the official malt liquor of UFC, at one time anyways), to Affliction which has led to the war between the two camps, and to now having problems with Full Tilt Poker.
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 11 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Video: Anderson Silva interview about upcoming UFC 97 fight
By Zach Arnold | March 23, 2009
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | No Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
The value of Gina Carano
By Zach Arnold | March 22, 2009
Sam Caplan says she’s worth $100,000USD a fight. He uses the examples of the paychecks UFC gave to Brandon Vera and Fabricio Werdum to support this opinion.
Two wrongs don’t make a right.
The market will support whatever promoters feel fit Gina is worth. Dana White is not interested in women’s MMA, so the value of Gina in the marketplace automatically goes down.
So, the next question to ask — is Gina worth $100,000USD per fight for Strikeforce or Affliction? How do you determine her value? For starters, can she sell $100,000USD worth of tickets or PPV buys for a promoter? Nobody knows. She certainly has mainstream star crossover appeal, but that doesn’t mean that she can attract the big money as a fighter.
Then there is this argument:
If ProElite was willing to pay Antonio Silva $200,000 and Kimbo Slice at least $500,000 for his last fight, then Gina should be worth 100K.
There’s a reason why Pro Elite lost $55M USD in under two years. This had something to do with it. Telling promoters to pay Gina $100k a fight because others did and are out of business is purely an emotional, not logical business argument at this point. Gina needs the exposure more than Strikeforce needs the exposure in terms of generating revenue as a fighter in-and-out of the ring. Showtime and CBS is a platform for her to do it on. If Strikeforce can give her that platform and she can make ancillary revenue from it, why should they pay her $100k per fight? Doesn’t mean that I don’t enjoy watching her fight or that I don’t think she’s a star — but put yourself in the shoes of a promoter right now trying to compete in a UFC-dominated marketplace where everyone is basically losing their ass financially.
The reality of women’s MMA right now is that until Dana White is willing to make an investment in it, it’s going to be a very steep, uphill climb for the girls in the MMA industry to get paid on a big scale outside of Zuffa.
Topics: Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 43 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Brock Lesnar appreciation day
By Zach Arnold | March 22, 2009
I wrote this article last night and I noticed this morning on the site here some similar feelings being echoed. Great minds think alike, or something:
What Lashley’s struggles last night should highlight, in the big picture, is just how talented Brock Lesnar is. Lesnar and Lashley both have decorated amateur backgrounds and both men train with great camps (Lesnar training with Greg Nelson and Erik Paulson, Lashley at ATT). The difference is that Lesnar has some intangibles that you can’t teach and he also has the physical size and power that is ruthless in the cage. There are a lot of Lesnar haters out there who don’t believe in his stock and think that he’s ready to be picked apart by Frank Mir in July. I’m not so sure about that. Mir’s fight style may be kryptonite to Lesnar’s skill set, but Brock is a fast learner and has some of the best training in the world. Plus, consider how much time he has had to train recently — the delay of two extra months should make Lesnar that much more dangerous of a fighter. If Lesnar can’t make Mir mentally break, then he will probably make him physically break down in the cage.
As for the actual main theme of that article I wrote (and linked up above), the same veteran promoter I quoted in the article said that outside of UFC, he thinks MMA has ‘one foot in the grave’ as far as business is concerned.
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 20 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
PR: Gabriel Gonzaga launches new web site for streaming live fights
By Zach Arnold | March 22, 2009
Start of press release
New England, March 19, 2009: UFC Heavy-Weight fighter Gabriel “Napao” Gonzaga has launched a new web site focused on streaming live fights straight to the home.
WWW.FIGHT-STREAM.COM will show live fights from throughout New England…these fights will include MMA, Boxing, Grappling tournaments, etc… These fights will originate throughout the East Coast, and be streamed over the internet straight to the home. Most fights will cost fewer than Ten Dollars, and can be purchased right on the site.
To accomplish this Napao has formed a team that consists of MMA and live TV Sports professionals, that combined have more then 50 years of experience. Through the use of the right people and the right equipment Napao says, “I hope to raise the production value of current internet fights, while providing an outlet for young up-and-coming fighters.”
Fight-Stream will debut their service on Friday March 27, 2009 with the National Amateur Fight League and their “Madness in March” competition, live from the Hu Ke Lau in Chicopee, Massachusetts.
Topics: Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 1 Comment » | Permalink | Trackback |
Water cooler talk for March Madness ’09 weekend
By Zach Arnold | March 20, 2009
Here’s what you might be reading about today and discussing amongst fellow friends who follow MMA:
Sherdog: BJ Penn, attorney vow to fight on
“As an attorney, it’s about fact-finding,” he said. “As a commission member, as an executive director, you would think that his purpose is a fact-finding mission to obtain all the facts, all the evidence and to make an educated legal judgment upon the commission as to your determination. Do I feel he did that? Not at all.”
The Canadian Press: BJ Penn’s camp will not give up
“Not at all. This is just the beginning for our side,” Raffi Nahabedian, Penn’s lawyer, told The Canadian Press.
“And I think that other commissions that are going to be watching this or reading about this are going to be, in my opinion, appalled at the almost lackadaisical attitude taken by (Nevada commission executive director Keith Kizer) Mr. Kizer.”
Matt Serra’s opinion-editorial in today’s New York Newsday: Fighting for MMA in New York
The students at my schools understand that mixed martial arts is a sport based on respect, strategy and skill. That’s also the view held by the leadership of the UFC. Zuffa, the company that bought UFC in 2001, has reinvented the league by instituting strict safety standards to protect its athletes.
Not the Zuffa myth again…
New York Daily News (Tim Smith): Roy Jones Jr. tried to match boxing with MMA in hometown show
This is a marriage that is doomed from the start. It just won’t work. The two sports are completely different. And the fans are completely different because they have different expectations of what their sport is supposed to deliver.
Michael David Smith: An interview with WEC boss Peter Dropick
‘Putting a show on pay-per-view is one of our goals, and it’s a necessity. We’re still going to deliver quality fight cards on Versus. We think we’re very deep, across all our weight classes and we put on some of the most exciting fights out there. We need more fights. Our fighters are starting to get backed up a little bit and we need to get them more fights. So our matchmakers would love it if we did two shows in a row, and we think there’s enough talent for Versus to be happy and for us to do a good show on pay-per-view.’
The Associated Press: Bill seeks regulation of MMA in the state of Maine
Williams, however, called the activity “bloody, brutal and potentially deadly.” He asked the committee to shun “the type of vicious events that are contemplated in the bill.”
Williams, saying “I appear to be the underdog today” as the only opponent to speak, added that the department has no expertise in regulating sports, and raised concern that the bill includes no protections for children or criteria for referees.
The Portland Press Herald (Maine): Barbaric to be sure, but a sport
There’s room under sport’s big tent for mixed martial arts. It has its rules, its code of conduct and, surprise, its respect for each other.
You would have to watch and listen to understand.
Metro Vancouver: Council set to debate cage fighting next week in Vancouver
In the report, the Vancouver Police Department warns that banning MMA outright could result in more underground events with no “controlling force” in place to monitor them.
Setanta Sports (UK): The death of jiu-jitsu in UFC?
Jiu Jitsu’s influence in The Octagon, despite the lack of its most potent techniques (submissions), is still strong if not stronger than ever. Before we herald its death we should note that three of the five UFC champions are Jiu Jitsu Black Belts. Anderson Silva, George St. Pierre and BJ Penn each hold the fabled rank and the respective straps at their weight. Does a Muay Thai machine like Silva need it? When he beat Nate Marquardt and Travis Lutter it certainly didn’t work against him!
Topics: Boxing, Media, MMA, UFC, WEC, Zach Arnold | 27 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
ESPN: Floyd Mayweather vs. UFC 100 head-to-head on 7/11?
By Zach Arnold | March 19, 2009
Floyd Mayweather Jr. reportedly wants to return to boxing on HBO’s July 11th broadcast. UFC 100 with Mir vs. Lesnar II and GSP vs. Alves on PPV versus Mayweather on HBO… and Affliction reportedly wants to run on this same? Suicidal.
What would happen if HBO ran Mayweather’s return on PPV? Dualing PPVs? Thomas Hauser has more details on the bargaining unfolding between Mayweather and his advisor(s).
Is a fight between Mayweather and Shane Mosley in the works? Tim Starks further pontificates.
Topics: Boxing, Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 41 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Questions of the day – Drug-related MMA suspensions
By Zach Arnold | March 18, 2009
Put yourself in the shoes of Keith Kizer. You, in this hypothetical scenario, run the Nevada State Athletic Commission. You have three fighters fail drug tests – one for pain killers, one for marijuana, and one for anabolic steroids.
- Do you fine each fighter the same amount of money for failing the drug test? If you propose different fines for each offense, what is your benchmark and judging criteria?
Example: Ken Shamrock was fined $2,500 by the California State AthletiC Commission for failing a drug test, while Karo Parisyan was fined over $30,000 for failing a Nevada State Athletic Commission drug test for pain killers.
- Do you suspend each fighter for the same period of time or do you have different suspension timelines for each case based on the drug the fighter is accused of taking?
- Should the legality or illegality of a substance taken by a fighter that resulted in the failed drug test have any sort of mitigating factor in terms of the punishment issued to the fighter?
Extra round of questions: Give me an estimation of what percentage of MMA fighters use the following substances – a) marijuana, b) pain killers, c) steroids/growth hormone. Give me a % estimate for each drug. (E.G. 50% use marijuana, 60% use pain killers, 60% use steroids/growth hormone.) I want to see what the feeling is amongst dedicated MMA fans in regards to drug usage in the sport right now.
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 41 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
My view on Keith Kizer as NSAC boss so far…
By Zach Arnold | March 17, 2009
It’s never easy when you’re the head of a State Athletic Commission because you get as much heat as referees do in the fight game. However, with great power comes great responsibility.
So far, the verdict on Keith Kizer (in my mind & my opinion), is the following:
- When something concrete needs to be changed or enforced and there’s hard evidence, action is taken place.
- When there’s controversy, don’t expect anything to be focused on other than PR issues.
- When someone asks for an intensive investigation into an matter, don’t expect much to happen.
My opinions up above are influenced by the following matters:
- The NSAC talked about implementing a drug policy for fighters that would take place outside of when fighters were going to fight (as opposed to normal drug testing the day of a show). When Ivan Trembow highlighted the news that the NSAC had postponed or stopped this new drug testing program, there was nary a peep out of anyone about it or a real detailed explanation as to why this happened.
- When the Antonio Margarito hand-wrapping debacle happened in California (where he got busted for an illegal substance on the hand-wraps prior to his fight with Shane Mosley at the Staples Center in LA), the NY Post and a couple of other media outlets started questioning whether or not the NSAC would investigate past Margarito bouts in the state to determine if Margarito had been using the same tactic in previous fights. Kizer’s response to the NY Post was a simple “we’re confident nothing happened” in regards to Margarito’s fight against Miguel Cotto. How was he so confident that nothing took place without conducting an investigation?
- When the St. Pierre/Penn vaseline issue rose to the media surface, certainly nobody expected that the fight result would be overturned to a no-contest. (For background information on the vaseline scandal, read this article). As Fightlinker noted before the NSAC meeting on Tuesday in regards to a verdict on the Penn appeal, nobody expected the commission to do much about the situation. As Sherdog reported, there doesn’t appear to be any disciplinary measures coming against any of St. Pierre’s cornermen for the vaseline usage in-between rounds.
I’ll give Keith Kizer credit for being consistently… consistent.
Topics: Boxing, Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 9 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Jenna Jameson gave birth to twin boys on Monday
By Zach Arnold | March 17, 2009
I could have lead today’s morning update with this story in The Nassau Guardian newspaper which quotes Kimbo Slice as saying that he will officially become a boxer.
Or I could link to headlines across every world newspaper talking about Jenna Jameson & Tito Ortiz becoming new parents to twin boys. Congratulations are definitely in order to the new family.
Don’t worry — I’ve saved the hard-hitting news items like vaseline usage in MMA for later tonight. You know you want to read more about it.
Topics: Boxing, Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 37 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
A question for legal eagles…
By Zach Arnold | March 16, 2009
… regarding this MMA Payout item on UFC wanting a cut of all sponsorship money fighters make and determining who gets to sponsor whom…
- How much of this would hold up in a court battle if a big sponsor wanted to fight UFC over the right to sponsor a certain fighter?
- Could a fighter represented by a big agency be able to fight UFC on this?
- What is the lifespan of UFC’s control over a fighter’s sponsors? Life of the contract or in perpertuity?
- Does the fact that UFC hire fighters as independent contractors put them on shakier ground in a court battle as opposed to if those fighters were treated contractually like employees?
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 22 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Press Release: THQ Announces UFC® 2009 Undisputed Cover Athletes
By Zach Arnold | March 16, 2009
Ultimate Fighting Championship® Former Light Heavyweight Champion Forrest Griffin and Current Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre Tapped as Faces of the Highly Anticipated Videogame
AGOURA HILLS, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–THQ Inc. (NASDAQ: THQI) and Zuffa, LLC today announced that fan-favorite and former UFC® Light Heavyweight Champion Forrest Griffin will grace the worldwide cover of the upcoming UFC® 2009 Undisputed videogame. Griffin, a prominent fighter with solid striking skills, earned his initial UFC contract in 2005 after winning the first season of Spike TV’s “The Ultimate Fighter®” reality show.
In addition, a special cover of the game will be made available in Canada featuring current UFC® Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre. Recognized for his tremendous athleticism and strengths in several mixed martial arts disciplines, St-Pierre is a Quebec native who recently received the prestigious “Canadian Athlete of the Year” award for 2008. UFC 2009 Undisputed is scheduled for release on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, as well as the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, on May 19, 2009.
“We are honored to have Forrest Griffin and Georges St-Pierre as our cover athletes for UFC 2009 Undisputed,” said Scott Guthrie, executive vice president, publishing, THQ. “Both fighters are proven champions and great ambassadors for the sport of mixed martial arts.”
“Forrest Griffin and Georges St-Pierre helped elevate UFC to the place we are today,” said Dana White, president, UFC. “We are confident that these two fighters’ many strengths both inside and outside the Octagon™ will have the same effect on UFC 2009 Undisputed as we prepare for the game’s worldwide launch on May 19.”
Continue reading this article here…
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 2 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Odds and ends: March 15th, 2009
By Zach Arnold | March 15, 2009
The London Times has a long article talking about UFC’s worldwide expansion plans. I feel contractually obligated to point out that, yes, the Zuffa Myth about the Unified Rules is in full effect here. The end.
Roy Nelson wants you to get interested in his upcoming fight against Jeff Monson. Interested?
Actor Tom Hardy is preparing for a new movie role as an MMA fighter, with production starting this July.
Dan Severn’s son, David Severn, just won a state amateur wrestling title in Michigan.
Rickson Gracie was in the Nashville area this week to do an open seminar.
Dana White is not happy with referee Steve Mazzagatti. Is the heat Mazzagatti receiving fair or unfair?
Boxer Enzo Maccarinelli would have went to MMA if he had been offered, but read Mark Pickering’s article for the caveat.
Topics: Boxing, Media, MMA, UFC, UK, Zach Arnold | 16 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |