A Moment of Reflection & A Brief Look into the Future

Those of us fight fanatics out there that live and breathe this sport, just think about how much it has evolved since the bare knuckle days of the early UFC. That was a rare time in which you would ever see a 430 pound sumo wrestler, Teila Tuli, fight a 216 pound Savate & Kyokushin Karate expert, Gerard Gordeau (UFC 1, 1993). As much as the Gracie philosophy disagrees with the added rules, and elimination of the competition in which opponents fight until there is only one man left, “The Ultimate Fighter,” it was the only way for the sport to survive in the United States. In addition, as incredibly bad ass as these days were, it just isn’t good for business. It also shortens the fighter’s career substantially, when you consider the aftermath of fighting multiple times in one night versus fighting once every three to five months.

The success of The Ultimate Fighter show was ultimately what saved the UFC from utter extinction. It gave the viewers an opportunity to observe these guys in a different light. Sure, you have your maniacs like Chris Leben, (who we love anyway) but than you have someone like Kenny Florian, who has embraced the traditional, martial arts spirit. The differences in the personalities of this group were like night and day. Making a uniform judgment about what a fighter is supposed to be or act like becomes stupid and ignorant. They are all unique in their own way. The only standard assessment that I will make is that they are all warriors.

What’s Ahead for The UFC?


As the popularity of this sport keeps increasing, and the UFC, being the industries top dog, how far can all of this really go? I know I would love to see these MMA fighters making the kind of money that football players make. However, a couple of things must happen first. Many will argue that the only way this sport will ever reach its true potential is if it does not make the same mistake as boxing, meaning it needs one individually recognized sanctioning body. Obviously, UFC has proven more than any other MMA organization that they are equipped to do it. Their biggest competitor right now is Affliction, which has promoted only 1 event so far, “Affliction: Banned.” They do have the financial backing of Donald Trump, though White and the Lorenzo’s have not hesitated to fight back. They aired a special, free event on the same date (July 19, 2008) to counter their new competitor. A couple of posts ago, I mentioned Fedor Emelianenko’s affiliation with Affliction, who is believed by many to be the toughest heavyweight MMA fighter in the world. Though, I won’t deny that strong possibility, overall; UFC is still MMA’s fearless leader.

The Man Behind The Scenes: Lorenzo Fertitta

The billionaire Lorenzo Fertitta, as well as majority owner of the UFC, steps out of the shadow to do an interview with Atlantic Magazine. It was very interesting to hear from the man behind the scenes for a change. He discusses his business model, which he calls “The UFC Wheel.” In the center he explains, is the pay per view feature. The DVD’s, Video On Demand platforms, syndicated events for television (UFC Wired & UFC Unleashed), etc. are all of the connecting spokes that "spin off" the PPV event. It’s amazing how much additional money is made, well after the actual fight.

Mr. Fertitta went on to explain the levels of effort that it takes to make all of this happen. Rather than repeat exactly how this billionaire runs his business, I’ll just mention briefly what I believe is the main point:

Instead of a bunch of “suits” running the UFC, you have guys that actually train mixed martial arts. Have you ever taken a look at Dana and the Fertitta’s faces, while they are watching a fight? Well I have, and I say with full confidence that their love for the sport is the real thing. These guys live and breathe MMA. Having that driving passion is why they are so heavily involved in every decision within their organization. Lorenzo emphasizes that all the marketing is done in-house, meaning that they know what is best for their product. They know exactly how to position the UFC in a way that leaves fight fans pumped for more action because they even want the same thing themselves. Therefore, success and passion go hand in hand.

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200811u/lorenzo-fertitta

UFC Making International Moves

Dana White has said several times throughout the past five or so years that he plans to expand his business into Europe. As of now, it is just England that has got to experience the UFC in their home country. The last live event, Chris Leben vs. Michael Bisping, (UFC 89) was aired on October 18, 2008 in Birmingham, England. According to MMAJunkie.com, the event had 3.4 million viewers, and the gate drew $1.2 million.

Next order of business for Mr. White: Germany. On June 13, UFC 99 will be held in this uncharted country at the Lanxess Arena in Cologne. The arena can fit up to 20,000 attendants. There has been no word as of yet though, who will headline this special night. There has been some talking however, that UFC stars; Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture, will be fighting on that card. It obviously makes sense to feature two of the most popular names in the sport, as the UFC begins to tap into a completely new country. It is always exciting when Chuck Liddell enters that cage, with his superhuman knockout power in both hands. Even still, with his past couple of unfortunate losses, he is still the guy fight fans will pay big money to see. And of course, the Hall of Famer-Randy Couture may very well have the most loyal fans of all MMA fighters in the game. Dana White and the “match-maker,” Joe Silva would be making an excellent move putting these two infamous warriors on the fight card.

http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/ufc-99-storms-germany-15288
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/mma/10/19/ufc.89/index.html

Dana White's Business Strategy From A Different Perspective

Since Dana White and the Fertitta brothers bought UFC, there has been one consistent business strategy: They DO NOT share what is theirs. In other words, the UFC fighter contract permits the employee from fighting for any other organization. As a result, Dana White has been cursed and criticized endlessly. As much as his competition, as well as his fighters continue to bitch, that is not going to change. Their is a reason he has the largest MMA organization in the world, and this is part of how he does things.

This strategy is part of what makes Mr. White so successful, but it also limits him. One of the most affective ways in which he positions the UFC, is that it has the most talented fighters in the world. While this is likely to be true overall, many argue that they are missing the greatest fighter of all time, Fedor Emelianenko (AKA, The Last Emperor.) Fedor is the the current World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts Heavyweight Champion and is also a free agent. Though, Dana White has tried to get his hands on him earlier this year to fight Randy Couture, he was unable to come to an agreement with Fedor's management. Now that Couture lost to Brock Lesnar last week at UFC 91, that fight becomes less likely to ever happen. Furthermore, even if the UFC has the majority of the top fighters in the world, they are still missing Fedor from the equation. At the moment, this will not undermine the mainstream image of the UFC, being that he hasn't fought much in the United Sates. However, Fedor's last fight was at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, where he destroyed former Heavyweight UFC Champion, Tim Sylvia in 36 seconds. That should have raised a certain amount of heads. If not, he is also fighting another former Heavyweight Champion of the UFC, Andre Arlovski, at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas on January 24Th.

Fedor Emelianenko vs. Tim Sylvia (Promoted by Affliction)

http://www.ivansblog.com/2008/11/fear-intimidation-and-making-examples.html

Most Deserved Knockout Bonus: The Superman Punch of '08

Light Heavyweight, James Irvin (AKA: The Sandman) tied the UFC record for the quickest knockout ever, earlier on this year. It took all of 8 seconds for him to take out his heavy handed opponent, Houston Alexander. A bonus of $20,000 was awarded to Irvin for delivering not only the quickest, but also one of the most fashionable knockouts ever. Fights like this are why Mixed Martial Arts is the fastest evolving sport. It was the Superman punch that did it.

Superman Punch - A traditional Muay Thai move in which the fighter fakes a kick to the leg and leaps forward with a punch.



imgurl=http://mmajunkie.com/dyn/images/fighters/james-irvin-houston-alexander.jpg&imgrefurl=http://mmajunkie.com/

UFC Toy Figurines Are Ready For Round 2

Round 5 MMA, a new toy company, released their first line of UFC fighter figurines ealier this year. The remarkable thing is that big names like Toys R' Us and K.B. Toys have actually picked these items up. This is another clear indication of how massive this sport of Mixed Martial Arts is becoming. Ofcoarse, Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture, was one of the first figurines produced. (Couture Vs. Lesnar, this Saturday on PPV). The 2nd tier of UFC fighters will include: Sean Sherk, Anderson Silva, Rich Franklin, and Wanderlei Silva.

http://mmapayout.com/2008/11/industry-spotlight-round-5-mma/

UFC Fighter: Chris Leben Tests Positive For Steroids

On November 3rd, the Press got the news of Chris Leben's positive test results for an anabolic agent, Stanozolol. This was briefly after UFC 89 in England, Bisping Vs. Leben. Leben has built a huge name for himself over the past few years in the world of Mixed Martial Arts. He is from the Season 1 cast of The Ultimate Fighter, which aired in 2004. His success came from being a likable menace, in and out of the Octagon. From peeing on his roommate's bed in TUF 1, to knocking people out in the cage with his wild hay-makers, he became a well known guy.
However, Dana White did not let Leben go with a slap on the wrist this time. He suspended the fighter for nine months. Surprisingly, Chris did not pursue the issue, and accepted his fate: "I apologize to the UFC and everyone who supported me in my fight in England. I hope to work through this and get back to fighting soon."
On a more positive note though, this is a huge indication that the UFC is serious about testing it's fighters and adhering to the rules. It is actually a good Public Relations stunt. At a time when UFC lobbyists are fighting to get legislation passed to legalize MMA in the state of New York, it is important for the UFC to conduct itself in the most ethical manner.

http://www.ufc.com/index.cfm?fa=news.detail&gid=15599