MMA Universe

Props: Tapology.com

Quoteworthy:

"I’m a little frustrated. I thought [Cung and I] were friends, but I kind of lost respect for him when he decided not to fight me and hand picked his [next] opponent. I expected it from him, honestly, because people for years were telling me that Cung Le was that way and would never fight with me, so he showed his true colors ... We have trained together and we both know what would happen, so I guess he would just prefer to give up his belt and pick fighters that he matches up well with. For a guy like me it’s hard to understand, because I try to test myself against the best."

Newly crowned Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Jake Shields slams Cung Le for his decision to vacate the 185-pound title and agree to fight Scott Smith at "Evolution" on Dec. 19 rather than defend it against the surging jiu-jitsu phenom. Shields bested Jason "Mayhem" Miller in a five round unanimous decision victory to lay claim to the belt that Le vacated just last month. The San Shou disciple contends that he was not expecting to be available to fight so soon, but his current acting gig was delayed when the movie he was filming got pushed back a year, thus freeing him up for a return to Strikeforce against Scott Smith. Is Le avoiding the ground game of Shields? Or is this just a case of inconvenient timing?

M-1 Global and Strikeforce announced last week that the worldwide broadcast of Fedor vs. Rogers did record numbers:

AMSTERDAM, HOLLAND (November 24, 2009) – M-1 Global and Strikeforce announced today that the international audience reports from broadcasters all over the world revealed an unprecedented number of viewers for the November 7th “Fedor vs. Rogers” MMA event from Chicago, Illinois.

 

“We are extremely happy with the preliminary broadcast reports,” said M-1 Global CEO Joost Raimond. “The demographics of these numbers were very promising as our network broadcasting partners in the U.S., Russia, and Korea reach an enormous audience alone. Coupled with a dozen other countries and our successful internet stream in Japan and other territories, all early accounts and indications tell us that “Fedor vs. Rogers” delivered worldwide more than any other MMA show in the history of the sport,” concluded Raimond.

 

Scott Coker, founder and owner of Strikeforce and experienced MMA promoter responded “We are thrilled with the tremendous viewership figures that the Fedor vs Rogers event generated overseas. The results clearly demonstrate the appreciation that fans worldwide have for a number of M-1 Global and Strikeforce mixed martial arts superstars including the number one fighter on the planet – Fedor Emelianenko – and his opponent Brett Rogers.”

 

In total, over 25 million MMA fans all around the world were treated to a vintage performance from the world’s greatest MMA fighter, Fedor Emelianenko. The main event of Fedor vs Rogers reached an impressive 5.46 million viewers in the United States on the CBS Network. The fight was also broadcast in Fedor’s native Russia by “Channel 1,” Russia’s largest television network, and reached 16 million viewers in Fedor’s home country. In addition, “Fedor vs. Rogers” was broadcast to millions of viewers in Korea on SBS, one of the 3 major national South Korean networks, as well as television networks in China, Latin America, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Ukraine, Finland, Africa, Turkey, Israel, Indonesia, Bulgaria, Romania, and Malta. Live internet streams of the “Fedor vs. Rogers” bout generated ground-breaking viewer numbers in Japan and all over the world and these numbers continue to grow through Video on Demand.

 

‘”CBS was proud to be the U.S. broadcaster in a fight seen by millions domestically and by millions more around the world,” commented CBS Senior Executive Vice President Kelly Kahl. “Strikeforce and M-1 Global put together a great card, showcasing some of the best fighters in the world. Our ad sales for the fight were strong, especially for advertisers that target young men — a group with a growing appetite for MMA.”

Payout Perspective:

The numbers certainly are impressive, but be careful to note the clever bit of PR spin: Fedor vs. Rogers is not the most watched fight in MMA history, but in terms of global viewership from so many countries it set a ”worldwide” record. Still a very good result for the co-promotion.

Expect a rebuttle of sorts from the UFC – knowing them to be the competitive individuals that they are – regarding their international viewership. Lorenzo Fertitta has stated previously that UFC programming reaches an estimated 400 million people worldwide, and that figure is growing as they continue to lock-up distribution deals. Yet, they’ve never really commented on how well their fights are doing on a worldwide level.

Attention California fighters and part-time potheads: You may be able to dodge Johnny Law with a medical marijuana card -- but don't expect your laminated smoke shield to have any effect on the NARCS over at the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC).

As troubled Strikeforce middleweight Nick Diaz has been finding out, the laws that apply to medicinal marijuana in regards to criminal punishment do not apply to the Commission's duty to prevent a fighter from subjecting himself to a potentially dangerous situation come fight night.

Simply put: The Compassionate Use Act (California Proposition 215) may keep you out of prison, but it doesn't legalize the use of marijuana.

From the CSAC:

"Although the question springs from professional licensing rather than employment, much of the Court's rationale applies. Because the Compassionate Use Act only provides a defense to criminal charges, any argument that the Act would allow an athlete to use the drug without consequences to his or her license must fail. If the Court were to take up a similar challenge to discipline of a licensee, it would likely find that the Commission has a legitimate interest in whether or not an athlete uses the drug because marijuana could slow a fighter's reflexes and endanger his or her health and safety in the ring or the cage. Therefore, given the limited reach of the Compassionate Use Act and the rationale of the Supreme Court in Ross v. RagingWire Telcomm, the Commission may safely discipline an athlete without running afoul of any law or court decision."

From a Commission's perspective, use of marijuana as a medical aid is no different than using prescription pain killers prior to fight. While not necessarily a performance enhancing drug (PED), it may affect a fighter's performance either positively or negatively during a fight and may compromise the safety of the combatant.

What's your stance Maniacs, agree or disagree?

Read the policy in its entirety by clicking here.

The San Francisco Chronicle has the details surrounding the official opening of the first UFC Gym in Concord, California.

The UFC took its most recent step to expand its brand last week with the opening of its first gym in Concord and, while the new venture has certainly appealed to UFC fans eager to train like their favorite athletes, it also seeks to accommodate kids beginning in martial arts and adults who just want to lose a couple of pounds.

 

“This was the natural evolution for our brand. UFC revolutionized traditional martial arts. It’s a perfect fit to us to expand into the fitness area,” said UFC Chairman and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta.

 

The facility’s operators think they can make a strong case. UFC Gym reveals exactly what you would expect to find: music blaring in the background, metal dropping on metal clanging from the weight-lifting machines, and eager instructors on the floor. Even promotional banners feature everyday women breaking a sweat and kids training for martial arts in karate uniforms.

“We’re not looking to train or create fighters. We’re looking to create a fun family environment,” Fertitta said.

(Credit Bloodyelbow.com for the find)

Payout Perspective:

MMAPayout.com has been pretty vocal about the improper use of brand extensions in the past, but the UFC Gym certainly isn’t one of them. The UFC is making use of its core competency – fighting – to educate people about its sport, and promote their own brand in the process. They’re sticking to what they know and what they’re good at.

Judging by the way martial arts fitness has taken off in the past, it’s quite possible that the UFC could leverage their growing position in sports pop culture, and the fitness dimensions of an MMA lifestyle, to really grow these gyms into a prominent revenue stream and marketing tool.

Has the tenth season of the Spike TV reality show saved the best for last? Find out Wednesday night!

After spoiling fans with a free look at select preliminary bouts from some of its previous pay-per-view offerings, the UFC will not air any of the undercard action from the upcoming Dec. 12 "Penn vs. Sanchez" event because the 2009 Video Game Awards (VGA) already lay claim to the 8pm-10pm time slot on Spike TV.

Fans were treated to one hour of uninterrupted mixed martial arts competition just over a week ago when Marcus Davis collided with Ben Saunders in a welterweight showdown and middleweights Kendall Grove and Jake Rosholt got busy on the UFC 106: "Ortiz vs. Griffin 2" undercard back on Nov. 21.

Similar to UFC 103 in Sept. and then UFC 104 in Oct., which both attracted about 1.4 million viewers as the promotion began to test the idea along with its cable television partner, the UFC 106 featured prelim bouts aired commercial-free and garnered a 1.0 household rating for 1.3 million viewers.

"Penn vs. Sanchez" also promises an action-packed undercard -- you'll just have to shell out the requisite clams to see it.

UFC 107 will feature a main event between lightweight division champion, BJ "The Prodigy" Penn, defending his title against number one division contender, Diego "Nightmare" Sanchez, filling in the hole left by "Sugar" Rashad Evans and Quinton Jackson after "Rampage" went Hollywood.

In the co-featured fight of the night, former two-time heavyweight champion Frank Mir will "begin his quest for a third title" when he takes on the hard-hitting Cheick Kongo. In addition, a lightweight showdown between former number one contender Kenny "KenFlo" Florian and Clay "The Carpenter" Guida has also been confirmed.

Remember that MMAmania.com will provide LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the main card action on fight night (Saturday, Dec. 12), which is slated to air at 10 p.m. ET on pay-per-view from the FedEx Forum. The latest quick updates of the live action will begin to flow earlier than that around 8 p.m. ET with the preliminary bouts.

It’s going to be a fun night of fights so don’t miss it. And remember to check us out for all the pre, during and post-fight UFC 107 coverage you can handle.

Fedor’s thrilling knockout victory over Bret Rogers viewed by over 25 million homes.

AMSTERDAM, HOLLAND (November 24, 2009) - M-1 Global and Strikeforce announced today that the international audience reports from broadcasters all over the world revealed an unprecedented number of viewers for the November 7th "Fedor vs. Rogers" MMA event from Chicago, Illinois.  

"We are extremely happy with the preliminary broadcast reports," said M-1 Global CEO Joost Raimond.  "The demographics of these numbers were very promising as our network broadcasting partners in the U.S., Russia, and Korea reach an enormous audience alone.  Coupled with a dozen other countries and our successful internet stream in Japan and other territories, all early accounts and indications tell us that "Fedor vs. Rogers" delivered worldwide more than any other MMA show in the history of the sport," concluded Raimond.

Scott Coker, founder and owner of Strikeforce and experienced MMA promoter responded "We are thrilled with the tremendous viewership figures that the Fedor vs Rogers event generated overseas.  The results clearly demonstrate the appreciation that fans worldwide have for a number of M-1 Global and Strikeforce mixed martial arts superstars including the number one fighter on the planet - Fedor Emelianenko - and his opponent Brett Rogers."

In total, over 25 million MMA fans all around the world were treated to a vintage performance from the world’s greatest MMA fighter, Fedor Emelianenko.  The main event of Fedor vs Rogers reached an impressive 5.46 million viewers in the United States on the CBS Network. The fight was also broadcast in Fedor’s native Russia by "Channel 1," Russia's largest television network, and reached 16 million viewers in Fedor’s home country.  In addition, "Fedor vs. Rogers" was broadcast to millions of viewers in Korea on SBS, one of the 3 major national South Korean networks, as well as television networks in China, Latin America, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Ukraine, Finland, Africa, Turkey, Israel, Indonesia, Bulgaria, Romania, and Malta.   Live internet streams of the "Fedor vs. Rogers" bout generated ground-breaking viewer numbers in Japan and all over the world and these numbers continue to grow through Video on Demand. 

'"CBS was proud to be the U.S. broadcaster in a fight seen by millions domestically and by millions more around the world," commented CBS Senior Executive Vice President Kelly Kahl.  "Strikeforce and M-1 Global put together a great card, showcasing some of the best fighters in the world.  Our ad sales for the fight were strong, especially for advertisers that target young men -- a group with a growing appetite for MMA."

Props: Heavy.com

Quoteworthy:

"Whatever he does and gives me, I’ll take. The biggest advantage is that I’m sparring more, doing more jiu jitsu, wrestling with guys like Rashad Evans who has great boxing and is three times faster than Matt Hamill, and if I can stop Rashad’s shot, that gives me ultra-confidence against a guy like Matt Hamill who is a totally different level of speed. Greg Jackson has a really great strategy for me this fight – a really, really great strategy for this fight – and one thing with Greg is that while he’s teaching me technique and ways of thinking, he still allows me to be myself and he loves my creativity and loves my flow. I’m just smarter than I used to be when it comes to fighting. No disrespect to Hamill, but there is nothing I can see him doing to me that Rashad hasn’t tried or Keith wouldn’t do."

Promising, talented and electrifying light heavyweight prospect Jon Jones talks about the rigors and benefits of training under the Greg Jackson umbrella to help him reach the next level in his career. "Bones" has rattled off three very impressive wins since his Octagon debut back at UFC 87: "Seek and Destroy" last year. So impressive, in fact, that he is now set to headline The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 10 Finale on Spike TV next Saturday (Dec. 5) opposite Matt Hamill. Will the new and improved Jones drop "The Hammer" on Hamill or does he still have a long road ahead before putting a dent in the upper echelon of the 205-pound division?

“It’s a tough fight, Vitor is a dangerous guy, but Anderson is a tough guy, (Vitor) is gonna fight the best pound for pound fighter in the world.”

-- UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva’s manager, Jorge Guimaraes, talks to Tatame.com about the looming 2010 match up between the "Spider" and "Phenom." Silva is currently on the shelf until his elbow fully recovers from recent surgery to remove bone fragments. He was originally expected to face Belfort at UFC 108; however, that date was canceled after the champ failed to regain full range of motion in time to prepare for the Jan. 2 card. When will he return? UFC 109 on Feb. 6 might also be too soon. Only time will tell, but Belfort seems willing to wait ... for now. Check out the video interview with Guimaraes after the jump.

 

The California State Athletic Commission has released its latest positional ruling with regard to how it intends to deal with the use of medical marijuana amongst its licensed fighters:

The California State Athletic Commission’s position is that Marijuana is a banned substance pursuant to Rule 303 and that any positive drug test may result in discipline.

 

The California Supreme Court has weighed in on “Medical Marijuana” in the employment context and has found that an employer may discipline an employee for off-duty medical marijuana use. The court found that the Compassionate Use Act did not legalize marijuana use per se, but merely provided a defense to criminal charges under particular circumstances. The Court acknowledged that marijuana still had a potential for abuse and that employers continued to have a legitimate interest in whether an employee uses the drug. The Court declined to extend the protections of the Compassionate Use Act any further than the plain language of the Act and into the employer-employee relationship.

 

Although the question springs from professional licensing rather than employment, much of the Court’s rationale applies. Because the Compassionate Use Act only provides a defense to criminal charges, any argument that the Act would allow an athlete to use the drug without consequences to his or her license must fail. If the Court were to take up a similar challenge to discipline of a licensee, it would likely find that the Commission has a legitimate interest in whether or not an athlete uses the drug because marijuana could slow a fighter’s reflexes and endanger his or her health and safety in the ring or the cage.

 

Therefore, given the limited reach of the Compassionate Use Act and the rationale of the Supreme Court in Ross v. RagingWire Telcomm, the Commission may safely discipline an athlete without running afoul of any law or court decision.

Payout Perspective:

The Nick Diaz vs. Takanori Gomi fight is probably the case that comes to mind of most when thinking about the issue of marijuana use in MMA. Diaz had his gogoplata victory over Gomi ruled a no contest as the result of his positive test for marijuana and was suspended for six months. He claimed he only used marijuana for medical purposes.

Diaz would later go on to boast that he could beat any drug test with 8 days notice, but was conspicuously absent from his required drug tests for what was supposed to be a welterweight championship fight in Strikeforce in August.

Props: M-1 Global

Quoteworthy:

"[Fedor] is certainly the best heavyweight in the world. But he does have weaknesses. We all do – isn’t that what makes champions great -- they win even with weaknesses? They win even though they can be beat? He is not a machine.... I want to fight soon, and I want to fight Alistair. I’m 100% healthy and took zero damage in the fight; so I’m ready to go right now. As I said Strikeforce is my home; I love Strikeforce and in my opinion Alistair holding the title belt is an insult to every fighter in this organization, every fan and to Scott Coker. Champions defend their titles. And either Scott strips him and real fighters battle for it; or I will take it off him the hard way."

Brett Rogers reflects on his recent knockout loss to Fedor Emelianenko and is eager to put it behind him and get back inside the cage sooner rather than later. He's wants to mix it up with Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion, Alistair Overeem, saying that the Dutch fighter -- who has never defended his belt since defeating Paul Buentello to capture it more than two years ago -- needs to get busy or get out. Overeem has indicated that he does have intentions of putting his belt on the line early in 2010, but is Rogers the man who should get first dibs or should Emelianenko be booked as soon as possible? Thoughts please, Maniacs.

Thomas Gerbasi, UFC - UFC lightweight champion BJ Penn may be fighting on December 12th, but mixed martial arts' latest prodigy takes to the Octagon a week earlier. He's Jon Jones. You've heard the name, you've seen what he can do in the Octagon, and you've heard all about the 22-year old's potential.

MMAPayout.com has talked a lot about sponsorships in the past few months, but a great deal of that discussion has avoided fighter sponsorship in favour of those surrounding corporate sports properties. The Bud Light and Harley-Davidson deals within the industry naturally draw a lot of attention. However, in the long run, they are no more important than the sponsorships or endorsements that the fighters are receiving (e.g., GSP-Under Armour).

So, today we’re going to take a slightly more in-depth look at valuing sponsorships from the perspective of a fighter, and the kinds of implications those valuations have on their related corporate sports properties.

The Count Method

The count method is a tool used to value sponsorships that involves tracking the number of sustained appearances – or impressions – that a brand logo makes on television. Those impressions are then compared to the typical number of impressions obtained through an average commercial spot during that program. The cost of an average commercial spot is then used to value the sponsorship. 

The method is well-suited for MMA, because of the nature of fight gear sponsorship in relation to television visibility. However, a few adjustments need to be made in order to make the count method a viable valuation tool in MMA; chief among them is discounting the compared value of counted logo impressions to commercial spot prices. No logo impression, in aggregrate, is worth as much as the sustained number and quality of impressions that a commercial spot can generate. Therefore, it’s necessary to discount that compartive figure by as much as 95%.

Let me give you an example:

1. Fighter A is a main card fighter whose bouts have averaged approximately 9 minutes in length over the course of his 12 fight career. He wears board shorts to the ring/cage in which the main buttock sponsorship placement is typically impressionable for 3 minutes, on aggregate, each fight. His next scheduled bout will be televised on a card where the 30-second commercial spots are averaging $120,000.

• 3 minutes = 180 seconds
• 180/30 = the equivalent of six commercial spots
• $120,000 x 6 = $720,000
• $720,000 * (1-.95) = $36,000

This method provides a ballpark range as to how much the sponsorship is worth.

Other factors

As I alluded to earlier, there are other intangibles that must be accounted for (and which could possibly impact the discount rate):

1.) The definition of “impression” must be strict. An impression must only be counted if the brand logo is visible for a sustained period of time such that the consumer has the opportunity to identify it – i.e., the logo must have the opportunity to leave an impression.

Similar to the discussion we’ve entertained previously regarding assessing sponsorship ROI from a corporate standpoint, the clutter in MMA sponsorship really detracts from the ability of a logo to make a clear impression. Fighters and their management may have to begin making the difficult choices in cutting a few sponsors in favour of maximizing the potential return of their biggest clients (and in turn maximizing the price value they receive from those clients).

2.) The popularity of a fighter and his opponent will influence value. The discount rate should be adjusted to reflect dramatic differences amongst the popularity of fighters and their opponents. For example, GSP is always going to draw in more sponsorship money than most, not just because he’s currently the champion, but also because he has many levels of appeal that reach beyond MMA. Likewise, consider how the value of Houston Alexander’s sponsorships should change in fighting Kimbo Slice relative to the likes of James Irvin.

3.) The position of a fighter’s bout on the card will influence value. The size of program viewership grows from the beginning of a program until it peaks near the very end (or last match of the night). Thus, the deeper a fighter is set to compete on a card, the greater value his sponsorships ought to be worth.

4.) The live audience is also a consideration. It’s more of a bargaining chip than anything else, because while the sometimes 20,000 in attendance are watching, the logos are often far too small to make any sort of material impression count.

Endorsement Territory

There’s a distinction to be made between sponsorship and endorsement in MMA. Generally, a sponsorship agreement stipulates the exchange of payment in return for fight gear and banner representation for the client. However, often times an agreement goes further – especially for higher profile fighters – whereby they are asked to wear sponsored clothing to weigh-ins, press conferences, media events, or even appear in promotional material related to the product. 

Valuation of this kind is obviously more difficult, because it must factor in the number and intensity of different communication mediums used to generate awareness and brand image enhancement. Hence, at this stage it’s much less about logo impression as it is a fee for using the fighter’s likeness to boost said brand. 

Implications of Fighter Sponsorship Valuation

Much has been made about the UFC’s “sponsorship tax,” but the valuation above underscores the organizations point to a degree: small sponsors are getting very similar impressions to that of larger sponsors – with, what some would argue, better activation – but for much less cost. The idea of a tax is defensible, because it raises the price of admission for smaller sponsors that were getting way too good of a deal, and it protects the big time sponsors that the UFC depends on.

Where the sponsorship tax raises an issue is the seeming conflict between the traditional code of MMA and the current trajectory of MMA business. MMA has long operated within a small, community-oriented environment, but the growth of the sport is set to challenge that; taking care of the little guy, in some cases, may not be compatible with running a billion dollar business.

Thomas Gerbasi, UFC - On December 12th, UFC lightweight champion BJ Penn steps back into the Octagon to defend his crown for the third time against Diego Sanchez in the main event of UFC 107. It's the latest big fight for 'The Prodigy' and one which may very well join the seven fights below as a defining moment in his career.

John Ourand of the Sports Business Journal explains why Monday Night Football has been so successful on ESPN:

Howard Katz, the NFL’s senior vice president of broadcasting and media operations, is the executive tasked with creating the broadcasters’ schedules. He said the best “Monday Night Football” games on ESPN are the ones that allow the network to advance story lines across its TV, broadband and mobile platforms. ESPN executives have long said that they view “Monday Night Football” as much more than a three-hour window, and it’s clear that the NFL agrees.

 

“We look for opportunities for ESPN to tell stories,” Katz said. “They do that so well and can support ‘Monday Night Football’ with other programming.”

 

The difference this year is that ESPN has been telling those stories during its 90-minute pregame show and its shoulder programming on Monday afternoons rather than during the telecast. As an example, Williamson pointed to the Oct. 26 Eagles-Redskins game, which occurred just days after the Redskins stripped coach Jim Zorn of his play-calling duties. The team had Sherman Lewis call the offensive plays even though weeks before he had been calling bingo games while in quasi-retirement.

 

One of ESPN’s features involved interviews with people who played bingo with Lewis. The network decided to run it during its pregame show.

 

“Sometimes in the past, maybe we felt compelled to force that into the game. I think you learn from that over time,” Williamson said.

Payout Perspective:

The popularity of all sports, including MMA, feeds off of two things: 1.) the quality of the product, and 2.) the element of human interest that allows fans to better associate with the product. ESPN has been so successful, because of its ability to take great sporting events and tell stories about those events in a way that captivates an audience.

That’s why, if the UFC is going to move into network television, ESPN needs to be at the top of its list. Not only does the network have a knack for telling stories, but it also possesses a vast array of consumer touchpoints that allow it to spread a message across the sporting world:

• ESPN’s viewership reach of approximately 99 million
• ABC’s viewership reach of 115 million (ESPN and ABC share a close relationship as they’re both owned by Disney)
• Various regional-based networks around the globe (ESPN UK, ESPN Australia, ESPN Asia, etc.)
• Multiple internet touch points
• Mobile phone applications
• Multiple radio stations

The article really emphasizes the importance of what MMAPayout.com’s Andrew Falzon dubbed corollary programming: a parallel form of content that pushes consumers to another, higher form of content (e.g., cable to PPV). The UFC uses corollary programming all the time with its Spike content – Ultimate Fight Night, The Ultimate Fighter, UFC Unleashed, etc. – and the impact of this content would only be amplified by a network combination of ESPN and ABC.

Moreover, the article also does well enough to imply that the future of media is one of ubiquitous consumer touchpoints. The idea of broadband content, which MMAPayout.com touched on a few weeks ago, will most certainly need to be supported by numerous non-internet touchpoints in order to effectively build an audience for an online event.

However, the article should also imply somewhat of a cautionary tale that MMA must heed: ESPN made some early mistakes with MNF by not emphasizing the product as much as it should have. Ultimately, the actual product content needs to be about the product itself; without the product, the stories are far less interesting.

—–

While it’s easy to say that ESPN should be the UFC’s first choice, there are a host of factors that play into the decision:

1.) Does ESPN want the UFC?

There’s a great deal of internal discussion going on within ESPN right now as to whether the UFC (MMA in general) is a good fit for the ESPN brand. In other words, might the image of a Disney-owned network be impaired by UFC content, and might the network lose more customers than it gains with the addition of the UFC?

2.) From the UFC’s side, there is concern about rights fees, production control, and program scheduling. The organization wants to be paid for its content right off the bat – which may or may not be short-sighted – but they also want control of how and when their product is viewed. The latter is absolutely fair given the way CBS’s production crew hampered their first Strikeforce event earlier this month.

Thomas Gerbasi, UFC - One of my favorite Jens Pulver quotes came about in 2001, before he defended his UFC lightweight title for the first time against Dennis Hallman. The topic was punching power, and as always, 'Lil' Evil' had plenty to say about the topic.

Zeus Tipado of MiddleEasy.com discusses the plans for a Japanese discount store to purchase FEG’s MMA division, which includes Dynamite!! and Dream.

Now it’s being reported that the president of Don Quijote, Yasuda, set up a meeting between FEG to enable this Sengoku vs. Dream co-promotion as an attempt to strengthen Japanese MMA. Initially, Sadaharu Tanikawa planned on letting Sengoku fail and then scooping up as many fighter contracts as possible (including Ishida). However now it looks like FEG’s MMA division may be in trouble.

FieLDS, Dynamite!!’s primary sponsor, will not renew their contract next year. Today on NHBNews Pro, it was announced that Don Quijote not only wants to replace FieLDS as Dynamite!!’s primary sponsor…but they want to purchase the entire FEG MMA division (which would include Dynamite!! and Dream). This would mean a chain of discount super-stores will own all of Japanese MMA

Payout Perspective:

There’s a lot of concern right now that MMA in Japan could be in serious trouble, so the emergence of Don Quijote is welcome news (whether they purchase FEG or just sponsor future events).

However, aside from the Japanese MMA point of view, it’s also interesting to look at this entire situation from the perspective of Strikeforce. Scott Coker signed a fighter sharing and promotional partnership with FEG’s Dream last summer; and, via this proposed Dream-Sengoku merger, the value of that partnership is likely to grow. Not only does Dream become more financially stable, but the size of the fighter sharing pool increases.

In fact, regardless of the outcome in Japan, Strikeforce is well-positioned to capitalize. Even if the merger fails, Strikeforce already has well-established ties with the most prized fighting assets in Japanese MMA. They’d likely be first in line to scoop up talents such as Shinya Aoki, Marius Zaromskis, and Melvin Manhoef, etc.

Steven Church at Bloomberg reports on the latest developments regarding the Station Casinos bankruptcy process, which has been unfolding over the last several months.

Station Casinos Inc. doesn’t need an examiner to investigate how the company is handling its bankruptcy, the judge overseeing the case said, rejecting part of the takeover strategy pursued by Boyd Gaming Corp.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Gregg Zive said at a hearing in Reno, Nevada, that Boyd and other advocates of an examiner appeared to really want a trustee to take control of the company’s bankruptcy case, especially with regard to any potential sale. Zive delayed until Dec. 11 a decision on a related request to end the exclusive right of Station managers to propose a plan to reorganize the Las Vegas-based gambling company.

Payout Perspective:

Station Casinos, owned and founded by the Fertitta family, has been working with creditors since February to restructure nearly $6.5 billion in debt. But in July the corporation filed for bankruptcy.

Now, the Fertittas are fighting to retain exclusive control over the company, and prevent third parties – like Boyd Gaming or other creditors – from establishing competing reorganization bids. We’ll know in the coming weeks whether they’re successful.

There have been rumours in recent months that if things continue to go south at Station, Frank Fertitta Jr. could follow in Lorenzo’s footsteps and join Zuffa in some capacity.

Thomas Gerbasi, UFC - You could call it an early Christmas for the big kids, as the release of Jakks Pacific's first two waves of UFC action figures on toy shelves over the last seven weeks has been greeted with the type of glee from fight fans that is usually reserved for the morning of December 25th. It was just the type of reception Enrique Ruvalcaba, Jakks Pacific's Director of Marketing, was hoping for.