MMA Universe

The UFC announced that beer sponsor Bud Light has renewed its sponsorship with the UFC to remain the official beer of the UFC. The multi-year agreement will keep Bud Light in the center of the Octagon at UFC events.

Via UFC press release:

Bud Light’s sponsorship renewal with Zuffa, LLC, owner of the UFC brand, will continue to immerse the beer into all areas of the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization.  The sponsorship will increase the number of featured Pay-Per-Views (PPV) Bud Light is a presenting sponsor of from two to four annually, and the brand will remain a featured sponsor of all additional PPV and television broadcasts.  Additionally, Bud Light and UFC will work together to present one special promotional event per year, beginning in 2011 with a live event in New Orleans airing on Spike TV Saturday, Sept. 17.

Not only is Bud Light remaining as the official beer, it is extending its partnership with the UFC with brand activation plans beginning with a UFC event in September. Bud Light will utilize an integrated marketing approach in promoting the New Orleans event.

Bud Light is extending the New Orleans event beyond the fight night with the “Battle on the Bayou” national sweepstakes*, a three-day, two-night UFC fan experience in the Big Easy – complete with weigh-ins downtown, an exclusive concert and meet-and-greets with UFC personalities.  Beginning May 2, fans 21 and older can enter to a win a trip for two to the “Battle on the Bayou” online at www.Facebook.com/BudLight or through UFC-branded Snap Tags on Bud Light point-of-sale materials.

“Bud Light’s first three years with the UFC have focused largely on growing awareness and viewership of the sport at bars, restaurants and all the other places Bud Light is sold across the country,” said Mark Wright, vice president of media, sports & entertainment marketing, Anheuser-Busch, Inc.  “Having brought the UFC to more people, we want to start bringing more people to the UFC by creating exclusive fan experiences only Bud Light and the UFC can deliver.  ‘Battle on the Bayou’ is a first and unprecedented step in that direction.”

Payout Perspective:

The Bud Light commitment is a significant step in the right direction for the UFC with its corporate sponsors. Not only does Bud Light renew as the official beer of the UFC, it will commit additional resources in partnering with the UFC to promote a card a year. This commitment to the UFC can only help with other mainstream sponsors in committing more dollars toward sponsorship.

For Bud Light, the additional sponsorship commitment seems to hedge on the possibility of an NFL strike in the fall. Even though it is the official beer of the NFL, it will partner with the UFC to promote a September card in New Orleans.

The Texas-based promotion, Shark Fights, announced it had signed a deal with Fuel TV last week. It will be placed into Fuel’s one hour telecast of “Friday Fight Night” starting April 15th at 10 pm.

The press release from last week goes into a bit more detail regarding Fuel TV’s “Friday Fight Night”:

FUEL TV’s Friday Fight Night” features telecasts of several epic “must see” fight events, including Shark Fights 13. As part of the Shark Fight series, FUEL TV will air select bouts from the highly touted mixed martial arts event. The Shark Fights 13 roster is loaded with  top MMA contenders including British slugger Paul Daley, TUF contestant and UFC super star Keith Jardine, current Shark Fight lightFUEL TV heavyweight champion Trevor Prangley, hard hitting light heavyweight contenders Rameau Sokoudjou and Houston Alexander, UFC veteran Danillo Villefort, Strikeforce veteran Joey Villasenor, and more.

Here is the TV promo for Shark Fights:

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Payout Perspective:

It was no secret that Fuel TV was looking to showcase MMA programming in 2011 based on the new direction the channel, which reaches 31 million homes, was heading. Fuel TV general manager C. J. Olivares told Sports Business Journal about the possibilities and new direction last year:

Fuel TV plans to add lifestyle programming and sports programming from motorsports and mixed martial arts to its lineup over the next month and a half. The moves are designed to expand the channel’s target demo from 12- to 24-year-old males to 12-35 and enlarge its audience.

Fuel TV was also involved in the rumored Bellator TV deal along with FX late last year, though the reports were proven to be premature at the time.  Along with Fuel TV, FX – another FOX affiliate interested in MMA programming – has also been in talks to bring in a sporting franchise to the network for years, rumored many times to be in talks with the UFC and even other big name MMA promotions such as Strikeforce.  The Strikeforce purchase by the UFC has taken away a big name MMA promotion for these networks, therefore giving other smaller promotions such as Shark Fights the opportunity to strike a deal.

Welcome to another edition of Payout Perspective. This time we look at UFC 128 held at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The show was topped by Jon Jones stopping Mauricio Rua to win the UFC Light Heavyweight title.

Jones fights crime, beats Rua

To top off being a favorite , fighting close to his hometown and having his own Spike TV special prior to challenging for the Light Heavyweight crown, Jon Jones helped stop a burglar just hours before the fight.  Although he looked nervous and Rua looked calm, Jones destroyed Rua  to win the belt. Rua looked slow and out of shape, but perhaps that was a testament to the speed and skill of Jones.

For Jones, a matchup with Rashad Evans is next although it may happen late 2011 as it is reported that Jones may have broken a bone in his hand. Thus, Evans will not have fought in the UFC since May 2010.

Faber kisses Rosie, survives to win in UFC debut

Urijah Faber defeated Eddie Wineland and will face Dominick Cruz next. Wineland did well for himself as he stuffed several takedown attempts at the outset, but Faber eventually solved Wineland. After the fight, Faber gave a rather mechanic call out to Cruz.  Perhaps the venom will step up if they become opposing TUF coaches. Whenever the fight happens, it should be a great fight.

I think that the UFC should have Faber-Cruz coach TUF as this can help gain more exposure to the lighter divisions. Plus, it should elevate Faber’s presence to the mainstream. I think Faber (and Jose Aldo) are the two fighters that can give the lighter weight divisions a boost in giving them respect and more visibility on UFC cards.

Not able boos for “The California Kid” coming out to 2Pac/Dre. I guess the East Coast-West Coast rap battle is still alive. And yes, that was Rosie O’Donnell that he kissed walking to the ring. I liked Rosie better when she was a VH1 DJ.

Bonuses

MMA Junkie reports the bonuses for 128.

Brendan Schaub and Erik Koch earned $75K apiece for their KOs and Edson Barboza and Anthony Njokuani earned $75K each for their Fight of the Night on Spike TV. There were no fights ending in submissions so that can explain the double KO bonus.

Attendance and Gate

MMA Junkie reports that 12,619 fans attended UFC 128 for a gate of $2.14 million. The numbers were not as good as GSP-Hardy and did not draw as many fans as Bisping-Evans. In fact, UFC 128 had a slightly better gate than UFC 78. It is likely that Jones will draw much better in the future.

Via MMA Junkie:

UFC 111 (St-Pierre vs. Hardy): $4,000,000 gate (17,000 attendance)* UFC 128 (Jones vs. Rua): $2,140,000 (12,619)* UFC 78 (Bisping vs. Evans): $2,100,000 (14,071)* UFC 53 (Arlovski vs. Eilers): $1,100,000 (12,000)*

Ratings

UPDATED 3/22/11 – MMAPayout confirmed today with SpikeTV the ratings for the UFC Prelims. UFC 128 Prelims earned a .85 household rating, a .92 in Men 18-49, a 1.03 in Men 18-34, and an average audience of 1.3 million viewers. According to MMA Junkie, the ratings show a strong increase from the UFC 127 Prelims on ION.

The lead-up shows for UFC 128 included the usual Countdown show and a special for Jon Jones, “In the Moment.” The Jones pre-event show did better than the Countdown show. It did very well considering it went up against NCAA Tournament games. It will be interesting to see how he GSP-Shields Primetime series will do in comparison.

Sponsorship Watch

MMAPayout Emiritus Kelsey Philpott was on hand and tweeted about the scene outside the arena pre-UFC 128 where the UFC held a Tailgate Party. This was a great way for sponsors to get out in front of its audience. Tapout and Xyience were among the sponsors outside interacting with fans.  The newest product out there for the MMA fan:  Tapout energy bands.

Sponsors in the Octagon included Harley Davidson, BSN, BoostMobile, Xyience, Affliction, Tapout , Toyo Tires and Bud Light had the center of the Octagon.

The UFCStore.com was actively involved in the PPV as it sponsored the tale of the tape and also ran an ad during the first round of the Jones/Rua fight which I thought was a little annoying.

Jon Jones had Iron Bridge Tools as a fight sponsor on the back of his shorts. According to my count, this is the second time that a challenger has won the UFC title with a tool sponsor on the back of his shorts as Cain Velasquez wore a Milwaukee Tools logo when he beat Brock Lesnar. I don’t think Gray Maynard or Vito Belfort had a tool sponsor on the back of their shorts. Are you listening Jake Shields?

Big night for sponsor Form Athletics as Jon Jones and Urijah Faber won their fights.

Public Relations for 128

The UFC was all over the NY/NJ area promoting UFC 128. Details on some of its appearances are here. Aside from promoting 128, the UFC made an effort to promote the legalization of the sport in New York. Notably, Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta appeared on a NY public affairs program to discuss the fight for legalization.

Aside from local media, notable print media stories included Jon Jones in WSJ which asked whether Jones would be the breakthrough star the UFC (and MMA) needs.

Jones appeared on a local morning show in NY where he was asked to display what he does in the Octagon.

UFC Fighter Jon ‘Bones’ Jones: MyFoxNY.com

I think Middle Easy explains my sentiments.

Via Middle Easy:

Hopefully in 2012, we can collectively agree that any form of media asking a fighter to place them in a rear-naked choke needs to come to an end. Actually, that’s not entirely fair. Let’s make a rule that if you ask a fighter to place you in a rear-naked choke, you can’t tap out. The blood running through your neck will have to come to a complete halt and your unconscious body will need to collapse to the floor in order to realize how much of an idiot you were for asking someone to choke you out.

Trending during 128

Twitter was abuzz Saturday night as #ufc128 #Crocop #Schaub #Miller and #Faber were all trending. I’m sure Jones was trending as well although I did not check after the fights.

Odds and Ends

MMA is great because it’s the only sport where one of its champs seconds a fighter as Frankie Edgar did at the weigh-ins for Ricardo Almeida The Miller Brothers fought back to back and went 1 and 1. Jon Jones gave a shout out to his after-party during his post-fight interview, a taboo in the UFC. But, Jones quickly amended his announcement to say it was for charity. Perhaps the champ was taking liberties with his newfound position. While there are many MMA fans that loathe the comparisons to pro wrestling, “USA, USA” chants broke out during the main event. The last time I heard that I think The Iron Shiek was wrestling Sargent Slaughter. If Herb Dean did not stop the Jones-Rua fight, Rua was tapping. Faber received his Brown Belt in BJJ after the Wineland match. Not as dramatic as when Randy Couture received his Black Belt for choking out James Toney or when Frank Mir received his after breaking Tim Sylvia’s arm.

MMA Payout had the opportunity to speak with Mark Mastrandrea about his company Cagehero. Founded in 2010 along with Ian Parker, Cagehero t-shirt designs are not the usual MMA brand of skull and crossbones design.

MP: When was Cagehero established? How long have you been in business? Where are your offices?

CH: Ian Parker and myself, Mark Mastrandrea, founded Cagehero in the spring of 2010.  Cagehero is headquartered in New York City with members in California and Florida.

MP: Where did you get the concept? Inspiration? Are you comic book fans?

CH: Ian and I have been best friends since we were 3 years old.  Ian was a former amateur MMA fighter and comic book fan and I have previous experience with apparel and marketing.  When we came up with the name Cagehero, we conceptualized a brand that would mash together the MMA world and comic book world.

MP: Who does the designs? Who draws the characters, decides on the t-shirt design, etc?

CH: All the characters are conceptualized by myself and Ian.  The characters/designs are done by our in-house design team.

MP: Did you see a niche for your designs in MMA? Did you conduct any market research to see if people would want to purchase your shirts?

CH: In a space where most of the clothing is aesthetically based around skulls, bones, violence and cluttered design, we saw an opening.  We wanted to create a brand with clean designs and a certain level of innocence, a brand that any age could wear.  We wanted to not only stay in our own lane aesthetically, but also message wise. We inspire through our mantra “The Hero comes from within.”

Character driven shirts have been successful in an array of different markets and ages.  If you look at anything for the youth, like Dora the Explorer and Hello Kitty, all the way up to the older age with Anime and Marvel designs.  We’ve found many MMA fighters are big fans of comic books and superheroes as well.  What fighter wouldn’t want to represent a superhero?

MP: I understand that Cung Le was your first MMA sponsored fighter? Did you contact him, or did he contact you?

CH: When it was time to start putting together our Cagehero Roster, Ian reached out to Zinkin Entertainment.  After speaking with DeWayne Zinkin and Bob Cook, we came to the conclusion that Cung Le would be a great ambassador of the brand.  Zinkin and Cook reached out to their client, and Cung asked to speak with Ian before signing.  After hours of telephone conversation between the two, Cung felt at home with the brand and knew it was something to believe in.

MP: Is there a process when you sponsor fighters? How do you select fighters to sponsor?

CH: We always look to sponsor fighters with a certain level of character and charisma.  We don’t want the fighters to just wear the shirt, we want them to believe in the brand and become a part of the Cagehero family.

MP: Which organizations can you find fighters sponsored by Cagehero? Any chance Cagehero ever appears in the UFC?

CH: We predominately sponsor fighters in Strikeforce – Cung Le, Mayhem Miller, Luke Rockhold, Daniel Cormier, Josh Thomson, Miesha Tate, Gian Villante, Lavarr Johnson, Mike Kyle.  We also sponsor Bellator champ Ben Askren, and Brett Weedman.  We recently signed UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell to endorse our brand at UFC events as well.  As far as the move to the UFC… I guess you will have to wait and see!!

MP: What has been the response to your designs? Have you received any suggestions that you have used?

CH: Feedback has been great.  People tell us it is refreshing to a see a different brand that actually stands for something.  We are always open to suggestions from everybody.  Our fighters love to give insight into the characters they wear for their walkout as well.

MP: What is your biggest selling t-shirt?

CH: Our biggest selling shirt is our signature logo shirt “The Glow”.  This has been a hit for people of all ages.  Our Cagehero character shirt “The Fire” has gotten great response too.

MP: How has the business grown since you opened?

CH: We have steadily grown our business since day 1.  Just last weekend at Magic we broke into an additional 22 stores.

MP: What ways do you market Cagehero aside from sponsorship of fighters? Ads? Social media, etc.?

CH: Sponsoring fighters to become ambassadors of our brand, both in and outside the cage, is our primary form of marketing.  We have advertisements in industry magazines/websites, and social media marketing on FB/twitter.  We are currently producing some viral videos and developing a full-feature comic book.  You also could see our brand in the video game EA Sports MMA, as well as MMA Supremacy (releasing this summer)  Over the next 6 months we will be implementing a marketing  program to the youth and comic book world.  Also, a collaboration with a well known Street wear brand.

MP: What are the long-range plans? Any plans of expansion? Other products, etc.?

CH: Our long-term plan is to become the next Marvel.   We want our brand to spread outside of the MMA world, to connect with the comic book world, and also with youth across the world. We are in the process of developing our comic book and are in talks for action figures and our own video game.  We are working hard to create our own world, with in depth stories behind each of the characters.   To get an idea, go to cagehero.net and download our online catalog on the bottom left!

We are rolling out more products as we speak!

Check us on Facebook: CAGEHERO, Twitter: @cagehero, Website:  cagehero.net

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MMA Payout had the opportunity to contact Mary Renouf of the Global Brand Marketing department of XBox for a Q&A about its recent sponsorship of Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson at UFC 126.

Johnson defeated Kid Yamamoto in the second match ever aired on UFC’s Facebook page.

MP: How did you decide to sponsor Demetrious Johnson? Was it in part due to the proximity of Johnson’s gym (AMC Pankration in Kirkland, WA) to the Microsoft campus?

XBox: When Xbox decides to get behind a person or brand, we spend a significant amount of time getting to know who they are on a personal and professional basis. We want to ensure their brand aligns with our Xbox brand and values. Demetrious Johnson (DJ) made sense on many levels – he participates in a sport that many of our core gaming consumers enjoy, he is a core gamer himself, spending a lot of his free time playing Xbox and is also a local! Xbox is a big supporter of Seattle (Washington) athletics – we sponsor the Sounders, Seahawks, Storm and Mariners. We don’t just look at these being sponsorships, but more importantly as “partnerships” that support the local area. DJ’s sponsorship fits into our local athlete support plans as he grew up, resides and trains in the Northwest.

We actually asked our consumers ahead of time for input, posting a question on Facebook about their interest in Mixed Martial Arts and in “Mighty Mouse.” What we learned is that our fans were really excited about Xbox getting behind the sport and such an exciting fighter who continues to succeed even with his “underdog” status. Given that his brand and values aligned very closely with ours, we felt he was a great ambassador for the sport of MMA and Xbox.

MP: Did his reps contact Xbox?

XBox: DJ’s team did contact us regarding some possibilities, and after spending time getting to know him, we thought this would be a great partnership but weren’t quite certain when we would release this announcement.

MP: Was the sponsorship planned? Did you target Johnson, or was the plan to sponsor a UFC fighter and Johnson was available?

Xbox: We specifically selected DJ for this partnership. Blindly sponsoring an individual just for the sake of getting in front of a potential target audience isn’t something that we take lightly as our brand values are very important to us. We have reviewed a few other UFC fighters in the past and determined it wasn’t the right time or fit to jump into this area.

MP: Did the sponsorship occur before or after it was known that Johnson would be fighting on air on Facebook?

XBox: The decision to announce the sponsorship occurred after the UFC confirmed the Johnson fight would be streamed on Facebook. Xbox is a big player in the social space, and we are always looking for ways to reach our target market within these networks. We felt it was a great way for us to give our 6.5M Facebook fans a chance to watch the fight in an environment in which they are already comfortable. Knowing this was only the second time ever that the UFC would broadcast a fight live on Facebook, we thought it was a great opportunity to keep our brand on the cutting edge of digital entertainment.

MP: What are the terms of the sponsorship (a year, a number of fights, etc.)?

XBox: We typically don’t share sponsorship information publically. We do feel DJ has tremendous potential inside and outside of the Octagon, and we look forward to being part of the journey.

MP: What does the sponsorship entail? (T-shirts, signage, appearances, ads, etc?)

XBox: For the first event (UFC 126), we supported DJ with promotion of the event, inclusion in our social communities and T-shirts for him and his team. In the future, you can look for DJ in other Xbox experiences such as digital programs, live events, etc.

MP: Does Xbox 360 foresee sponsoring other fighters?

XBox: It’s really too early to say at this point. We have spent time learning about the sport and its fighters and are still assessing what makes the most sense for our brand and what meets the needs of our consumers.

MP: How about sponsorship in the UFC or other MMA organizations?

XBox: We are focused right now on DJ and potentially a few other fighters that fit our brand and target audience. We don’t necessarily see this carrying over to the overall organizations, but we will closely monitor the effectiveness of these programs to determine the best direction for the future.

MP: Does Xbox plan on doing any promotions for the UFC Fight Night in Seattle in March?

XBox: We don’t have anything planned at this point in time.

MP: How does sponsoring Johnson advance your marketing strategy to your key demographics?

XBox: Our core Xbox consumers love action-packed experiences, both in game and in real life. They also have above average use of the Internet as an entertainment source. As we are always looking for new ways to offer this part of our fan base the chance to do both – enjoy a great entertainment experience in the digital space – we viewed this as a very positive opportunity.

MP: What has been the response to the sponsorship of Johnson? Positive, negative, too soon to tell?

Xbox: Our fans are a very vocal group – in fact, our brand has one of the highest levels of fan engagement of all brands on Facebook. That being said, we were very pleased with the reception of this program. Within thirty minutes of announcing the partnership, we had hundreds of comments on our Facebook post, including things such as “The greatest sport ever is being sponsored by the greatest game system ever!” and “Thanks for making great games and supporting awesome fighters like DJ.” They are definitely clambering for more activation in the MMA space.

MMA Payout had the opportunity to contact Mary Renouf of the Global Brand Marketing department of XBox for a Q&A about its recent sponsorship of Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson at UFC 126.

Johnson defeated Kid Yamamoto in the second match ever aired on UFC’s Facebook page.

MP: How did you decide to sponsor Demetrious Johnson? Was it in part due to the proximity of Johnson’s gym (AMC Pankration in Kirkland, WA) to the Microsoft campus?

XBox: When Xbox decides to get behind a person or brand, we spend a significant amount of time getting to know who they are on a personal and professional basis. We want to ensure their brand aligns with our Xbox brand and values. Demetrious Johnson (DJ) made sense on many levels – he participates in a sport that many of our core gaming consumers enjoy, he is a core gamer himself, spending a lot of his free time playing Xbox and is also a local! Xbox is a big supporter of Seattle (Washington) athletics – we sponsor the Sounders, Seahawks, Storm and Mariners. We don’t just look at these being sponsorships, but more importantly as “partnerships” that support the local area. DJ’s sponsorship fits into our local athlete support plans as he grew up, resides and trains in the Northwest.

We actually asked our consumers ahead of time for input, posting a question on Facebook about their interest in Mixed Martial Arts and in “Mighty Mouse.” What we learned is that our fans were really excited about Xbox getting behind the sport and such an exciting fighter who continues to succeed even with his “underdog” status. Given that his brand and values aligned very closely with ours, we felt he was a great ambassador for the sport of MMA and Xbox.

MP: Did his reps contact Xbox?

XBox: DJ’s team did contact us regarding some possibilities, and after spending time getting to know him, we thought this would be a great partnership but weren’t quite certain when we would release this announcement.

MP: Was the sponsorship planned? Did you target Johnson, or was the plan to sponsor a UFC fighter and Johnson was available?

Xbox: We specifically selected DJ for this partnership. Blindly sponsoring an individual just for the sake of getting in front of a potential target audience isn’t something that we take lightly as our brand values are very important to us. We have reviewed a few other UFC fighters in the past and determined it wasn’t the right time or fit to jump into this area.

MP: Did the sponsorship occur before or after it was known that Johnson would be fighting on air on Facebook?

XBox: The decision to announce the sponsorship occurred after the UFC confirmed the Johnson fight would be streamed on Facebook. Xbox is a big player in the social space, and we are always looking for ways to reach our target market within these networks. We felt it was a great way for us to give our 6.5M Facebook fans a chance to watch the fight in an environment in which they are already comfortable. Knowing this was only the second time ever that the UFC would broadcast a fight live on Facebook, we thought it was a great opportunity to keep our brand on the cutting edge of digital entertainment.

MP: What are the terms of the sponsorship (a year, a number of fights, etc.)?

XBox: We typically don’t share sponsorship information publically. We do feel DJ has tremendous potential inside and outside of the Octagon, and we look forward to being part of the journey.

MP: What does the sponsorship entail? (T-shirts, signage, appearances, ads, etc?)

XBox: For the first event (UFC 126), we supported DJ with promotion of the event, inclusion in our social communities and T-shirts for him and his team. In the future, you can look for DJ in other Xbox experiences such as digital programs, live events, etc.

MP: Does Xbox 360 foresee sponsoring other fighters?

XBox: It’s really too early to say at this point. We have spent time learning about the sport and its fighters and are still assessing what makes the most sense for our brand and what meets the needs of our consumers.

MP: How about sponsorship in the UFC or other MMA organizations?

XBox: We are focused right now on DJ and potentially a few other fighters that fit our brand and target audience. We don’t necessarily see this carrying over to the overall organizations, but we will closely monitor the effectiveness of these programs to determine the best direction for the future.

MP: Does Xbox plan on doing any promotions for the UFC Fight Night in Seattle in March?

XBox: We don’t have anything planned at this point in time.

MP: How does sponsoring Johnson advance your marketing strategy to your key demographics?

XBox: Our core Xbox consumers love action-packed experiences, both in game and in real life. They also have above average use of the Internet as an entertainment source. As we are always looking for new ways to offer this part of our fan base the chance to do both – enjoy a great entertainment experience in the digital space – we viewed this as a very positive opportunity.

MP: What has been the response to the sponsorship of Johnson? Positive, negative, too soon to tell?

Xbox: Our fans are a very vocal group – in fact, our brand has one of the highest levels of fan engagement of all brands on Facebook. That being said, we were very pleased with the reception of this program. Within thirty minutes of announcing the partnership, we had hundreds of comments on our Facebook post, including things such as “The greatest sport ever is being sponsored by the greatest game system ever!” and “Thanks for making great games and supporting awesome fighters like DJ.” They are definitely clambering for more activation in the MMA space.

A new documentary, Fightville, focusing on mixed martial arts will appear at the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas on March 12th.

Via Press Release:

For those looking for a sign that MMA is crossing over to the mainstream, the New York Times recently reported that of the 1,792 feature films submitted to the 2011 edition of the prestigious SXSW Film Festival in Austin, the largest single category of films represented were about combat sports. One of those films, FIGHTVILLE directed by Pepper & Bones, will premiere in the documentary competition at the fest on March 12, 2011.

The popularity of the subject matter doesn’t surprise the film’s co-director Michael Tucker, “When we first started filming FIGHTVILLE we knew very little about MMA, but after 18 months of filming we really came to love the culture of the fight world. Fighting is the stuff that movie legends are made of–who hasn’t wanted to be Rocky or Bruce Lee? MMA is the evolution of that legacy.”

However, as fast as the sport is growing, there is still a gap to mainstream acceptance and the filmmakers hope that FIGHTVILLE will open the door to MMA for a new audience. “Popular culture has long embraced boxing and there is storied history of literary greats championing the sport. Hemingway, London and Mailer were all fighters. That’s just now beginning to happen with MMA and we hope that Fightville will be able to introduce a wider audience to the beauty and passion of the sport while elevating the perception of MMA,“ says Tucker.

SXSW is the fastest growing media festival in the country, with film, interactive and music components. Last year, nearly 40,000 industry attendees swarmed into Austin looking for the next big thing. “SXSW is where decision makers come to take the pulse of popular culture and we are excited to premiere FIGHTVILLE in a place that embraces the future,” says Tucker.

The film focuses on the world of an up-and-coming feeder promotion called USA-MMA run by Gil Guillory in Lafayette, Louisiana–a place where fighting, for many, is as much ritual as it is sport. In FIGHTVILLE, life is a contest and the area around Lafayette, which includes a neighborhood that is the namesake of the film, has no shortage of fighters. Many of them train with veteran UFC fighter Tim Credeur at his Gladiators Academy, where more than just making champions, he seeks to “build better men”. One of those fighters, Dustin Poirier, quickly became the focus of the film, after a series of dramatic victories. “The first time I saw Dustin fight, I was immediately taken with him. You could just tell that the kid was going places,” says Tucker.

And go places he did, Poirier, defying all odds, recently defeated Josh Grispi at his UFC debut. “Dustin defines dedication for me. More than just fighting, FIGHTVILLE is about what it takes to be the best at anything,” says Tucker.

FIGHTVILLE will world premiere on Saturday March 12th at 4:30pm in the Vimeo Theater at the Austin Convention Center.

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FIGHTVILLE from Pepper and Bones on Vimeo.

Payout Perspective:

It will be interesting to see how this does at the film festival. Sports documentaries, if done right, are a great way to bring in non-fans due to the compelling stories and captivating characters. From the preview, the documentary takes a gritty look at the less glamorous life of fighting.

Form Athletics released a video supporting its Fall 2011 clothing line. With its tagline: “Finally a brand you’ll want to wear,” it looks to be more than just t-shirt designs.

The video shows the Form stable including Urijah Faber, Mark Munoz, Jon Jones (shooting pool in the shadows), Chad Mendes, Joseph Benavidez, Scott Jorgenson and Anthony Pettis.

Payout Perspective:

A very cool video inspired by Ocean’s 11. With its recent signings of Jon Jones, Showtime Pettis as well as its focus on being a lifestyle brand, Form is differentiating itself from other MMA brands. It looks like the style is cleaner with fewer huge logos. One sticking point, may be price. A Jon Jones’ hoodie costs $87.99. Will the MMA crowd shell out the money to buy clothes at a higher price point?

The UFC has experienced tremendous growth over the last few years. Its PPV revenues have increased by an annual average of over 20% in the last three years and its live gate has tracked similarly at an average increase of 15% . This is outstanding growth, but also difficult to sustain, which is why many fans and pundits alike are questioning how much longer the UFC can continue this breakneck pace of expansion.

Dave Meltzer was the first to question whether the UFC would continue its revenue growth in 2011. He suggested 2011 might indeed serve as a rebuilding year for the UFC. Similar to a professional sports team taking a year to restock on talent, the UFC might need a year to build new stars and create new interest within each weight division. Meltzer’s argument isn’t without merit, either: the UFC’s top draw, Brock Lesnar, is no longer champion; the dramatic decline in the UFC’s television ratings might signal reduced interest as a whole in 2011; and the expansion into new foreign markets shifts some of the UFC’s focus away from their domestic PPV cash cow.

My own opinion is that the UFC still has room for growth within its current business model and slate of partnerships. The key to this growth is putting forth a consistent year from start to finish, which is something it hasn’t quite managed to do in the last couple of years. In 2009 it started with a bang but ended with a whimper due to injuries. In 2010 the carry over effect from those injuries saw the company get off to a late start, but really charge hard towards the end. Now, a glance at the next six months reveals that the UFC is off to solid start:

UFC 125: Edgar vs. Maynard II ($2 million gate, ~300,000 PPV buys) UFC 126: Silva vs. Belfort ($3.6 million gate, ~700,000 buys) UFC 127: Penn vs. Fitch (prediction: $3 million gate, 225,000 buys) UFC 128: Rua vs. Jones, Faber vs. Wineland (prediction: $3 million gate, 625,000 buys) TUF 13: Lesnar vs. Dos Santos UFC 129: St-Pierre vs. Shields, Aldo vs. Hominick, Couture vs. Machida (prediction: $10 million gate, 850,000 buys) UFC 130: Edgar vs. Maynard III, Jackson vs. Hamill (prediction: $2.5 million gate, 550,000 buys) UFC 131: Lesnar vs. Dos Santos (prediction: $4.5 million gate, 800,000 buys)

The UFC could very well sell 4.0 million PPVs (over 7 events) and $30 million at the gate (over 11 events) in the first six months of 2011, which compares somewhat favorably to 4.1 million PPV buys (over 8 events) and $25 million at the gate (over 12 events) in the same period last year.

While the UFC probably won’t be smashing any previous records with another year of 15-20% event-related revenue growth, it’s more than reasonable to believe the company could achieve modest 5-8% increases on the year.

This, of course, also depends on a quality second half to the year, but there are more than a few reasons to think this could be the UFC’s most consistent year ever. The UFC will get both Cain Velasquez and Dominick Cruz back by late summer. Georges St-Pierre vs. Anderson Silva could help the UFC finish strong in December (although, first GSP needs to defeat Shields at 129). The outcome of several fights in this opening six months could produce a host of intriguing headliners for the second half (e.g., Faber vs. Wineland). Moreover, if we look away from MMA for a moment, potential labor conflict at the NBA and NFL could help to reduce some of the UFC’s competition come September; and, if you look at the numbers, the UFC has traditionally done the best during the summer when the NBA, NFL, and NHL are in off-season mode.

——

There can be no conversation about the growth of MMA without mentioning Strikeforce. It may be the second largest fight organization in the world and far behind in the revenue race, but it possesses a heavyweight division as deep and talented as any out there. This Strikeforce HW GP is the perfect way to showcase that organizational strength and breathe new life into the organization. There’s a significance and purpose to these fights that Strikeforce has sorely lacked over the years. It’s not just enough to put on good fights in this business, Strikeforce has got to put on good fights that mean something, and this GP provides an answer to that age old sports marketing question of “why should we care?”.

If you look at Strikeforce’s schedule over the next three months, it’s easy to see why MMA fans are going to be a spoiled bunch in 2011:

Fedor vs. Silva, Arlovski Kharitonov (February) Feijao vs. Henderson, Manhoef vs. Kennedy (March) Overeem vs. Werdum, Barnett vs. Rogers (April)

The ratings Strikeforce pulled with its last event are certainly encouraging. I’m not certain a PPV is necessarily in the cards for 2011 – especially now that Fedor is out of the tournament – but I do think they’ll do enough to get themselves back on CBS within the year.

Strikeforce kicked off this last critical week with a successful Fan Experience event held in New York City and closed it with HDNet’s coverage of their weigh-ins today, all leading up to Saturday night’s opening round of their first ever Heavyweight World Grand Prix.

Strikeforce: Fedor vs Silva Weigh-In Photo:

Strikeforce: Fedor vs Silva Weigh-In Video:

QUICK NOTES:

Strikeforce and CEO Scott Coker featured on Bloomberg - Scott Coker, chief executive officer of Strikeforce, talks about the mixed martial arts promoter’s revenue and profitability outlook. Coker speaks with Michele Steele on Bloomberg Television’s “InsideTrack.”

HWGP Opening Ceremony – Here’s The Demolition Man @alistairovereem practicing his portion of the HW tourney entrance… http://yfrog.us/j6ws0wz … MMAPayout: The rumor is out, Strikeforce will have a PRIDE like opening ceremony for the event Saturday night. MMAPayout has learned that Lenne Hardt was also in talks to participate on the show, but due to schedule conflicts, she was not able to participate on Saturday night.  She is hopeful to join the next round of the Grand Prix though, which may take place in Japan. Picture below courtesy of MiddleEasy:

Freddy Madball – Freddy Madball & Jaysaun cut a new theme song for Andrei Arlovski, titled “The Real Deal”. It will debut on Saturday nights broadcast of Strikeforces opening round of the Heavyweight Grand Prix.

Attendance and Gate- Coming into the week, the word was that around 10,000 tickets had been sold.  At the HW GP Fan Experience event, Scott Coker mentioned that he was expecting around 12,000-13,000 fans for the event at the Izod Center in New Jersey, which is configured for 14,500 fans.  If they hit those marks, expect Strikeforce to hit the 1 million dollar gate number once again, the last coming from the Fedor vs Werdum event in San Jose last year.

International Strikeforce Fans – UK Fans: The Strikeforce Heavyweight Tournament starts Saturday night on SKY Primetime PPV, £9.95 – for first event or £24.95  for the entire HW tournament… other selected European countries can catch it on Eurosport 2. Brazil and Latin American Fans: HBO Plus will be televising the event. Canadian Fans: Super Channel will televise the event. Japanese MMA Fans: It will air on SkyPerfecTV PPV.  Most other countries can catch the the SF HW GP events on PPV.

Strikeforce still gunning for April event in Japan (LA Times) – Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker has given himself one more week to secure a venue in Japan for a planned April event...Should the event be held stateside, Coker said he is considering Georgia, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas, states whose athletic commissions have apparently agreed to license Josh Barnett… MMAPayout: Loretta Hunt reveals that Strikeforce was trying to book the Saitama Super Arena in Tokyo, which seats about 35,000, but the venue was not available on that date or surrounding dates, which filling up would have been quite the challenge with the recent decline of popularity for MMA in Japan.

From Russia — with no love lost (ESPN) – “He’s not Russian, he’s Belarusian,” Emelianenko said of Arlovski via a translator. “This is just a different country. It’s a Slavic country.” … Asked for a reaction, Arlovski blurted out “f— Russia” before he and Khorolinsky quickly said it was a joke… “I don’t think Fedor nor Sergei are qualified to judge Andrei,” Khorolinsky said.

HDNet/HDNet Fights – Will televise the weigh-ins on Friday at 5:00 PM ET and the prelims on Saturday as well before the Showtime portion of the event kicks off.  Prelim fights will air on HDNet at 8:00 PM ET.

WEIGH-IN RESULTS:

SHOWTIME BOUTS:
-Fedor Emelianenko (230) vs. Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva (264)
-Andrei Arlovski (242) vs. Sergei Kharitonov (250)
-Shane Del Rosario (248) vs. Lavar Johnson (243)
-Chad Griggs (229) vs. Gian Villante (227)
-Valentijn Overeem (239) vs. Ray Sefo (249)

HDNET BOUTS:
-John Cholish (155.75) vs. Marc Stevens (156.5)*
-Igor Gracie (170.75) vs. John Salgado (170)
-Sam Oropeza (169.75) vs. Don Carlo-Clauss (170.5)
-Anthony Leone (146.2) vs. Josh Laberge (145.75)**
-Kevin Roddy (145.75) vs. Jason McLean (145.5)

*Cholish agreed to accept Stevens’ weight of 156.5 pounds even though it was slightly over the limit.

**Leone was given one hour to make the 146-pound limit for his fight.

Source: MMAWeekly

Strikeforce: Fedor vs Silva Weigh-In Photo:

Strikeforce held their Heavyweight GP meet and greet fan experience event in New York, where fans were able to meet all GP participants, win free tickets, autographs, photos, and participate in other activities geared for the fans.

The event ran from 4-6pm ET at the Roseland Ballroom, where fans got a chance to meet, interact, and support their favorite fighters. Strikeforce details the success of the event in a press release issued yesterday.

Seven hours before the doors would open for the STRIKEFORCE Grand Prix Fan Experience Tuesday, a long line began to form outside the Roseland Ballroom in New York City. Once inside, the approximately 1,500 MMA fans who jammed the venue for the event were treated to a spectacular afternoon they will not soon forget.

All eight fighters who will compete in the eagerly awaited STRIKEFORCE World Grand Prix — Heavyweight Tournament were in attendance and signed autographs, answered questions from emcee Scott Ferrall and posed for photos. There were ticket, T-shirt and STRIKEFORCE fight gear giveaways, fight videos shown on giant television screens,  workouts in the cage and photo opportunities with The Rockstar Girls. Music was provided by special guest deejay, DJ Clue.
…

Dyami Arroyo of The Bronx was the first to show at 8:30 a.m. Despite cold, bitter, windy conditions, he kept his spot at the head of the line. “There was no way I was going to miss a chance to meet Fedor and the greatest heavyweights in the world,” he said. “As soon as I heard about this, I told my boss I was taking the day off.”

His buddy, Freddie Diaz, of Queens, says he called in sick. “I love STRIKEFORCE, but this is a dream-come-true for any MMA fan.”

Said Brooklyn’s Joe Doyle, who arrived a little after Arroyo and Diaz: “To get this kind of access to these kinds of fighters is unbelievable,” he said. “There was no way I wasn’t going to be here. I am really happy that STRIKEFORCE did something like this for us. No other MMA organizations do anything like this around here.”

***

MMAFighting Video Of Fighters Being Introduced to New York Fans:

Strikeforce HW GP Fan Prediction Video:

Fabricio Werdum Demonstration Video Shot By Fan:

***

Images From Strikeforce HW GP Fan Experience Event:

Payout Perspective:

To say the event was a huge success for Strikeforce would be an understatement.  The word that after having their best pre-sale ever for this event, selling close to 6,000 tickets by the first week of sales, is that they were above 10,000 sold tickets heading into this week, which Strikeforce will provide a big promotional push to sell a few thousand more seats.  Mike Chiappetta of MMAFighting wrote “Strikeforce Heavyweights Descend Upon New York to Lay Claim to No. 1“, where he states that it’s possible for Strikeforce to draw a crowd between 12,000 and 15,000 for Saturday night’s event.

To sum up the success of the event, MMAFighting reporter Ariel Helwani, who attended the event, said it best on his Twitter account:

Saying this right now: this fan event is the best thing Strikeforce and Showtime MMA has ever put together. It’s great. Big crowd.

The next few days will be used by Strikeforce carefully to further promote the event and create enough buzz to sell a few more thousand tickets and to get MMA fans to tune in on Saturday night on Showtime.  They have a few surprises stored for fans as well as a rumored announcement for Saturday, which they hope will continue their momentum to the next round of the HW GP and throughout the remainder of the year, for what Strikeforce hopes is a breakout 2011 for the promotion.

Welcome to another addition of Payout Perspective. Today we look at UFC 126 held in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Super Bowl weekend show featured a trio of fights: the much-anticipated Anderson Silva facing Vito Belfort, Forrest Griffin taking on Rich Franklin and Jon “Bones” Jones faced Ryan Bader.

Silva KOs Belfort

After an intense weigh-in face off where both fighters had to be restrained, the fight ended abruptly as Silva’s front kick to Belfort’s chin stunned “The Phenom.” A couple shots on the ground by Silva ended the evening in the first round. Although he credits Steven Seagal for teaching him the kick, the Spider is still pretty good.

Next up for Silva is a potential superfight with GSP. Certainly everyone, except Yushin Okami, would like to see it next. As we’ve talked about, a GSP-Silva fight could surpass 1.6 million PPV buys. The anticipated fight should have an international appeal and it will be interesting where the UFC will have the fight. Look for this fight to happen in December.

Griffin beats Franklin

In a fight between fan favorites, Forrest Griffin fought off the Octagon rust to beat Rich Franklin. In the post-fight interview,  Joe Rogan helped Griffin “push product” as Griffin put it, by plugging Griffin’s two books. Unfortunately for Griffin, MMA Junkie reports that he is out until August with a foot injury unless he is cleared by a doctor. It will be interesting what Franklin will do next. He is still a quality fighter but his future may not be in the Light Heavyweight division. If Anderson Silva decides to leave the middleweight division, I could see Franklin moving back in.

 Jones submits Bader, earns title shot

Jon Jones submitted Ryan Bader in the second round and leapfrogged into a title match versus Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. With Rashard Evans out with a knee injury, and Rampage Jackson not ready for the shot, the UFC decided to give it to Jones. The announcement came via Rogan in the post-match interview. A good ploy by the UFC as you got to see Jones’ reaction as he first heard he was getting the shot. Even though Jones is getting the shot on relative short notice, Rua cannot be happy with the matchup especially since he will be facing a Pro-Jones crowd in New Jersey. Only Matt Serra had it worse for a title defense.

The Rua-Jones fight should bolster ticket sales and PPV buys. Not only is Jones’ popularity at a high, the native New Yorker will get home field advantage in Newark, New Jersey.  Obviously, the UFC is playing up the local ties and hopes that the event shows the folks in New York what its missing.

 Fighter Payouts

Via MMA Junkie:

Champ Anderson Silva: $200,000 (includes no win bonus)
def. Vitor Belfort: $275,000

Forrest Griffin: $275,000 ($150,000 win bonus)
def. Rich Franklin: $75,000

Jon Jones: $140,000 ($70,000 win bonus)
def. Ryan Bader: $20,000

Jake Ellenberger: $32,000 ($16,000 win bonus)
def. Carlos Eduardo Rocha: $8,000

Miguel Torres: $56,000 ($28,000 win bonus)
def. Antonio Banuelos: $9,000

Donald Cerrone: $36,000 ($18,000 win bonus)
def. Paul Kelly: $19,000

Chad Mendes: $19,000 ($9,500 win bonus)
def. Michihiro Omigawa: $8,000

Demetrious Johnson: $10,000 ($5,000 win bonus)
def. Norifumi Yamamoto: $15,000

Paul Taylor: $36,000 ($18,000 win bonus)
def. Gabe Ruediger: $8,000

Kyle Kingsbury: $20,000 ($10,000 win bonus)
def. Ricardo Romero: $10,000

Mike Pierce: $28,000 ($14,000 win bonus)
def. Kenny Robertson: $6,000

As always, the payouts are not inclusive as certain fighters receive “locker room bonuses” from the UFC and paid from their individual sponsors.

It’s interesting to see that Jon Jones gets paid like a top star. His base was only $5K less than the more-established Rich Franklin. It looks like the base salaries has increased from a $3,000 minimum to $6,000 minimum.

Bonuses – each fighter received a $75K bonus

Paul Kelly versus Donald Cerrone – Fight of the Night

Jon Jones – Submission of the Night

Anderson Silva – Knockout of the Night

No complaints on any of the fighter bonuses. I have been a proponent of giving the benefit of the doubt to a lower-tier fighter for Sub or KO of the night but both Jones and Silva deserved their bonuses.

Attendance and Gate

Saturday’s “UFC 126: Silva vs. Belfort” event drew a reported 10,893 attendees and generated a live gate of $3.6 million. This did not include an additional $45,100 in revenue generated by the 1,046 attendees who viewed the fight via closed-circuit broadcast. (h/t MMA Junkie)

Sponsorship Watch

Xbox 360 – Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson was sponsored by the Microsoft video game console maker. Johnson’s gym in Kirkland (recently featured on Inside MMA) is 15 minutes from the Microsoft campus in Washington. Not sure if this was the tie-in to get him sponsored, but it’s a theory. Not only did Johnson use his twitter to ask his followers to demand that his fight be televised, he used it to promote Xbox 360′s  Twitter and Facebook page.

Xyience – The energy drink of the UFC was in full force with signage on the mat and on every bottle of water used by the fighters. It also sponsored an Ultimate Access Sweepstakes where two fans could win the VIP treatment at UFC 129 in Toronto which includes meeting Jon Jones. A great form of brand activation.

Tapout – A new fashion statement coming to the ring replacing the regular fight shirt – the track suit top. Not a lot of design and it looked great.

Form Athletics /K-Swiss – Jon Jones signed a multi-year deal with K-Swiss which promised a Jon Jones shoe. Jones wore the K-Swiss tubes at the weigh-ins. Also, Jones will have a signature line of clothing with Form Athletics. It probably includes this hoodie.

MusclePharm – Despite its past troubles, it sponsored three fighters (two in one fight – Ellenberger v. Rocha) including Anderson Silva.

Speaking of Silva, he reportedly made $100K from Brazilian brand Bonanno for wearing it during the fight. In addition, Silva signed with Brazilian sports marketing agency, 9ine. Although relatively new, the agency is owned by WPP, an established, worldwide advertising firm.

Facebook and Twitter

The UFC utilized its Facebook page to live stream another fight. It first used its page at UFC Fight for the Troops 2. This time, Demetrious Johnson faced Kid Yamamoto. Johnson had campaigned, via his twitter, to have his fight televised. And behold, he gets the opportunity to have fans see his fight via Facebook. Johnson also forged a nice sponsorship deal with Xbox 360.

The UFC also introduced a fight game on Facebook: UFC Fight Nation.

Vitor Belfort and Anderson Silva made waves on Twitter as both were trending prior to weigh-ins. The fight was especially popular in Brazil. After his big KO, Silva remained trending in twitterverse hours after the fight.

UFC 126 Prelims: 2 million viewers

MMA Junkie reports that Saturday night’s UFC 126 prelims hit 2 million viewers. It earned a 1.2 household rating including a 1.7 for M18-49. It was the highest-rated program in its timeslot among M18-49 and 18-34. It was an all-time high for “UFC Prelims” broadcasts.

HD Net at the UFC Weigh-Ins

HD Net’s Inside the MMA held its weekly show at the UFC weigh-ins. Bas Rutten and Kenny Rice were joined by Mike Goldberg. The show provided insight and did a good job in hyping the fights as the fighters got on the scales. It was surreal to see Joe Rogan host the UFC weigh-ins on one channel and then flip to Inside the MMA and see his PPV broadcast partner on HD Net. I think the HD Net broadcast adds value to the weigh-ins but it cannot go up against the live feed hosted by Joe Rogan. It will be interesting to see what the UFC decides to do.

UFC offers new experience via UFC.tv

The UFC introduced a new technology on UFC.tv which includes control of audio and video, multiple camera angles and interaction with other fans. No news yet on how many people took advantage of it but we will keep you updated.

Storylines Post-UFC 126

“Superfight in the making” – Silva v. GSP: Jake Shields is the only man to stop this from happening.

“Next big thing” – Jones gets title shot on 6 weeks notice: At 23, is he ready to hold down the Light Heavyweight Division?

“Rashad Evans moving?” If Jon Jones wins, Evans stated that he will never fight his teammate and move divisions.

Odds and ends

Look for the UFC to do something more with 3-D. With its new technology initiatives, it’s coming soon.

In its pre-main event fight analysis, the UFC used mini-Belfort and Silva to go over the keys to victory. Pretty interesting.

Aaron Rodgers thanked Dana White via tweet for the Championship belt he had on the podium after the Super Bowl.

If you were wondering where Silva got the mask at the weigh-ins, Sherdog has the info. Before Silva donned the mask, there was Shaq.

K-Swiss announced a multi-year endorsement deal with UFC light heavyweight contender Jon “Bones” Jones for K-Swiss and FORM Athletics. Jones’ deal includes collaborating with K-Swiss on a signature shoe.

According to Jones’ agent, Malki Kawa, he is the first MMA star to have his own shoe.

Via K-Swiss press release:

The Jones deal with K·Swiss will include appearances, ad campaigns and representation in the company’s growing fitness category.  He joins Jeremy Shockey of the New Orleans Saints, Patrick Willis of the San Francisco 49ers, and Urijah Faber, the MMA Fighter and WEC Champion, in representing the TUBES training footwear category.  Jones will also be collaborating with K·Swiss on a signature shoe.

FORM Athletics will release a Jon Jones Signature Collection of performance and lifestyle apparel for both in and out of the ring.

Jones will begin representing K-Swiss in the Octagon at UFC 126.

Payout Perspective:

I believe that Jones is the next face of the UFC and this deal is another sign that he is a marketable personality in and out of the Octagon. The importance of the deal is not the signature shoe deal but that it is multi-year. But, the signature shoe deal shows that K-Swiss sees the potential in Jones and that he can be a cross0ver spokesperson. The FORM Athletics Signature Clothing line reflects this as well. FORM has quite a good guy stable with Jones, Anthony Pettis, Mark Munoz and Co-Founder Urijah Faber.

 

Anderson Silva has signed a long-term contract with San Paulo, Brazil-based sports marketing company, 9ine. The company, with offices in London and San Paulo, is co-owned by famous soccer player Ronaldo Fenômeno.

9ine is named after Ronaldo’s soccer number. It was created in anticipation of the burgeoning sports market in Brazil with the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympics on the horizon.

Via Bloody Elbow:

The first project will have the champion wearing the Bozzano logo (a hygienic product company) on his shorts during the Belfort fight; this will pay the champion R$170,000.00 (around $100,000.00 USD) for that fight, which was negotiated by 9ine.

“9ine wishes to work with a small group of elite athletes and companies, this is the case with Anderson Silva, one of the best competitor’s in MMA in the world” commented Ronaldo, who goes on to say this will be the first deal of many to come for the champion.

h/t (Bloody Elbow, Tatame and Bonde)

Payout Perspective:

The creation of 9ine and the signing of Silva shows the potential uptick in the sports market in Brazil. With two huge sporting events happening in Brazil in the coming years, it makes sense to capitalize on potential sponsors. For Silva, signing with a startup agency in Brazil may make sense, but may not be a way to extend his brand in the US and beyond. Certainly, his deal with Bozzano is lucrative and makes sense to his native Brazil, but will 9ine be able to get him sponsorship deals with companies outside of Brazil. Then again, Silva may not be interested in extending his reach outside of South America.

Georges St. Pierre has split with his agent since 2007, Shari Spencer. A press release Thursday provided the news of the change in management and described the split as amicable.

According to the press release, “They (GSP-Spencer) felt they had a different vision for the future of Georges’ career and it was best to remain close personally but dissolve their business relationship.” (via MMA Fighting)

St. Pierre will remain at Hollywood talent agency, Creative Arts Agency. But, he will choose a new manager. It is rumored that he will hire a close friend to take over for Spencer.

Spencer, who runs her own company, continues to manage UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar.

Payout Perspective:

In September we commented on GSP’s feature in the NY Times’ Fashion and Style section (definitely the work of Spencer) and wondered if he would become the face for the UFC. The article chronicled GSP’s foray into NY fashion week. An underlying theme in the piece was that GSP seemed uncomfortable with the mainstream New York scene…and perhaps his role as the spokesperson for the UFC. Spencer’s work had helped GSP obtain mainstream sponsors (Gatorade and Under Armour) as well as appearances on ESPN and non-MMA magazines.

Despite the publicity, the speculation is that the mainstream glitz was not his scene. GSP did not like selling himself to Madison Avenue and did not like the time that went into dealing with sponsors. GSP would rather dedicate himself to time in the gym rather than build his brand or become the face for the UFC. Will GSP continue to be a mainstream pitchman? If he does not want to spend time in building his brand through sponsors, his opportunities may be limited and relegated to what CAA can bring him.  (h/t Robert Joyner via twitter)

GSP may be an introvert, or insecure about his place in celebrity, and retreating from being a pitchman may be his wish. Rereading the NY Times article and looking at some of the attempts at comedy GSP has done (see ESPN commercials), he tries, but seems grossly uncomfortable. From an athletic standpoint, concentrating on fighting is probably a good thing. But, from a business perspective, GSP is leaving a lot of opportunities on the table. This may be something that GSP may regret in 10 years.

Toyo Tires will return as the official tire of the UFC for 2011. The Cypress, California company will be featured on octagon ring posts in six PPVs as well as Saturday night’s Fight for the Troops. The Toyo Tires logo will also be on the mat for select Fight Nights.

From the UFC press release:

“Toyo Tires is proud to once again be the Official Tire of UFC,” said Stan Chen, manager of events and motorsports, Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp.  “UFC continues to grow, as does their dedicated fan base. This renewed sponsorship places the Toyo Tires name in front of those loyal fans, across North America and the world.”

Toyo Tires was a UFC sponsor from 2006-2008.

Payout Perspective:

Similar to the Safe Auto sponsorship, Toyo Tires will sponsor the UFC for 2011 in the ring for Fight Nights and PPVs. It will try to capitalize on the UFC demographic for the sales of its aftermarket tires. Its interesting to see that mainstream products are considering spending sponsorship dollars on the UFC.  It is a smart move considering the younger UFC demographic need/want affordable car insurance but will spend money on nice, sleek tires on their car.

When speaking with Safe Auto, the company indicated that they were an official sponsor of the UFC, but it was not officially designated as the “official insurance” of the UFC. In the UFC press release, it was clear that Toyo Tires was the “official tire” of the UFC. I wonder if ”official tire” was bestowed on Toyo Tires since it is a returning sponsor or a premium was paid for the status.

One might recall Toyo Tires had a PR nightmare a couple years ago when Rampage Jackson went on a vehicular rampage in a truck adorned with the Toyo Tires‘ name (h/t Cagewriter).

UFC Lightweight Heavyweight Champ Mauricio “Shogun” Rua is the newest brand ambassador for Ampli5, a sports band company out of St. Petersburg, Florida.

From the Ampli5 press release:

Ampli5′s Health-Sports bands and dog tags are designed to increase performance by balancing natural energy fields and restoring the proper internal frequencies of the body. The power behind all Ampli5 products is the Ampli5 Technology, which is contained in an exclusive proprietary alloy that is part of each item.

As part of the campaign with Rua, Ampli5 is running a contest on its website where one could win a chance to see Rua fight Rashard Evans in person.

In the coming weeks, Ampli5 will be running a promotional contest via its social media platforms that includes an all-inclusive paid vacation package to watch Shogun Rua take on Rashad Evans at UFC 128 in Newark, NJ on March 19, 2011. The winning contestant will also receive an Ampli5 gift package.

Payout Perspective:

Another good example of the extension of sponsorship opportunities for fighters. I am not clear of the science behind the product, or how it could help Rua, but bands like these are worn by athletes in golf, basketball, football and tennis. These bands seem similar to Phiten, which endorsers include Matt Hasselback, Joba Chamberlain and Jennie Finch.

For Ampli5, its a good way to target an audience as Rua will headline UFC 128. The promotional contest is another great opportunity to garner buzz in the weeks prior to the event. The exposure from the event should create good web traffic for the company.

As an aside, the commercial on its website shows that Maven Huffman is a spokesperson for the product. For those of you who are wrestling fans, Maven won the very first WWE’s Tough Enough.

A rematch between Nam Phan and Leonard Garcia is set for Ultimate Fight Night 24 in Seattle, March 26th. Phan-Garcia II is a result of suspect judging in their initial encounter in which Garcia won the match but many, including Joe Rogan, believed Phan earned the decision. In hopes of preventing another error, Phan has produced this instructional video.

Payout Perspective:

The viral video is a low-budget way for a fighter to market themselves and Phan does a good job in lampooning his controversial loss. It shows he has a sense of humor and can deal with adversity. It could possibly help out with future sponsor opportunities. While the production level is low, it has some direction and it is much better than Brock Lesnar’s recent effort to promote his forthcoming book.  Also, I like the homage to Street Fighter.

Video via Cagewsriter.

Brock Lesnar reappeared to MMA fans this week as he released a promotional video for his upcoming book. The video looks homemade, unscripted and not thought through.

Here it is via MMA Mania:

Payout Perspective:

My initial thought was that this was a spoof. A wierd way to promo Lesnar as he returns to the UFC to fight Frank Mir or coach TUF. But, no, it appears to be a legitimate promo for his autobiography coming out later this year. I was under the impression that Paul Heyman was assisting in writing the book. If so, I would have hoped that Heyman would have helped with the promotional efforts. Certainly, Heyman could have done something better to sell this book. Lesnar doesn’t have the book with him or at least some sort of cover art to show people that an actual book is forthcoming.

For all of the promos he cut in the WWE and his post-match speeches after Mir II and Carwin I, it’s surprising to see Lesnar look so uncomfortable and at a loss for words.

Welcome to another edition of Payout Perspective! This week we’ll be taking at look at UFC 125: Resolution which was held on January 1, 2011 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas Nevada. The event featured a lightweight title fight between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard, but the likes of Chris Leben, Brian Stann, Thiago Silva, and Clay Guida also appeared on the night.

Edgar vs. Maynard Ends in Draw

Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard put forward a fight of the year candidate on the very first day of the year in their five round back and forth battle that featured a remarkable comeback by Edgar who was absolutely trounced in the first round. In the end, the fight was incredibly close and the decision of a draw was probably appropriate. Regardless, I think we’d all agree that this fight demands a rematch and the draw should facilitate that.

Dana White sent word through VP of Production, Craig Borsari, that Anthony Pettis would get the next shot at Frankie Edgar. White is probably looking to capitalize on the mainstream attention that Pettis garnered with his incredible kick two weeks ago at WEC 53. The promotional value of that kick is significant and there’s no doubt the UFC will be able to leverage it further on the PR front in the lead up to a title fight. Imagine Pettis doing a SportsCenter interview on the Wednesday morning before the fight; he’s introduced, talks about the fight, ESPN shows the clip, and then he’s asked to comment further. It will prove to be very effective (although it will need to be supported by a solid integrated promotional campaign).

I doubt very much that this is the absolute final decision, because there’s a strong argument to be made for giving Gray Maynard an immediate rematch: the fans want to see this score settled, a rematch would do bigger business than the first fight, the winner would certainly see his stock elevated to new heights, and few actually believe that Pettis can put up the same type of fight as Maynard. However, in this case, what is to be done with Pettis? He’s got the WEC belt and that unification needs to happen at some point (unless they just scrap the idea altogether. It doesn’t make sense for Pettis to fight someone else (and most probably lose). And, I’m not sure the UFC wants to see an exciting fighter like Pettis sitting on the sidelines for 8 months, either. Tough decision. Perhaps the UFC just scraps the unification idea altogether (they didn’t give Condit an automatic shot).

(Edit: Ariel Helwani tracked down Dana White late Saturday night. White has had a change of heart and Maynard will get the next shot.)

Regardless, I think they use the next lightweight title fight as the co-main event at UFC 129 to bolster that fight card and bring a little bit of added promotional press (either in the form of the Pettis kick or the Maynard rematch).

Stann KOs Leben

Brian Stann beat Chris Leben at his own game on Saturday night. It was an impressive display of precision and punching power, yet this style of fighting is often a very risky game of who can strike first. Stann will need to take on a more well-rounded opponent in his next fight to prove he deserves to be considered amongst the contenders in the division. While he’s asked to fight Wanderlei Silva, he’ll likely have to find a different opponent as Silva seems to be all but committed to fighting Chael Sonnen in the next few months.

Stann is an intriguing fighter because he’s got knockout power and some of the finer marketing attributes that could help make him an ambassador for the sport moving forward. In particular, the combination of his soft spoken, polite mannerisms and his military past make him an ideal regulatory asset. He’s definitely one to watch.

Prelims Broadcast on ION TV, Spike, Versus “Counter Program”

The UFC struck a deal with Ion TV to broadcast three live preliminary fights from UFC 125. The major draw of Ion is that it’s available in 100+ million households, but it’s hard to assess how well the UFC was able to leverage that fact on account of the following:

We don’t know how much advertising was done on the network prior to the broadcast Many of the digital cable companies on the West Coast listed the program as starting at 9pm instead of 6pm Those that did tune in at the right time were greeted by a blank screen for the first minute or two Spike TV and Versus were both showing Zuffa-related content at the time of the preliminary fights (Spike had UFC’s Best Submission and Versus had Best of the WEC)

It seems clear that this Ion TV deal was less about expanding the UFC’s reach through network television and more about providing its existing fan base with an opportunity to watch the preliminary fights.

The UFC’s deal with Spike expires at the end of this year and it’s no secret that the UFC is looking to upgrade to a bigger and better network. This is going to make 2011 quite interesting because I don’t think we’re going to see nearly the same type of support for the UFC on Spike as we have in the past (e.g., preliminary card slots, live weigh-ins, etc.). Thus, you have to wonder what type of impact it’s going to have on the UFC’s ratings (and that’s the point if you’re Spike; to negatively impact the UFC’s negotiating leverage with other networks).

If you’re the UFC, you have to be careful here. This is the type of situation that can turn very ugly, very quickly. UFC brass must keep its composure because it doesn’t want to jeopardize the quality of its programming in a war of words or bad gestures.

UFC 125 Dominates Twitter

The following were all worldwide trending topics at some point during the night: UFC125, Frankie Edgar, Gray Maynard, Brian Stann, Chris Leben, Clay Guida, Grispi. Moreover, UFC125 was the topic trending topic in Brazil, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States at the end of the Edgar-Maynard bout.

This all leads me to wonder what type of buyrate the fight did. My own expectation was 400,000 given the headline and New Year’s day sports competition. However, the incredible response online leads me to believe it might have been higher. We’ll see in the next few weeks. Certainly, I think we’d all agree that the fight helped raise the profile of guys like Edgar and Maynard. If and when a rematch happens, it will sell.

Sponsorship Watch

MusclePharm made a surprising return to the Octagon at UFC 125. The company had previously failed to pay the money owed to Zuffa from its sponsorship of the WEC in 2010 (something in the range of $300,000). However, Zuffa sold that outstanding debt to a collections company and now it appears that MP has been given the okay to resume fighter sponsorships. It’s interesting to me that Zuffa has allowed them back in. There are any number of potential explanations as to why, but regardless, this is a good thing for the fighters (something the UFC is often criticized for).

Harley Davidson was the presenting sponsor of the UFC 125 Prelims on Ion TV. This is surprising to me because HD has gone through a leadership shake up recently and I’ve heard rumblings that its uncommitted to renewing with the UFC when the deal expires this year. Keep your eye on this situation moving forward.

Edit 2: I’d earlier commented that Tapout was not officially a part of the fight card, but this was incorrect. The brand did have some bumper signage on the top of the Octagon. It also continues to sponsor fighters, which has never been disputed. Please forgive the mistake.

The larger point still stands that Tapout has become much less active as an official UFC sponsor in the last few months. I suspect this reduction is due to ABG’s acquisition of Tapout (along with Hitman and Silver Star) and some reformulation of the marketing strategies for each brand. It may also be the result of a renegotiation between Zuffa and ABG that’s looking to explore new possibilities for a greater partnership. I’d expect an increase in activation quite shortly; an involved UFC-Tapout partnership is highly mutually beneficial. Perhaps the only way it doesn’t happen is if the UFC can swing a deal with a larger apparel company like Under Armour. UA is an incredible fit for the UFC, and it could provide the brand with a very competitive strike against the competition (Nike, Adidas, etc.). However, at this time, consider this just speculation.