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Dana White announced on ESPN’s “Jim Rome is Burning” that Anderson Silva’s next opponent will be UFC middleweight and former WEC middleweight champion Chael Sonnen.

“He’s got a real tough fight coming up. His next fight’s going to be against Chael Sonnen, and Chael Sonnen’s one of these guys who’s not going to lay back, not do what these other guys (did),” White told Rome.

 

He believes that Sonnen’s style will not allow for any showboating or avoidance, as Silva showed in his last fight with Demian Maia.

 

“When he’s been in this position when these types of fights have happened, it’s been against real good jiu-jitsu guys, guys that want to get the fight to the ground. Well, Chael Sonnen’s going to want to take this fight to the ground, but he’s going to double leg him and bring him down,” said White.

Payout Perspective:

I think I’m having a slight change of heart where Anderson Silva at 185lbs. is concerned. In this week’s UFC 112: Payout Perspective I stated that I didn’t believe there was much interest left in Anderson at middleweight, and while I still believe that’s the case today, I could see that changing in the next couple of months.

Yesterday’s announcement that Silva will defend against Sonnen over the summer likely gave fans an ugly flashback to last Saturday’s performance – it’s too soon! – but Sonnen’s comments immediately after the announcement have given me hope. This main event could sell very well on the combination of Sonnen’s hyping prowess, the UFC’s fan bases growing disdain for Anderson Silva, and the fact that UFC will likely throw a ton of money into promoting this bout.

The UFC has a very obvious play here and that’s to remind everyone just how much Silva pissed them off – he’s this uber talented enigma that just refuses to fight sometimes – and here’s their chance to see him get what he’s got coming to him. Sonnen obviously plays a role in that.

I’ve talked previously about how guys like Dan Hardy and Chael Sonnen are pioneering the trash talking PR strategy for fight hype, but there’s a distinct difference between Sonnen and Hardy: attitude and demeanor. Dan Hardy is a prankster with a quick whit – somewhat of a cheeky Brit – but he doesn’t quite have that believability about him. Sonnen, though, has this straight-faced, cut-to-the-chase, and conservative attitude that is absolutely convincing; if he tells someone they’re an idiot and he wants to whoop their ass, he means it.

That’s effective in and of itself, but even more so now that people are naturally more inclined to believe him, simply because they really want to see someone take the fight to Anderson after his performance at UFC 112.

MMAPayout MMA Payout, UFC, booking

Mike Chiappetta of MMAFighting.com discusses the latest news regarding a possible UFC on Spike event for April 17th, designed to counter-program the Strikeforce on CBS card on the same day.

The UFC is in the process of laying the groundwork for an April 17 show to counter the Strikeforce on CBS offering, MMA Fighting has learned.

 

Though the company has not officially announced the event and it should not be considered a done deal, two separate sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed that the promotion has begun to ramp up its efforts over the last several hours and that Spike TV — the likely broadcast outlet for the show — has been informed of the decision.

 

…

 

Strikeforce’s show is planned for the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, and will feature three title bouts, including a middleweight championship main event pitting current titleholder Jake Shields against former UFC star Dan Henderson. The show could reportedly be moved back a week to April 24 — which would result in a head-to-head battle with WEC’s first pay-per-view offering — but tickets sales for the Strikeforce event have already begun, and a change would also require a shift in the CBS programming schedule.

Payout Perspective:

Event scheduling in the month of April is quickly becoming a chess match of epic proportions as the UFC looks to make life difficult for Strikeforce on CBS, while Strikeforce considers the possibility of switching dates to avoid going head-to-head with Kimbo Slice (and do some counter-programming of its own; nixing the WEC’s debut PPV a week later).

I can kind of understand the desire of the UFC to crush its competition: monopolies can be beneficial in certain contexts. Moreover, the production quality and matchmaking at Strikeforce has been suspect at times, which might leave the UFC in the position of feeling like it has to be the sole flag bearer for the sport.

However, I’m also inclined to think that it’s currently to the UFC’s advantage to have MMA on network television – regardless of whom is producing it – because it generates interest and awareness for the sport. The Strikeforce production isn’t so awful that it’s a detriment to MMA; especially with match-ups like Henderson-Shields, Mousasi-Lawal, and Melendez-Aoki.

If I were the UFC, I’d develop a sneaky little ambush marketing campaign, and buy up $1,000,000 worth of ad space on CBS to promote the UFC brand. The UFC could advertise the WEC 48 PPV scheduled for April 24th and UFC 113 on May 8th; both of which would help confound the Strikeforce branding message on that night.

Sound crazy? It’s becoming a popular trend in the sports world; especially during the latest Winter Olympics. Further consider the fact that Mauro Renallo and Gus Johnson mention the UFC name on CBS more than they do Strikeforce. The UFC could really position itself to steal a number of those impressions on April 17th. The only roadblock to this plan might be CBS’s outright refusal to sell the ad space, but even at that, I have to think they’d sell if they knew they weren’t being counter-programmed.

Besides, the idea of counter-programming seems so inefficient. The cynic in me is inclined to believe that Fedor and M-1 may very well tear down Strikeforce regardless of what the UFC does. If not, big events that only garner $8,000 in merchandise sales or $350,000 in gate revenues, while paying out that much in fighter salaries (not to mention production costs), likely will.

Why spend all this time and money to counter-programming something that hasn’t proven to be sustainable in its newest form?

….

The current speculation is that the UFC has lined up Kimbo Slice to headline this April 17th card, possibly against Matt Mitrione of TUF 10.

The short-term benefit of a Kimbo headline is obvious, but I wonder how much damage it might do to the UFC’s long-term credibility. Kimbo sells for reasons other than his fighting ability; in fact, we saw over the course of TUF 10 and its finale that interest had declined somewhat – the cat was out of the bag regarding his skills. So, what does it say that the UFC would put him in a headlining position?

The UFC has worked very hard to cultivate its existing credibility with the mainstream media and fan base – of which, admittedly, there still isn’t as much as we’d all like. Why jeopardize that? Why put non-MMA fighters in a headlining position on an MMA card?

If Strikeforce wanted to promote Herschel Walker vs. James Toney, the UFC should have let them. No successful, long-term mixed martial arts endeavor will ever be built upon the backs of non-MMA fighters – this is a guarantee.

Now the UFC has been sucked into this high risk, high reward game that might end up backfiring on them and the entire industry.

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Mike Chiappetta of MMAFighting.com asks the question, who might get the first shot at the UFC’s newest light heavyweight signee – and former boxing champion – James Toney.

There is a set of assumptions we can make about a prospective opponent. First, rather than risk a promising young fighter losing to Toney and losing momentum, it’s safe to assume the UFC will try to match him with a veteran. So guys like Cain Velasquez and Todd Duffee are probably out. Second, the promotion will pair him with a name fighter. At 41 years old, Toney’s days in MMA are limited, and the UFC knows they need to cash in immediately. Third, Toney won’t get a gimme in his first time out; he wants a big payday, and he knows there are only a few opponents who will bring it. Finally, weight class doesn’t matter. I have a feeling Toney’s first time out may well be a catch weight.

Payout Perspective:

Chiappetta goes on to list a handful of names that he thinks might fit the bill according to his criteria above: Liddell, Couture, Slice, A. Silva, Rampage Jackson, etc. Those are all good picks. However, I have to disagree with the notion that the UFC shouldn’t throw a young buck in there with Toney.

If the fight were at heavyweight – which now seems unlikely – my first choice would be Cain Velasquez, because he’d take Toney to the ground and immediately pound him into submission. It would be the perfect set-up for the next contender to the winner of Lesnar-Mir/Carwin and add a lot of fuel to the momentum of the UFC’s growing heavyweight division.

If the fight happens at light heavyweight, I’d love to see the UFC select Jon Jones. He’s got the perfect set of tools to dismantle someone like Toney; long reach, good kicks, and superb greco-roman. He’d ragdoll Toney. In the process, the UFC would again be helping to put over another one of its young and most promising stars.

Jones has a fight on March 21st, but should he win that bout it would make a lot of business sense to slot a Jones-Toney bout in behind Lesnar’s return in early July to create what would undoubtedly be the UFC’s top grossing PPV of all time.

And the reason I favor Jones/Velasquez moves beyond just hyping young stars. There’s also something to be said for the amount of risk the UFC is exposing itself to by matching up legendary fighters like Couture or Liddell – whom are over the hill – against a guy like Toney with a punchers chance. If Couture or Liddell were to lose, it would resonate far more with the casual sports viewing public. If Jones or Velasquez were to lose it would have much less of an impact on the reputation of the sport. Yes, the UFC might be down a future star, but if either of those guys lose to Toney, they might not be what we think they are anyways.

Note: You may be thinking, “Jeez, it’s risky no matter the direction the UFC takes,” and I happen to agree.

Make no bones about it, this is a risky play on the UFC’s behalf; calculated, but risky. They could reap significant rewards, or it could backfire and really rip a hole in the organization’s – and by virtue of that, the sport’s – credibility.

Is it a risk the UFC needs to take right now? I’m undecided.

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Keith Greinke of TopMMANews is reporting that World Extreme Cagefighting has officially booked June 20th for a show in Calgary, Alberta.

 As reported in January, Zuffa was planning to bring the WEC to Calgary this summer. At the time, WEC Vice-President Peter Dropick said, “It looks like we’re going to Calgary.” Now, Top MMA News has confirmed that the WEC has booked June 20th for their Canadian debut in Calgary in the Stampede Corral.

 

Calgary Combative Sports Commission chairperson Shirley Stunzi confirmed this to Top MMA News saying, “I can advise you now that WEC has officially booked June 20 in Calgary for their event.”

Payout Perspective:

In most Canadian markets – Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax, etc. – mixed martial arts is quickly becoming the second most popular sport behind the country’s national religion of hockey. The WEC in Calgary will be an absolute boom for the promotion. Moreover, it’ll likely open Zuffa’s eyes to the potential of the Great White North for hosting future events; Winnipeg, Edmonton, and Halifax are all ripe markets for WEC or even UFN shows.

However, it’s important to note that promotions often book many different dates and venues just to cover their bases. Until the WEC officially announces this event, nothing is guaranteed.

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship has officially announced the signing of former heavyweight boxing champion James “Lights Out” Toney to a multi-fight contract.

“LIGHTS OUT” IN THE OCTAGON™ – UFC® SIGNS TONEY

 

Las Vegas, NV (USA) – He’s one of the premier boxers of the last 25 years, a future Hall of Famer who has won world titles in three weight classes while taking on a Who’s Who of the sport, including fellow champions Evander Holyfield, John Ruiz, Hasim Rahman, Vassiliy Jirov, Roy Jones Jr., Mike McCallum, Iran Barkley, and Michael Nunn. But there is one more mountain left to climb for James “Lights Out” Toney, and that’s to show if he can defeat the mixed martial arts warriors of the UFC®.

 

So later this year, UFC President Dana White is prepared to give Toney his shot, signing the boxing superstar to a multi-fight contract this week to compete in the UFC.

 

“A lot of pro boxers have made a lot of noise about how they would do in mixed martial arts, but nobody on the level of a James Toney has been willing to back up his talk,” said White. “He’s a legend whose boxing record speaks for itself, and he’s a guy who I’ve got a lot of respect for. Now he’s got every intention of matching that success in MMA, and I think he’s got the right attitude – let’s see if he can do it.”

 

Owner of an amazing 72-6-3 (2 no contests) record that includes 44 wins by knockout, 41-year old James Toney is respected throughout the boxing world for his old-school approach to the fight game. For him, that means fighting anyone at anytime, and doing so by emphasizing all aspects of the sweet science.

 

31-2 as an amateur, Toney soon turned his sights to the pro game in 1988, and in 1991 he won his first world title at middleweight by knocking out unbeaten champion Michael Nunn in the 11th round. After six successful defenses, he moved up to 168 pounds and defeated Iran Barkley for the super middleweight championship in 1993, but he wasn’t done yet. After a stay at light heavyweight, Toney won the cruiserweight world title by defeating Vassiliy Jirov in 2003’s Fight of The Year, and his success continued at heavyweight, where he defeated Evander Holyfield, Dominick Guinn, and Fres Oquendo. In his most recent bout, on September 12, 2009, Toney – a two-time winner of the Boxing Writers Association of America’s Fighter of the Year award – halted Matthew Greer in two rounds.

 

Current UFC fighters Marcus Davis, Chris Lytle and Alessio Sakara have competed as professional boxers in the past, but with today’s announcement, Toney becomes the most accomplished boxing veteran to ever compete in the Octagon™.

 

An opponent and date for Toney’s UFC debut has not been determined, and will be announced at a later date.

Payout Perspective:

What are the prospects of this deal?

The upside: The UFC is going to make big bank on this fight and it’s going to draw a lot of attention to the sport of MMA. It may give the UFC a shot to demonstrate it’s legitimacy; throwing Toney into the cage with someone, like Cain Velasquez, that will destroy him could send a significant message to the sports world. Moreover, the amount of interest his fight(s) will draw provides a great opportunity to showcase some of the UFC’s other talent.

The downside: Toney has a punchers chance and could win his first fight; at which point MMA would be universally dismissed by many people. It could also be a lose-lose situation for the UFC on the legitimacy front: even if Toney loses, most will chalk it up to him being a 41 year-old over-the-hill former champion that was run out of boxing. Lastly, one should question whether the UFC really needs Toney. They’ve done very well without this type of freak show fight. So, why start now?

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Damon Martin of MMAWeekly reports that Strikeforce has finally settled on a date and three title bouts to headline its April event on CBS. The show will take place on April 17th and feature Dan Henderson vs. Jake Shields for 185lbs belt, in addition to Gegard Mousasi vs. King Mo Lawal for the 205lbs title and Gilbert Melendez vs. Shinya Aoki for the 155lbs title.

Charismatic fighter Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal has signed on to fight for the Strikeforce light heavyweight title when he faces champion Gegard Mousasi on April 17 at the promotion’s next major CBS card.

 

The fight was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by sources close to the situation on Monday.

 

…

 

The bout between Mousasi and Lawal will serve as co-main event for the upcoming Strikeforce show in April, headlined by middleweight champ Jake Shields defending his title against Dan Henderson. MMAWeekly.com will have more news on this event in the coming days.

Additionally, it was also announced that Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion, Alistair Overeem, will take on Brett Rogers in a bout that will likely headline a Strikeforce on Showtime card in May.

It has been nearly two and a half years since Alistair Overeem won the inaugural Strikeforce heavyweight title. It now appears that he will finally return to the United States and fight for the promotion that minted his belt.

 

Overeem on Monday tweeted that he is likely to return at an as yet unannounced Strikeforce event on May 15 to face Brett Rogers.

 

He later told MMAJunkie.com that the fight would likely not be a title defense since Rogers lost to Fedor Emelianenko in his most recent outing. Still, it will serve as his return to mixed martial arts after a year where he focused heavily on K-1 kickboxing bouts.

 

“It’s been too long. Last year was a good year in K-1, but this year, I want to fight in MMA,” he told MMAJunkie. He added that a highly anticipated fight with Fedor wasn’t likely to happen anytime soon because he didn’t think Fedor wanted to fight him and that the top heavyweight might be looking to leave Strikeforce.

 

MMAWeekly.com sources confirmed that the bout between Overeem and Rogers is likely to happen and that a return to St. Louis and Showtime on May 15 is the expected target.

 

A split with the Russian powerhouse, however, doesn’t appear to be on the table; at least, not yet. As of the time of publication, our sources indicated that Fedor is still expected to face Fabricio Werdum on an undetermined future fight card.

Payout Perspective:

There have been rumors circulating in the last few weeks that Strikeforce and its co-promotional partner M-1 are having some difficulties in arranging the next Fedor fight, which had originally been planned for April on CBS. It’s really unfair to comment on those rumors at this time, but suffice it to say something hasn’t gone according to plan and Strikeforce has been forced to switch things up a little.

I’m not yet convinced that Strikeforce going with the triple title fight on CBS is necessarily a bad thing. In giving the spotlight to the six very talented fighters in Henderson, Shields, Mousasi, Lawal, Melendez, and Aoki, Strikeforce is hoping to put on a great event, build some brand recognition, and promote some of its other talented fighters.

Plus, there’s a risk to having Fedor headline every major event; something like what we saw EliteXC do in betting the farm on Kimbo Slice.  If they’re looking to build their brand only through Fedor, they’re making a terrible mistake.

…

However, there’s still some talk of Fedor fighting on the Showtime card in May, which might plan into the promotion’s hands given that Overeem will be facing Rogers on that same card. The feeling is that having both on the same card is the perfect set-up to a title showdown later in the year; possibly even on PPV.

Then again, what if Rogers wipes the floor with Overeem? It’s a non-title bout, and Strikeforce’s Heavyweight Champion now has a loss to the guy that Fedor floored last year. How will they sell that to anyone beyond the hardcore fan base?

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What do fighters like BJ Penn, Dan Hardy, Chael Sonnen, and Frank Mir have in common? A critical understanding of just how important fight hype is to the drawing ability of a fight event. Each man in the past year has stepped up his smack talk game, but with each radio clip or vlog the comments seemingly become more outlandish by the day.

It all begs the question: where should the line be drawn between healthy smack talk versus fight hype that becomes a detriment to the event for one reason or another? Unfortunately, the answer to this question isn’t an obvious one.

There are, of course, ethical issues to consider here; is MMA truly about hurting someone? Yet, the MMA community also needs to determine what impact this smack talk might have on MMA’s chances for further regulation. Likewise, where the future growth and success of the sport is concerned, what might be the impact of hyping a fight so much that it then becomes impossible to deliver upon that new set of expectations?

Death is taboo

The place to start is probably with the extreme and work backwards from there. Thus, it needs to be said: any talk of death or killing someone in the ring/cage is simply unacceptable.

But to be fair, it’s not just the fighters that bear this responsibility – so should the promoters. Frank Mir should not have talked about Lesnar being the first death in the UFC, but nor should Dana White have referred to Herschel Walker’s potential participation in the same light. Why? There’s simply too much on the line to risk the potential regulatory or legal implications of what might happen if someone takes a comment the wrong way or someone actually dies in a fight.

Who cares if they did or didn’t literally mean what they said – that’s not the point. Everyone in the MMA community understands that Frank Mir doesn’t actually want to kill Brock Lesnar, but the MMA community isn’t the concern here.

Yes, MMA is far from politically correct. I’d even argue there’s considerable risk in MMA trying to become too PC and appeal to everyone; MMA must stay narrow and go deeper with its audience (which is different than saying it should not expand internationally). But MMA still needs to survive and operate within the current legal, cultural, and environmental business norms that any other legitimate business has to endure.

MMA is already skirting around a large societal comfort zone because of the physical nature of the sport; taunting the greater public with threats of death is a fool’s gamble.

This isn’t MMA

More importantly, all this talk of death and hurting people isn’t MMA – it’s not what the sport is about.

MMA is about demonstrating athleticism, skill, technique, discipline, and determination in a competitive setting against both one’s self and an opponent. There is physical contact and people do get beat up – no one is hiding this fact – but I’d argue there’s a clear difference between beating someone up and trying to hurt them; one that has nothing to do with semantics.

If a fighter intends to outclass his opponent by a fair margin, there are hundreds of ways to say so without talking about murdering the guy or breaking his neck.

Drawing the line

So, where does MMA draw the line?

In addition to eliminating talk of death, there are really two other concerns:

1.) Respect. The sport and its participants deserve to be treated professionally. Nobody minds good trash talk – it helps to motivate the fighters and interest the fans – but the personal, non-MMA stuff is something the sport would be better off without. It makes the sport look cheap and petty, which isn’t going to help its push for mainstream acceptance. Moreover, any man that has the guts to step into the cage and have that steel door slam behind him deserves respect for his courage.

2.) Believability. The mantra in business is never over-promise and under-deliver, but that’s precisely what a lot of hyped fights manage to do; Koscheck-Sanchez and Hughes-Serra are just two of many examples. Sometimes it’s unavoidable, but the danger in guys like Chael Sonnen making these outlandish claims is that not only will they likely not be able to back them up, but it will also encourage more of the same from other fighters that have seen what it can get them (i.e., a title shot). MMA can do without the pro wrestling-like circus drama: if you don’t mean it or can’t back it up, don’t say it.

Just because MMA should emphasize respect and believability in promoting its fights doesn’t mean that it must lose that raw, edgy appeal that is at the very core of what attracts many fans. There are ways to hype fights that retain the essence of the sport without crossing the line into a place that MMA need not go.

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Join MMAPayout.com on Toronto’s Fan 590 radio as we discuss the business of mixed martial arts with Showdown Joe Ferraro.

Topics include:

• Smack talk in MMA (Sonnen & Hardy)
• What motivates people to watch MMA
• Current trends in sponsorship
• The WEC’s April PPV
• The exciting months ahead

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The UFC has issued an official press release to confirm some of the speculation that Demian Maia would be taking Vitor Belfort’s place at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi. This match will co-headline the event alongside BJ Penn’s title defense against Frankie Edgar.

UFC® ANNOUNCES ANDERSON SILVA vs. DEMIAN MAIA
FOR UFC 112 MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT

 

SATURDAY, APRIL 10, LIVE FROM FERRARI WORLD
YAS ISLAND, ABU DHABI

 

Belfort Injured; Maia Steps up to Face Silva for Title Shot

 

Las Vegas, NV (USA) – Following a hard-fought three round win over Dan Miller at UFC 109 that showed him to be more than just a submission expert, Demian Maia will jump right back into training camp for the biggest fight of his career – an April 10th meeting with UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva in the main event of UFC 112 at Ferrari World on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.

 

Maia replaces countryman Vitor Belfort, who underwent emergency surgery on his left shoulder earlier this week to fix a chronic injury that got worse in his training camp for Silva.

 

“It’s always tough when a top fighter like Vitor Belfort has to pull out of a big title fight, but we have found a high quality replacement,” said UFC President Dana White. “Top contender Chael Sonnen was not available due to injuries sustained in his fight with Nate Marquardt, so top six middleweight Demian Maia will step in to fight for the title. Maia is an Abu Dhabi grappling champion, a five-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion, and he is 12-1 in MMA and coming off a win over Dan Miller at UFC 109. Anderson Silva vs. Demian Maia will be a matchup between MMA’s best striker and MMA’s best grappler.”

 

A 32-year old native of Sao Paulo, Brazil who, like Silva, owns a black belt in jiu-jitsu, Maia (12-1) has won six of his seven UFC bouts, including five by submission, with four of those victories earning him Submission of the Night honors. He also holds a 2009 submission win over number one middleweight contender Chael Sonnen. In his most recent bout, at UFC 109 on February 6th, Maia went three rounds with talented New Jersey native Dan Miller and earned a near shutout unanimous decision. Now he will face the pound for pound king in Silva, who is unbeaten in ten UFC bouts and looking to add to his middleweight title defense record when he puts his belt on the line for the sixth time.

 

In the co-main event of UFC 112, lightweight champion BJ Penn looks to continue his dominant reign when he takes on Frankie Edgar. Also, two legends meet for the first time when future UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes battles groundfighting master Renzo Gracie.

Payout Perspective:

The move is surprising, but makes sense when you look at the entire situation from the perspective of the UFC’s desire to keep Anderson Silva on the 112 card. That constraint removes a number of alternatives for the organization and really only gave them Maia at 185 or Randy Couture at 205.

This is MMA, you can’t discount anyone; but, Anderson is likely to beat both Maia and Couture quite handily. If Silva and Couture fought at 112, it would have likely sold gangbusters but also ruined Couture’s future drawing power – perhaps forever. In fighting Maia, the UFC loses much less; it gets its Silva title defense and keeps the Couture ace in its pocket for another few events (the rumored UFC 115 headline against Franklin and possibly even a title shot at 205 should Couture win his next fight).

I would have been inclined to move Silva off the card entirely, but this card is very important to Zuffa. The quality of the card is not only a show of good faith and reward to Zuffa’s new partners, but a statement to the world sports community with respect to Zuffa’s international expansion goals. Thus, it’s understandable that Zuffa wanted to keep Silva on the Abu Dhabi show.

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Luke Thomas over at Bloodyelbow has provided a great summary of his conversation with Reed Harris of the WEC in which they discussed everything related to WEC 48. There are undoubtedly many concerns and angles to cover when launching a PPV business model, but it appears as though the folks at Zuffa are well-prepared.

Here are the early details:

 

1. The date was selected in part to nail down the Sacramento venue. With their most financially lucrative star in Urijah Faber headlining for a title in the main event, it only makes sense to ensure the crowd will be as loud, thick and MMA-savvy as possible. Sacramento has historically shown to be hugely favorable territory for the WEC.

 

2. According to Harris, their planning of an April 24th show did not take into account any potential Strikeforce plans to also host a Fedor Emelianenko-headlined fight in April.

 

3.The decision to move forward with a PPV was done by WEC brass in conjunction with UFC President Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta. The logic, as it was explained to me, was that with two title fights and a card filled with highly-ranked, pound-for-pound greats, the card merited moving in that direction. “With five fights and two titles on the line, they feel upstairs that we are the same caliber and quality as UFC events,” said Harris.

 

4. As for the price point, the decision to place the cost at $44.95 “was made corporately”. Harris insists extensive research was done into PPV watching and purchasing habits. He argues the internal data they received gives them the confidence to move forward with the PPV effort, but did not elaborate beyond that. He also insisted given what the event offered, it was worth the cost of a UFC PPV.

 

5. Here’s a clever twist: the event will be known as “UFC Presents…WEC 48: Aldo vs. Faber”. When asked about the extent to which the UFC would use their marketing and PR muscle to assist the WEC, assurances were made that both organizations would work together to properly promote and cross promote the effort. No specific details were offered as to promotional events, branding, event signage or other items at the time of the call.

Payout Perspective:

I’ve voiced my opinion on this PPV – saying it should happen, but questioning the price point and timing of the event – but I really think the WEC is taking some solid steps towards addressing those concerns and mitigating some of that risk inherent in an initial PPV offering.

The most important step the WEC has made is to label the event as the “UFC Presents: WEC 48 – Faber vs. Aldo” because that’s going to help alleviate some of that brand equity gap that might have caused casual consumers to shy away from an unknown product at $44.95. But it cannot stop at just a label. The UFC and WEC need to build and reinforce the presentation with a host of content and promotional material that further leverages the UFC brand in order to raise the profile of the WEC.

I’d love to see some cross-promotional material done with UFC and WEC fighters, some sort of WEC Primetime show, and even more out of the UFC brass promoting the event. It’s also important for the WEC to ramp up its own PR team: to get these fighters into the media, get its officials like Harris and Dropick into the mainstream media, and pump the idea that Aldo-Faber is a must-see fight for any sports fan.

Time for the MMA community is now

The initial PPV is always tough because distribution isn’t what it should be. Many people balk at the normal UFC price of $44.95, but they’ll usually will go out to the bar or have 10 people over to their home to watch the fight in order to minimize that expense. But that’s a tougher sell for a brand and fight attraction that isn’t widely known. As a result, bar owners are more hesitant to pay the $500-$1500 fee for the PPV because there’s no guarantee they’ll get that money back in the form of good business that night. Likewise, the person that has 10 friends over for a UFC card might only be able to scrounge up 2-3 hardcores for the WEC event.

Thus, Harris is right, this is the time for MMA fans to stand up and show that they want more MMA.  The most powerful marketing tool on the planet is viral (word-of-mouth) marketing, and everyone who is aware of this fight needs to spread the word. That means calling local bars and requesting that they buy and advertise the WEC card like they would any UFC event; or, they tell every single one of their sports fan friends that this fight is a must-see.

The key is to reference things that casual fans will be able to comprehend and easily understand. This fight is like Anderson Silva vs. Georges St-Pierre at 145lbs; they’re literally the best two fighters in the world at 145lbs.; or that this fight is likely to be the best scrap of the year.

Strikeforce on 24th may not be a bad thing

There seems to be some concern that Strikeforce and CBS will place their card on April 24th, but I’m not convinced that’s a bad thing: the greatest opportunities in life are borne of the largest problems.

What better way for MMA to showcase its growth and product depth than with a showdown of the two best promotions outside of the UFC? If done properly, on both sides, a savvy media battle could really generate some buzz for the sport by pitting the two promotions against one another.

It’s Kanye West vs. 50 Cent dropping their albums on the same day all over again. Both sold way more than they ever would have alone because of that competition and the rivalry that made fans stand up and choose a side. In the end, both organizations could be better off with a April 24th showdown.

I understand there’s some trepidation on both sides, because nobody likes to lose, but neither organization is in this for the long haul. The WEC isn’t putting this event together to make a one-time profit. This is the start of a process that will hopefully lead to a new long-term business model, the effects of which will far exceed the revenue of one event.

Something to chew on.

MMAPayout MMA Payout, Strikeforce, WEC, booking, pay-per-view

NightmarefBattle.com is reporting that Dream has announced it will host seven events in the 2010 calendar year including it’s only official date which is Dream 13 on March 22nd.

DREAM will hold events in March, April, May, July, September, and November this year and the April event will most likely be held in South Korea. If the South Korea event goes well a November event might be held abroad as well (with Taiwan or Macau as possible locations). Like the 2009 Osaka event, a cage event is planned for this year too.

 

A Light Heavyweight GP consisting of 8 or 16 fighters (planned for the May, July, and September events or two of them if it’s an 8-man GP) will take place this year and Gegard Mousasi will play a leading role in it.

 

Middleweight and Heavyweight champions will also be crowned in 2010 so by the end of the year all weight classes in DREAM will have champions. The Heavyweight champion will be decided through a single fight and not a GP. Alistair Overeem will likely be one of the two participants of the Heavyweight title fight.

 

They want to hold crossover fights with other organizations this year as well, especially with SRC and Strikeforce. They think it’ll be a hot thing. DREAM EP Sasahara also said that, if possible, he wants to talk with Yoshida Dojo.

Payout Perspective:

Since rumors started swirling that Don Quixote was on the verge of acquiring FEG’s combat division, we haven’t heard a lot to substantiate the claims other than that the super grocer is planning to continue as a sponsor. The success of the NYE show has given the organization the confidence to go forward with a full slate of shows in 2010, including the light heavyweight grand prix.

The last we heard of Dream’s rival organization Sengoku – the same group it partnered with for its NYE event last year – the organization was planning a similar 6-7 events starting with an event on March 7th, in addition to several proposed tournaments amongst different classes.

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Damon Martin of MMAWeekly.com confirms that Strikeforce has finally found an opponent for Bobby Lashley in the form of UFC Veteran and TUF alumnus Wes Sims:

With just over a week to go until Strikeforce hits Miami for their next event, former WWE superstar Bobby Lashley finally has an opponent. Former “Ultimate Fighter” and UFC veteran, Wes Sims, has been tapped to step in and face Lashley in a heavyweight bout on the main card.

 

Strikeforce official, Mike Afromowitz, confirmed the bout to MMAWeekly.com on Friday saying the fight has been finalized for next Saturday’s card.

 

Lashley has gone through the ringer over the last 2 weeks waiting for the final word on an opponent. Originally, he was set to face Yohan Banks, but the fight was not approved by the Florida Athletic Commission and then veteran fighter, Jimmy Ambriz, got the call, but was removed from the fight for unknown reasons.

Payout Perspective:

Lashley’s name has been in the MMA headlines a lot lately, but it’s hardly a sign that he’s the next Brock Lesnar. He doesn’t have the wrestling pedigree, nor the polarizing fan appeal of Lesnar. Moreover, the back and forth that he’s had with Strikeforce and TNA could potentially hurt him as the inconsistency wears on fans of both sports.

The Sims fight should be a solid test, but he’ll have a huge advantage in the fitness and athleticism department over a fighter that’s taking the bout on short notice and has had problems with cardio at the best of times throughout his career.

MMAPayout MMA Payout, Strikeforce, booking

Loretta Hunt of Sherdog.com reveals the latest plans of Scott Coker and Strikeforce’s to hold eight-women tournaments at 135lbs and 145lbs through the Challenger series starting this April.

Strikeforce 145-pound champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos and Gina Carano, whom Santos defeated by first-round technical knockout last August in San Jose, Calif., will not compete in the tournaments, said Coker.

 

“We’re looking for the next women to fight the Gina Caranos and the Cris Cyborgs of the world,” Coker said.

 

Coker said the tournaments’ quarterfinals and semifinals would be “sprinkled” over a few events.

 

Sarah Kaufman, an undefeated Canadian striker who’s shined in her two Challengers appearances against Miesha Tate and Shayna Baszler, will not compete in the 135-pound tournament bracket.

 

“I think we’re going to be promoting Sarah against (Takayo) Hashi for our (vacant) 135-pound title,” said Coker. “I think that fight’s happening sooner than later — February or March, for sure.”

 

Hashi, a Smackgirl veteran, has been victorious in her last eight outings. Her only career loss came to Strikeforce veteran Hitomi Akano at a Smackgirl event in August 2005.

 

Coker said the tournament winners would likely face the promotion’s champions in their next bouts.

 

The tournaments, originally announced to launch at the end of 2009, were postponed into the new year for logistical reasons.

Payout Perspective:

Gina Carano is without a doubt the strongest draw in women’s MMA, but the debate still rages as to whether she’s the only one and whether the women’s side of the sport can gain any traction without Carano. This tournament will go a long way to answering both questions by putting the women on display and allowing any potential stars to emerge.

Dana White has often said that there just aren’t enough talented women in any particular division to make it worthwhile. Perhaps a tournament like this is a stepping stone towards that goal.

MMAPayout MMA Payout, Strikeforce, booking

Steve Cofield of Yahoo! Sports Cagewriter has confirmed with Dana White that UFC 113 has been moved back one week from May 1st to May 8th in order to avoid a head-to-head PPV battle with Floyd Mayweather Jr.

This afternoon, a UFC source told Cagewriter that UFC 113 was headed for May 8. This evening UFC president Dana White confirmed the date change. The switch was made possible when the Bell Centre was able to move a May 8 concert.

 

“We were trying to not go the same night as boxing but these [expletive] guys can’t get out of their own way,” White told Cagewriter. “I have never seen anything so unorganized, selfish and disfunctional as boxing. It’s a joke!”

Payout Perspective:

Generally, I believe that competition spurs demand within an industry; it makes everyone better off because the size of the pie grows. But in this case, the direct competition between the UFC and Mayweather isn’t ideal.

The coverage of the weekend will not be head-to-head in nature, but rather focused almost singularly on the return of Mayweather (without Pacquiao, etc.). Moreover, the cross-over fan base will largely have to choose one or the other, and the UFC isn’t going to win that battle when comparing the strength of the main attractions. The argument for Mayweather is likely something to the effect of “how many times does he fight a year or how many does he have left?” versus “the UFC is on all the time and the last time these two guys fought it was bullsh*t.”

The UFC will take some heat – especially from boxing purists – but it’s a smart move. The UFC has to pick its battles.

MMAPayout MMA Payout, UFC, booking

Brock Lesnar and Dana White appeared on ESPN today to discuss Lesnar’s injury situation and announce that Lesnar will return to the Octagon this summer to face the winner of Carwin-Mir (a bout set for March 27th at UFC 111).

Payout Perspective:

The announcement pretty much went as expected. Again, this was a pretty smart – if not a no-brainer move – for the UFC. There was no better avenue for this interview and to release this news (although just an hour later it’s not even front page material on the ESPN.com website).

It’s hard not to look back at this entire thing and feel that it was sensationalized a bit, but that’s what a promoter does. The comeback angle on this fight will likely ensure that – whether the opponent is Mir or Carwin – Lesnar’s next fight is bigger than it could have ever been without the incident.

The only question now is whom will Lesnar fight. White stated that it’ll be the winner of Carwin-Mir unless that individual is injured, and then he’ll look to the winner of Nogueira-Velasquez. If that’s the case they should probably just drop the interim title headline from the Carwin-Mir bout, but I have a feeling that’s unlikely given that another “title bout” adds value to UFC 111 in the minds of consumer which is likely to induce a greater purchase rate.

——

Lesnar didn’t look too small, but he didn’t look huge either. I wonder what the impact is going to be on him trying to regain this weight and rebuild his cardio.

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Jonathon Snowden of Heavy.com has done a piece with Bjorn Rebney that looks at some of the differences between MMA and boxing in terms of business, demographic, and the overall nature of both sports:

Like Gary Shaw and others around the country, Rebney is a boxing guy newly converted to MMA. There is an important distinction. As he name dropped Georges St. Pierre and Shinya Aoki, it was obvious that Rebney is a fan of mixed martial arts, not just a savvy business man looking for the next opportunity. But that doesn’t mean Rebney isn’t looking into his personal crystal ball at the future of both sports. And with MMA, he likes what he sees. Zuffa’s recent sale of ten percent of their company for an estimated $100-150 million is a sign Rebney recognizes as MMA’s ascendancy. “There’s a better chance I could grow a second head than a boxing company could show that kind of growth or have that valuation,” Rebney said. It’s more than the UFC’s rapid rise that Rebney sees as an indicator of MMA’s advantage over boxing. Boxing he says, attracts an older and poorer audience. MMA fans are relatively wealthy and college educated. “It’s a monster demographic. There’s not much of a comparison.”

 

Boxing fans have also been trained to view their sport differently than MMA fans. In boxing, fighters are expected to rack up tens of wins before they ever face a serious challenge. A boxer that is 20-5 is probably an also-ran. In MMA, a fighter with a similar record is a superstar. MMA fans are more comfortable with loss, allowing Rebney to let his fighters fly free, taking on even serious challengers, in the 10 months between Bellator shows.

 

“Fighters don’t want to sit on the sideline and collect dust. We were able to keep our fighters active,” Rebney said. “We worked with a promotion in Japan to get Eddie (Alvarez) a fight, a fight that almost gave me a heart attack watching it on HDNet… this promotion is based on our belief that the best should fight the best. There are risks and rewards. Conundrum is the perfect word for it. What if Eddie fights in a super fight and loses? It happens in MMA, that’s one of the magic things about the sport. In boxing there is this false sense that everyone needs to have a record of 22-0. In MMA, guys like Toby Imada have an upside down record but are hugely talented. MMA fans in general are not as concerned about a guy losing a tough fight.”

Payout Perspective:

Rebney makes some interesting points, but the one that stands out most to me is the comparison of fighter records between both sports. It’s something that I – and I’m sure others – encounter on almost a daily basis when explaining parts of the sport to newcomers:

Randy Couture 17-10 vs. Mark Coleman 16-9 — How could either possibly be legends in the sport?

For years, fans have been trained by boxing’s tin can system that a fighter isn’t legitimate until he’s at least 15-0. If he’s got more than a few losses, he’s more or less irrelevant. In fact, that’s still one of the knocks on Manny Pacquiao today; it doesn’t matter how good Manny is now, it almost matters more that he lost 2-3 times earlier in his career.

MMA is different: ask anyone in the UFC’s middleweight division if it matters that Anderson Silva got caught by a heel hook six years ago; or that Georges St-Pierre has two losses on his record; or that BJ Penn has five losses over the span of his career. In MMA you’re only as good as your last fight.

It’s a small, yet important distinction: the sport cannot generate new fans unless those people actually commit to watching the fights. Thus, the sport has to work at removing some of the stereotypes that would impede curious on-lookers from doing so: blood lust, savagery, talentless bar fighters, and records not fit for an elite fighter are just a few of them.

Note: The entire article is worth a read. Rebney goes on to discuss various aspects of the lessons he was able to learn through his time in boxing: casino site fees, sales pitches to sponsor execs, the importance of television, etc.

MMAPayout Bellator, MMA Payout, booking, boxing

Jonathon Snowden of Heavy.com has done a piece with Bjorn Rebney that looks at some of the differences between MMA and boxing in terms of business, demographic, and the overall nature of both sports:

Like Gary Shaw and others around the country, Rebney is a boxing guy newly converted to MMA. There is an important distinction. As he name dropped Georges St. Pierre and Shinya Aoki, it was obvious that Rebney is a fan of mixed martial arts, not just a savvy business man looking for the next opportunity. But that doesn’t mean Rebney isn’t looking into his personal crystal ball at the future of both sports. And with MMA, he likes what he sees. Zuffa’s recent sale of ten percent of their company for an estimated $100-150 million is a sign Rebney recognizes as MMA’s ascendancy. “There’s a better chance I could grow a second head than a boxing company could show that kind of growth or have that valuation,” Rebney said. It’s more than the UFC’s rapid rise that Rebney sees as an indicator of MMA’s advantage over boxing. Boxing he says, attracts an older and poorer audience. MMA fans are relatively wealthy and college educated. “It’s a monster demographic. There’s not much of a comparison.”

 

Boxing fans have also been trained to view their sport differently than MMA fans. In boxing, fighters are expected to rack up tens of wins before they ever face a serious challenge. A boxer that is 20-5 is probably an also-ran. In MMA, a fighter with a similar record is a superstar. MMA fans are more comfortable with loss, allowing Rebney to let his fighters fly free, taking on even serious challengers, in the 10 months between Bellator shows.

 

“Fighters don’t want to sit on the sideline and collect dust. We were able to keep our fighters active,” Rebney said. “We worked with a promotion in Japan to get Eddie (Alvarez) a fight, a fight that almost gave me a heart attack watching it on HDNet… this promotion is based on our belief that the best should fight the best. There are risks and rewards. Conundrum is the perfect word for it. What if Eddie fights in a super fight and loses? It happens in MMA, that’s one of the magic things about the sport. In boxing there is this false sense that everyone needs to have a record of 22-0. In MMA, guys like Toby Imada have an upside down record but are hugely talented. MMA fans in general are not as concerned about a guy losing a tough fight.”

Payout Perspective:

Rebney makes some interesting points, but the one that stands out most to me is the comparison of fighter records between both sports. It’s something that I – and I’m sure others – encounter on almost a daily basis when explaining parts of the sport to newcomers:

Randy Couture 17-10 vs. Mark Coleman 16-9 — How could either possibly be legends in the sport?

For years, fans have been trained by boxing’s tin can system that a fighter isn’t legitimate until he’s at least 15-0. If he’s got more than a few losses, he’s more or less irrelevant. In fact, that’s still one of the knocks on Manny Pacquiao today; it doesn’t matter how good Manny is now, it almost matters more that he lost 2-3 times earlier in his career.

MMA is different: ask anyone in the UFC’s middleweight division if it matters that Anderson Silva got caught by a heel hook six years ago; or that Georges St-Pierre has two losses on his record; or that BJ Penn has five losses over the span of his career. In MMA you’re only as good as your last fight.

It’s a small, yet important distinction: the sport cannot generate new fans unless those people actually commit to watching the fights. Thus, the sport has to work at removing some of the stereotypes that would impede curious on-lookers from doing so: blood lust, savagery, talentless bar fighters, and records not fit for an elite fighter are just a few of them.

Note: The entire article is worth a read. Rebney goes on to discuss various aspects of the lessons he was able to learn through his time in boxing: casino site fees, sales pitches to sponsor execs, the importance of television, etc.

MMAPayout Bellator, MMA Payout, booking, boxing

The UFC has confirmed three more bouts for UFN 21 – the UFC’s debut on cable television network Versus – and what now looks to be the best card ever assembled for an Ultimate Fight Night event.

Confirmed

Brandon Vera vs. Jon Jones
Junior dos Santos vs.  Gabriel Gonzaga
Anthony Johnson vs. John Howard
Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Eliot Marshall

Rumored

Sean Sherk vs. Clay Guida
Brendan Schaub vs. Chase Gormley
Dwayne Ludwig vs. Jeremy Stephens

Payout Perspective:

The real upside of the UFC on Versus deal is that it’s a network that has traditionally drawn a demographic with a stronger preference for sports than Spike TV.  Versus provides the UFC with the same age exposure, but also a more targeted sporting skew. There are young sports fans out there that are very much aware of the UFC, but haven’t had the opportunity or really the inclination to watch on SpikeTV – UFN 21 will provide more of those individuals with that opportunity.

Thus, it’s very important that the UFC put together a strong offering for the Versus show; and, the proposed card is chalk-full of dynamic, explosive fighters and clever matchmaking. Not only is it the type of card that should perform exceedingly well – gaining new fans in the process – but it’s also positioned younger fighters front and center, which has obvious long-term benefits.

——

There was a lot of “I told you so” going on after UFC 108, but I’m not sure it was justified. There is no denying that we’re all fans of the sport because we like to watch fights. However, there’s something to be said for the value that a fan gets out of watching “just a fight” versus a “fight with meaning.”

There’s no way that anyone can look at UFC 106 through UFC 109 and tell me that those events even hold a candle to what’s being talked about for UFC 110 through UFC 113. It’s not about disrespecting the fighters – it’s about meaning, it’s about anticipation, and it’s about expectation.

UFC 108 would have been a great card regardless of its pre-event hype. But it was the low level of expectations surrounding the fight that led to so many people being pleasantly surprised with the card. They saw great fights that night, but not great fights with meaning.

MMAPayout MMA Payout, TV, UFC, booking, opinion and analysis

The Las Vegas Sun has a great short clip featuring Randy Couture where he shares part of the recent conversation he had with UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre regarding his rumored move to Olympic Wrestling.

Payout Perspective:

In recent days the GSP-wrestling talk has really been heating up in Canada. The feeling is that GSP would be a welcome addition to the Canadian team and the sport, but he’d have to put in years of training to prepare himself for competition on the world’s greatest athletic stage, the Olympics.

There’s probably a part of every MMA fan that wants to see GSP try it – most everyone thinks he’s capable of winning a medal given the proper training time (in either 2012 or 2016) - but he’s such a popular and valuable figure within the sport that his absence would adversely impact the UFC and MMA.

Whether it’s 2 years now or 3-4 years in preparation for 2016 in Rio – it’s a serious commitment and almost what you’d have to consider a career change. Thankfully, for MMA, it would seem as though GSP isn’t prepared to make one yet.

MMAPayout MMA Payout, UFC, booking

Dave Meltzer of Yahoo! Sports talks about what makes Urijah Faber such a valuable asset for the WEC in the wake of his contenders bout with Raphael Assuncao at WEC 46 on Sunday.

Big matches aren’t unfamiliar territory for Faber, who held the title for two years and eight months before losing it in an upset at the end of 2008 to Brown in their first meeting.

 

Faber’s big fights of the past two years – a 2008 match with Jens Pulver and June’s featherweight title rematch with Brown – were the two biggest money fights in WEC history. He retained his title by winning a decision over Pulver in the former. In the latter, Faber lost a decision in a match high on most lists as match of the year in a match where Faber injured both his hands, which had been sore for a long time coming off the Pulver fight.

 

The Pulver match drew 1.6 million viewers and the Brown fight on June 7 drew 1.3 million. Those numbers on Versus are even more impressive when you consider that no fight without Faber has done more than 700,000 viewers, and the most recent WEC show on Dec. 19 (featuring Donald Cerrone vs. Ed Ratcliffe) did 333,000.

 

Faber has the home-court advantage of fighting at Arco, the same site as the first Pulver and second Brown fights. Both events drew in excess of 12,000 fans, easily the two biggest numbers in WEC history, and numbers rarely reached in North American MMA without a UFC banner attached. While Faber doesn’t have the same general-public name recognition of the biggest UFC fighters, among MMA fans Faber gets cheered as loudly as Georges St. Pierre and Chuck Liddell – who get the strongest crowd reactions in the sport.

 

“Every sport has its stars that shine above the others,” noted Marc Fein, Versus’ executive vice president. “When Faber fights, ratings tend to be up. We’d love to be able to get other fighters to that level. … In every sport – basketball, golf – you have the guys that the public wants to watch.”

 

Faber’s popularity is the result of a combination of factors. He’s got a look that stands out in a crowd, and his personality comes across well, giving the vibe of a cool California surfer type. He’s worked tirelessly with WEC over the past three years in promoting himself and the brand. All that work can get you to a certain level of popularity, but to stay at the top you have to win fights. Faber has been able to deliver not only wins but memorable fights as well.

Payout Perspective:

Perhaps one of the greater challenges of working in sports business is the absence of ultimate control over your product. The WEC cannot control what happens in the cage on Sunday night between Faber and Assuncao – it can only hope to plan and react.

With that said, a Faber victory on Sunday makes life for Reed Harris and Peter Dropick a lot easier. Faber has been a remarkable draw for the WEC, and the feeling is that if the WEC is to pursue a PPV event this year it would likely involve him. The current speculation is that should Faber win, he’ll earn a date with current WEC featherweight champion Jose Aldo this summer. That would be about as good an opportunity as any for the WEC to launch a PPV, and in either scenario they’re likely to come out with a star fighter.

Something to chew on as we head into this weekend: WEC 46 on Sunday and UFN 21 on Monday.

MMAPayout MMA Payout, WEC, booking, pay-per-view