MMA Universe

San Francisco (Aug. 15, 2011) — The world of mixed martial arts suffered a devastating loss with the news of legendary mixed martial arts (MMA) coach Shawn Tompkins death. Mr. Tompkins, 37, was a beloved husband and son, a successful entrepreneur and a devoted mixed martial artist whose passion for MMA inspired countless athletes and fans.

The Canadian native who made his home in Las Vegas was affectionately known as “The Coach” to his friends and fans around the globe. Mr. Tompkins passed in his sleep.

During his career that spanned more than two decades, Mr. Tompkins coached 15 champions in six different weight classes, including icons such as Vitor Belfort, Randy Couture and Wanderlei Silva. He took particular interest in cultivating the sport’s future champions, including MMA’s rising stars Sam Stout, Mark Hominick and Chris Horodecki.

The Tompkins family extends their deepest gratitude to friends and fans for their support, and asks that their privacy be respected during this very difficult time. Those wishing to express their sympathies to the Tompkins family may do so at special guestbook, http://www.ultraguest.com/sign/1313430810.

The Shawn Tompkins Memorial Fund has been established and those wishing to contribute may contact TeamTompkins@ShogunMMA.com. A memorial service will be held in Las Vegas in the coming weeks; details will be announced at www.amrgroup.tv.

“Shawn was more than a client, he was personal friend whose love of MMA had enormous influence on our agency and the entire sport,” says Gary Ibarra, AMR Group’s founder and president. “His passion and vision for MMA was infectious, evident by how he could motivate his fighters to become better athletes and people. On behalf of AMR Group’s athletes and staff, we extend our deepest sympathies to Emilie, Sam and Shawn’s entire family. His spirit will live on in our hearts.”

Mr. Tompkins was in Canada to help prepare Horodecki for his next bout on Sept. 10 at the time of his passing.

Shawn Tompkins: March 16, 1974 – Aug. 14, 2011

About Shawn Tompkins
Shawn Tompkins was born and raised in Tilsonburg, Ontario, Canada. At age six, he began studying Shotokan Karate and a decade later, he was a two-time Canadian National Karate Champion. He went on to become a third-degree black belt and had the rare honor of having his black belt certificate signed by the Prince of Japan.

Fascinated by the art of business, Mr. Tompkins opened his first training facility in Ontario, Canada, when he was only 18 years old. He went on to become the assistant coach to his trainer and mentor Bas Rutten for the International Fight League’s Los Angeles Anacondas. He later replaced Rutten as head coach and led the team to an undefeated season in 2007.

Mr. Tompkins was considered by many as one of the top MMA trainers available and is known in MMA circles as the architect of the first MMA Specific Striking Program. His countless accomplishments made him one of the most sought-after MMA striking coaches in the world.

He was inducted into the 2009 Masters Hall of Fame with the Pioneer Award, the same year he was selected as one of Las Vegas’ Most Successful Men by Esquire Magazine.

After relocating to Las Vegas, Mr. Tompkins was the head instructor and trainer at Xtreme Couture, where his most notable client was UFC legend Randy Couture. He went on to become head coach at the TapouT Research and Development Training Center in 2009. Over the years, Mr. Tompkins trained the likes of Ray Sefo, Vitor Belfort, Kimbo Slice, Wanderlei Silva, Jay Hieron, Dan Henderson, Mark Coleman, Sam Stout, Chris Horodecki, Mark Hominick, Rob McCullough, Johny Hendricks, Krzysztof Soszynski, Jeff Curran, Phil Baroni, Jason “Mayhem” Miller, Gray Maynard, Forrest Griffin, Goran Reljic, Martin Kampmann, Alex Schoenauer, Bas Rutten, Karo Parisyan, Evan Dunham, Benji Radach, Tyson Griffin, Ryo Chonan, Junie Browning, John Alessio, Mike Pyle, Mac Danzig, Erin Toughill, Jan Nortje, Ferrid Kheder and Germaine de Randamie.

The AMR Group
The AMR Group is an athlete and talent management agency headquartered in the San Francisco Bay area that specializes in mixed martial arts (MMA) and lifestyle sports. The agency’s expertise in the market enables corporate brands and athletes to develop successful strategic marketing relationships. The AMR Group represents some of MMA’s most celebrated professional athletes and trainers, including Cesar Gracie, Ramsey Nijem, Court McGee, Nate Quarry and Shawn Tompkins. The AMR Group is also proud to be shaping the careers of tomorrow’s champions by cultivating relationships that support the rising stars of the sport. For more information about the agency or to learn more about a particular AMR athlete, please contact The AMR Group at 510-329-9000 or visit www.amrgroup.tv.

DALLAS (July 29, 2011) –  HDNet’s “Inside MMA” breaks some shocking news concerning StrikeForce™  Heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem who “Inside MMA” has learned has received a cut letter and has been released from the promotion.

Sources close to the situation have told “Inside MMA’s” Ron Kruck that Strikeforce™ has exercised its right to eliminate the one remaining fight on Overeem’s contract effective July 22nd.

Also according to the source, Overeem has been dealing with more serious injuries than originally reported, including a broken toe and rib. He also has problems with an elbow.

Overeem has fought through nagging injuries, and even though he was set to fight in the StrikeForce™ semi-finals (scheduled for September 10th in Cincinnati), Overeem has stated he still needed more time to recover.

Another issue that StrikeForce™ officials had regarding Overeem’s participation in the tournament is he had only one fight left on his current contract and he would have had to fight twice to win the Grand Prix.

Overeem will fight in Russia in October for the promotion United Glory – no word yet on who his opponent will be.

To check out a clip of the coverage, click here:

http://www.hd.net/blogs/breaking-news-alistair-overeem-cut-by-strikeforce-inside-mma/

For more on this breaking story follow “Inside MMA” on Twitter (twitter.com/hdnet) and Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/HDNetInsideMMA).

Stratus Media Group, which is a live entertainment company, announced today that it has finalized its acquisition of ProElite, assuming a ninety-five percent stake in the MMA promotion.

“This acquisition provides the resources and abilities ProElite needs in order to focus on strengthening and repositioning its world class MMA fighting platform in addition to the brand itself”

“This acquisition provides the resources and abilities ProElite needs in order to focus on strengthening and repositioning its world class MMA fighting platform in addition to the brand itself,” stated Paul Feller, President and CEO of Stratus. “Under the new SMDI Action Sports Vertical, ProElite is launching a series of MMA events that will bring a new vitality to the business of MMA and reestablish ProElite as a leading international MMA organization.”

Founded in 2006, and running its first show in February 2007, ProElite quickly became one of the most visible brands in mixed martial arts globally. ProElite holds the record for highest ratings of an MMA event on a network telecast. The company maintains its ownership stakes in South Korean-based Spirit MC and British based Cage Rage. ProElite’s event strategy will continue its focus in both domestic and international markets, welcoming fighters across all weight classes to prove themselves in the cage. Details of ProElite’s upcoming events schedule, fight card, and management team will soon be announced.

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Payout Perspective:

Last we heard of ProElite, they were brought up as a potential (though not serious) bidder in acquiring Strikeforce.  They also benefited from the Zuffa/Strikeforce purchase by being basically the only group left with relevant MMA footage that Zuffa does not yet own, for example some of Anderson Silva’s Cage Rage fights. They have had plans to start running MMA events again for about a year now, but nothing has materialized up to now.

It seems that ProElite could become another beneficiary after the Strikeforce/Zuffa purchase (see Bellator), as was predicted since the market is now luring investors to create viable options for MMA fans. In the latest rumor, MiddleEasy.com states that ProElite is preparing to jump back into the MMA market fairly soon, and possibly with a familiar MMA investor:

We will be talking to the new CEO of ProElite tomorrow, however it’s rumored that the primary investor of the now-defunct ‘Impact FC’ will financially team-up with ProElite and they have every intention to compete with the UFC once again.

Fuel TV and Shark Fights announced today an expanded television agreement that adds six more events in 2011, starting with the Shark Fights 15 next month.

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FUEL TV (www.fuel.tv), Fox Sports Media Group’s dynamic entertainment and sports network for young males, and Texas-based mixed martial arts promotion company Shark Fights announces an expanded television agreement that adds six upcoming Shark Fights events in 2011, starting with Shark Fights 15 next month. Each fight event airs as a two-part series, creating a total of 12 hours of original Shark Fights mixed martial arts programming for FUEL TV’s Friday Fight Night programming block.

Shark Fights 15 features marquee fighters including UFC veteran Chris Camozzi, Strikeforce veteran Joey Villasenor, and many more. FUEL TV airs the event in prime time on June 17 and June 24 at 10:00PM ET/PT. The remaining events and air dates are to be announced. As part of its original agreement with the promoter, FUEL TV aired Shark Fights 13 on consecutive Fridays in April.

“We’re excited to have Shark Fights as part of our regular line up of fight programming on FUEL TV’s Friday Fight Nights,” says George Greenberg, FUEL TV GM. “These are great matches with exciting fighters who are putting it all on the line every time they enter the ring.”

“Everyone at Shark Fights is thrilled that our FUEL TV network debut was so well received,” says Shark Fight Promotions Executive Wes Nolen. “Now, with the launch of FUEL TV’s Friday Fight Night, Shark Fights fans have a destination for our programming. We’re all thrilled to be part of the growth of MMA on FUEL TV, and it’s truly an honor to be aligned with the FOX Sports Media Group family.”

Shark Fights is produced for FUEL TV by Bud Brutsman and his team at BCII. Brutsman and BCII are responsible for producing all the early King of the Cage pay-per-view programs, as well as bringing the first Pride Fighting Championships programming to the U.S. on DVD.

“By combining the production quality that BCII will provide with the effort and focus that FUEL TV is putting into Friday Fight Night, we have no doubt that FUEL TV and the Fox Sports family will take Shark Fights to the next level and put it on par with the best MMA promotions in the country,” says Nolen.

FUEL TV’s Friday Fight Night features epic “must see” fights every Friday night at 10:00PM ET/PT. For more information on Shark Fight Promotions, please log on to www.sharkfights.com. For more information on FUEL TV, please visit www.fuel.tv.

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Payout Perspective:

Back on April 1st, Shark Fights and Fuel TV announced a TV deal that landed the Texas based promotion on Fuel TV’s newly created programming block “Friday Fight Night” series.  Today, they announced an expanded deal that airs future Shark Fights events as a two-part series, starting with Shark Fights 15. If you recall, there have been some recent shake-ups with Shark Fights, as previous president and matchmaker, Brent Medley, stepped down nearly one month after signing the TV deal with Fuel TV.

According to MMAPayout sources, Strikeforce MMA veteran and BMX rider Erik Apple will be hosting the events on Fuel TV, who is a great choice for the network and the audience it targets.

Shark Fights and Fuel TV appear to be building on their relationship, and it will be interesting to see if Shark Fights can grow the coveted MMA demographic on the network and be able to build their fanbase on the network, a similar scenario Bellator went through this year with MTV 2.

The lineup for Shark Fights 15 televised event is as follows:

Main Event:
Chris Camozzi (14-4) vs. Joey Villasenor (27-8)

Co-Main Event:
Jeremy May (9-7) vs. Dave Branch (8-2)

Undercard:
Fredrico Lopez (4-3) vs. Bobby Huron (4-1)
Kyle Bracey (8-1) vs. Artenas Young (4-2)
Timothy Snyder (12-7) vs. Frank Gomez (9-3)
Eric McElroy (3-6) vs. Lionel Lanham (2-0)

NEW YORK, May 18th, 2011 – New York based intellectual property company Authentic Brands Group has named Mike Straka senior vice president of media and entertainment to head up strategic content initiatives for brands including TapouT, TapouT MPS, Silver Star, Iron Star, Sinister, Hitman Fight Gear and Marilyn Monroe.

“Straka’s expertise in multimedia will help grow our content offerings and distribution across all of our brands on multiple platforms,” said Jamie Salter, chairman and CEO, ABG. “His demonstrated body of work in MMA has made him one of the most respected broadcast journalists in mixed martial arts today. We are looking forward to having Mike Straka represent our brands in all forms of media and entertainment.”

“Mike has been a huge supporter of MMA and TapouT throughout the years,” said Dan “Punkass” Caldwell, president and co-founder of TapouT. “We are excited to have him on our team and look forward to collaborating with him as we continue to be the leading MMA apparel and lifestyle brand.”

A former vice president and executive producer at FOX News Digital, Straka brings nearly twenty years of major media experience to ABG and will be responsible for building strategic media partner- ships for ABG brands, and head up content channels that will serve to make Tapout.com, TapouT Radio and ABG’s partners the premier destinations for mixed martial arts news and entertainment coverage.

“This is a dream job for me,” said Straka. “MMA is my passion and TapouT is the leading brand in MMA lifestyle and entertainment. To be a part of the vision set upon by the late Mask and his partners Punkass and Skyskrape more than ten years ago is an honor. Authentic Brands Group is a company that cultivates the type of entrepreneurial spirit and environment that I thrive in, and I’m up for the challenge.”

In addition, Straka will represent ABG and TapouT on all forms of media, analyzing fight cards, break- ing UFC® news and interviewing the fighters.

While at FOX Straka was responsible for video operations, vendor relations and online programming, and he was the host and executive producer of “Fox Fight Game,” one of the first weekly MMA pro- grams dating back to UFC 32.

Most recently, Straka was the host of “Fighting Words with Mike Straka” on HDNet, a one-on-one interview program featuring the biggest names in MMA, including UFC president Dana White and a rare interview with UFC chairman and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta, as well as dozens of sit-downs with the world’s greatest MMA fighters.

After months of speculation from kickboxing fans, HDNet announced today they have signed a multi-year deal with European Kickboxing promotion, “It’s Showtime”.

Today, HDNet announces a long term deal with “It’s Showtime,” Europe’s leading kickboxing promotion provided by Fighting Spirit, the international fight sport programming distributor. “It’s Showtime” will make its HDNet debut with “HDNet Fights: It’s Showtime Lyon” on Friday, May 20 at 11:00 p.m. ET – immediately following the network’s broadcast of “The Voice vs. Hulk Hogan.”

In the main event of the evening, Badr Hari makes his much anticipated return to the ring against Tony Gregory. Plus, Tyrone Spong and K-1 MAX Champion Giorgio Petrosyan will also be in action.

Founded in 1998, “It’s Showtime” is known for attracting the biggest names in kickboxing and drawing some of the largest crowds in combat sports – regularly packing over 20,000 fans inside the Amsterdam Arena.

In 2011, the promotion will present ten events for HDNet from venues across Europe including the recently announced, “It’s Showtime- Fast & Furious 70 Max” grand prix on September 24 in the Forest National in Brussels, Belgium. Elite 70kg fighters participating in this prestigious one night tournament include Giorgio Petrosyan, Andy Souwer, Artur Kyshenko, Gago Drago, Murat Direkçi, Chris Ngimbi, Harut Grigorian and Pajunsuk Superpro Samui.

Fighting Spirit is an international media rights agency based in France and is the only worldwide company that specializes in the management, brand development, and distribution of combat sport TV programs. Its portfolio includes a full range of combat sport programs from wrestling with CMLL Lucha Libre, to MMA with TKO Major League and Cage Rage, going through documentaries, Reality TV shows such as Enfusion, and live events of It’s Showtime – The World Championships of Kickboxing.

“I am excited to announce that ‘It’s Showtime’ is coming to HDNet,” said Andrew Simon, CEO of HDNet Fights. “The addition of ‘It’s Showtime’ solidifies HDNet’s position as THE PLACE to watch the best strikers and stand-up action in combat sports today.”

“It is a real privilege to collaborate with HDNet. ‘It’s Showtime’ is now the number one kickboxing promotion and one of the top brands in the universe of Fighting. With this program, HDNet shows its willingness to delight American martial arts fans with top fight shows,” said Simon Rutz, CEO of “It’s Showtime.”

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Payout Perspective:

The It’s Showtime event will make it’s HDNet debut next week, with one of the most popular figures in the sport, Badr Hari, making his highly anticipated return in the main event as he takes on challenger Tony Gregory.

The deal is one that many combat sports and kickboxing fans have been clamoring and anticipating since the financial uncertainty of the #1 kickboxing promotion in the world from Japan, K-1, was reported.  HDNet still has a TV deal with K-1, and will continue to air more of their programming when it is available.

Dave Walsh over at LiverKick.com said the following regarding the deal:

Simon Rutz is no fool, as can be seen with the gradual growth of It’s Showtime over the past 12 years. It’s Showtime was not simply looking for a television deal for the United States, they were looking for promotional partners. Like we’ve seen with all of It’s Showtime’s recent events, they partner up with another company for all of their shows; BFN Group, Fight Group, Fighting Stars, Oktagon and even individuals like Yiannis Evgenikos and Kader Marouf. They wanted nothing different when it came to the United States and would not even think about promoting shows here without strong support from another promotion or entity, the same goes with television. They simply did not want to be on television, they wanted a working partnership that would expand the company.

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Only 3 months into the partnership, Malki Kawa, agent for Jon Jones and other UFC stars is leaving Florida-based Authentic Sports Management (ASM). From the press release, it appears that this will be an amicable breakup.

Via Authentic Sports Management:

This move was a mutual decision that both parties amicably agree is in the best interests of the athletes they represent.

“We agree that this decision allows us to provide more focus, deeper resources and only the absolute best management services for the athletes we represent,” said (Glenn) Robinson. “This agreement is mutual and on good terms with the best intentions for everyone.”

“As managers we both agree this is the right move,” said Kawa. “We understand and respect each other and at this point I will go in a different direction. Starting today, I will resume operation of First Round Management through which I will continue my representation of UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones, Thiago Alves, Carlos Condit, Ben Henderson and other talent.”

Robinson will assume the role of president of Authentic Sports Management, which represents UFC athletes Rashad Evans, Kenny Florian, Anthony Johnson, Jorge Santiago as well as Cosmo Alexandre, Gesias “JZ” Calvacante and the superstar brothers Danillo and Yuri Villefort, and others.

Jen Wenk will maintain public relations representation of Authentic Sports Management and its entire roster of athletes including Rashad Evans through StarPR Las Vegas LLC, and effective today with a new agreement directly with Jon Jones, will continue as the public relations representative for the UFC light heavyweight champion of the world.

As you recall Wenk left the UFC PR department to start her own agency and conduct press for ASM athletes including Jon Jones.

Payout Perspective:

A very short marriage between Kawa and ASM. One would think that with the addition of Wenk, ASM would turn into a super agency for MMA fighters. It would be interesting to see how much planning the two parties did prior to entering into the partnership. Regardless, it seems clear that the parties wanted to make sure that everyone knew that the parting was mutual and amicable. Obviously, the cautious wording of the press release was to ensure their clients that everything was fine and that other agents would not poach them.

Pepper & Bones announced today that Showtime Networks Inc. has acquired their latest documentary, FIGHTVILLE, for U.S. exhibition.

The premium network closed a deal on the film, directed by Petra Epperlein and Michael Tucker, shortly after its rousing world premiere at the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, TX last month.

“We are thrilled to have SHOWTIME as our partner for FIGHTVILLE,” says co-director Petra Epperlein.  “Mixed Martial Arts is the fastest growing sport in the world and SHOWTIME is a major force in combat sports and truly represents the best in original programming,” adds Epperlein.

FIGHTVILLE chronicles the story of a minor league Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) promotion run by Gil “The Thrill” Guillory in Lafayette, Louisiana–a place where, for many, fighting 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 up-and-coming fighters willing to fight their way out of the dusty rodeo arenas of Louisiana to the big lights of Las Vegas. Many of them train with veteran UFC fighter “Crazy” Tim Credeur at his Gladiators Academy, where he seeks to “build better men,” while developing champion fighters.

One of those fighters, Dustin “The Diamond” Poirier, quickly became the focus of the film after a series of dramatic victories.  His story forms the backbone of the film.   “The first time we saw Dustin fight, we were immediately taken with him,” states co-director Michael Tucker.  “You could tell that the kid was going places.”  “More than just fighting, FIGHTVILLE is about what it takes to be the best at anything,” adds Tucker. “We hope that FIGHTVILLE will introduce a wider audience to the beauty and passion of MMA while elevating the mainstream perception of the sport.”

Submarine Entertainment’s Josh Braun negotiated the deal with Showtime Networks Inc., and a US theatrical and DVD distribution deal is planned as well.  FIGHTVILLE had its international premiere on April 28th at Hot Docs film festival in Toronto, Canada on the eve of UFC 129, the biggest fight in UFC history.

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Payout Perspective:

Fightville debuted in Canada on April 28th at the Hot Docs film festival in Toronto, during the Mixed Martial Arts weekend that also featured a Fan Expo and UFC 129 on Saturday night, which broke all previous UFC live event records such as attendance, gate, and bonuses given out. This weekend was a great platform for Fightville to not only showcase its highly acclaimed work,  but to also announce their deal with Showtime only days after the huge UFC 129 event took place.

It’s always a positive for the sport to see a big network acquire more MMA content.  In this case, Showtime adds to its already vast MMA content it offers to their subscriber base with Strikeforce MMA and recently the M-1 Challenge.  Whether Strikeforce sticks around on Showtime after their current deal is up remains to be seen after Zuffa purchased the promotion, but it is clear to see the value the network sees in MMA content.

MMA Elite rolled out its new sports drink to the masses at the UFC Fan Expo in Toronto on Friday. The fighting and lifestyle brand believed that the sports drink was a “natural progression” for the growth of its brand.

 (Via MMA Elite)

Via press release:

MMA Elite® has secured a licensing deal with Sirius MMA, Inc., a group founded by Bryan Lindsey, a Las Vegas based entrepreneur, and James Akers and the team at Wit Beverage (WBC), to market and distribute a naturally flavored sports drink in North America. Lindsey was first introduced to UBM in February 2010 and has since generated numerous distribution deals with UBM across a broad range of consumer products, for both domestic and international markets.

Lindsey states, “This is an opportunity to bring a naturally flavored sports drink with ‘No High Fructose Corn Syrup’ to a growing worldwide audience and to the professional athletes of the fastest growing sport in the world. Sirius MMA and WBC feels this will be a lucrative deal with a global reach and is proud to be associated with MMA Elite®, the largest MMA lifestyle brand in the world.”

“UBM realized that entering into this product category was a natural progression for the growth of MMA Elite® as a lifestyle brand while remaining solidly intact with its core fan base and the athletes themselves. Considerable time and effort has been put into the drink profile so that MMA Elite® is able to offer a unique alternative to the products currently available”, said Steven Jolna, president, UBM.

Payout Perspective:
As an official partner of the UFC, MMA Elite’s new sports drink will not conflict with Xyience, which is the official energy drink of the UFC. BJ Penn (pictured above) showed up at MMA Elite’s booth today to help promote the sports drink. It will be interesting to see how the new sports drink will be marketed and whether fans will purchase the drink.

MMA Elite rolled out its new sports drink to the masses at the UFC Fan Expo in Toronto on Friday. The fighting and lifestyle brand believed that the sports drink was a “natural progression” for the growth of its brand.

 (Via MMA Elite)

Via press release:

MMA Elite® has secured a licensing deal with Sirius MMA, Inc., a group founded by Bryan Lindsey, a Las Vegas based entrepreneur, and James Akers and the team at Wit Beverage (WBC), to market and distribute a naturally flavored sports drink in North America. Lindsey was first introduced to UBM in February 2010 and has since generated numerous distribution deals with UBM across a broad range of consumer products, for both domestic and international markets.

Lindsey states, “This is an opportunity to bring a naturally flavored sports drink with ‘No High Fructose Corn Syrup’ to a growing worldwide audience and to the professional athletes of the fastest growing sport in the world. Sirius MMA and WBC feels this will be a lucrative deal with a global reach and is proud to be associated with MMA Elite®, the largest MMA lifestyle brand in the world.”

“UBM realized that entering into this product category was a natural progression for the growth of MMA Elite® as a lifestyle brand while remaining solidly intact with its core fan base and the athletes themselves. Considerable time and effort has been put into the drink profile so that MMA Elite® is able to offer a unique alternative to the products currently available”, said Steven Jolna, president, UBM.

Payout Perspective:
As an official partner of the UFC, MMA Elite’s new sports drink will not conflict with Xyience, which is the official energy drink of the UFC. BJ Penn (pictured above) showed up at MMA Elite’s booth today to help promote the sports drink. It will be interesting to see how the new sports drink will be marketed and whether fans will purchase the drink.

Canadian based collectible figure company, Round 5, announced the release of a limited edition Georges St. Pierre figure available only at the UFC 129 Fan Expo in Toronto.  In addition, it is offering purchasers the opportunity to have their own likeness on a Round 5 figurine.

 Via Round 5 press release:

Markham, ON (April 25, 2011) – Round 5 President Damon Lau officially announces the release of the Georges “Rush” St-Pierre UFC Fan Expo Toronto 2011 Exclusive figure and gives details on how Round 5 collectors can have their own likeness turned into a Round 5 figure.

The limited edition GSP figure will only be available at the UFC Fan Expo in Toronto, and will feature GSP in his black gi and signature headband he wore at “UFC 94: St-Pierre vs. Penn 2” where he defeated BJ Penn via 4th round TKO to retain his welterweight crown. Also included in this release is a die cast replica of the UFC title belt. 

“The biggest fight in UFC history is happening in Toronto, and as a Canadian company we felt that we had to really give our hardcore collectors something incredible,” said Lau. “We don’t expect that these will be available for more than a few hours, so if you want one, you should arrive early.”

Only 1000 units of the GSP Fan Expo Toronto Exclusive figure have been produced, the figure will retail for $25.00 and can be purchased only at the Round 5 booth at the UFC Fan Expo in Toronto on April 29-30.

Round 5 will also provide attendees of UFC Fan Expo Toronto with the unique opportunity to receive a one-off Round 5 figure created in their own likeness.

“We will randomly attach “Golden Tickets” to the back of select GSP figures, these tickets will entitle the purchaser to have their head scanned, and printed onto an existing Round 5 body,” Lau said. “These figures will be official Round 5 products and will be one of a kind pieces.”
Round 5 will have a 3D imaging scanner at their booth. Five lucky collectors will win the opportunity to have their heads scanned. The resulting unpainted heads will be attached to their choice of existing Round 5 bodies.

According to the press release, Round 5 is the officially licensed collectible figure company of the UFC.

Payout Perspective:

With only 1000 units available at $25.00, the Round 5 booth will have long lines of fans clamoring for one of the GSP figurines. The crowd will probably resemble the frenzy for Cabbage Patch Kids in the 1980s. It will be interesting to check eBay next week to see how many GSP figurines will be sold and for how much. This is an example of the many Canadian-based businesses taking advantage of the throngs of fans heading to UFC 129 this weekend. It’s a chance for companies like Round 5 get in front of consumers. Aside from GSP, Round 5 has other figurines that many fans will purchase once the GSP collectibles are scooped up.

THQ and Zuffa announced a partnership to promote UFC 131: Lesnar vs. Dos Santos using the UFC’s official Facebook game. The grand prize winner will win a trip for two to UFC 131 in Vancouver.

Via THQ press release:

AGOURA HILLS, Calif. – April 20, 2011 – THQ Inc. (NASDAQ: THQI) and Zuffa, LLC today announced a consumer sweepstakes surrounding UFC® 131: LESNAR vs. DOS SANTOS via UFC® Undisputed Fight Nation™, the official Facebook game based on the world’s leading mixed martial arts (MMA) organization, the Ultimate Fighting Championship®. Available for download at http://apps.facebook.com/ufcfightnation, players may enter the sweepstakes through an on-screen pop-up display after training moves and competing against others with their virtual UFC fighters to reach Level 5 within the game. One grand prize winner will receive a trip for two to UFC 131, currently scheduled for June 11, 2011 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia.  The trip includes two tickets to UFC 131, roundtrip airfare, hotel accommodations and a stipend for meals and/or spending money.  One first prize winner will receive an autographed UFC poster and a $250 UFC gift certificate for use on ufcstore.com, while 10 second-prize winners will receive $50 UFC gift certificates for use on ufcstore.com. 

THQ is sponsoring the UFC Undisputed Fight Nation sweepstakes, which is open to residents of the United States and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and over.  Participants can enter the contest between now and 12:00 p.m. PT on May 6, 2011.  There is no purchase necessary to participate, and the sweepstakes is void where prohibited.  Further information regarding the sweepstakes, including rules and eligibility requirements, may be found at community.ufcundisputed.com.

“The launch of UFC Undisputed Fight Nation earlier this year provided us with an invaluable way to share the virtual UFC experience in a social networking environment,” said Danny Bilson, Executive Vice President, Core Games, THQ.  “Through announcement of the UFC 131 consumer sweepstakes, we look forward to engaging even more players on Facebook as they experience solid training tools, competitive gameplay and tremendous replay value.”

 Payout Perspective:
The collaboration between THQ and the UFC integrates its social media (Facebook), gaming component and the promotion of the upcoming UFC PPV. The partnership mobilizes the THQ brand by promoting consumers to play the UFC Undisputed Fight Nation game online at the UFC Facebook home page. Successful players will promote the game via social networks such as Facebook. For the UFC, its another opportunity for fans to go to its Facebook page and attract more unique visitors.

The UFC announced that it is adding grappling matches to the UFC 129 Expo in Toronto. UFC fighter Diego Sanchez will be featured in a match against number-one ranked Canadian grappler Andrew McInnes.

Via press release:

Diego “The Dream” Sanchez is already a force in the UFC^® welterweight division and has his sights set on the title currently held by Canadian superstar Georges St-Pierre. Now, the red-hot contender is out to prove that he is among the world’s most elite grapplers. The Ultimate Fighting Championship^® announced today that Sanchez will be among four competitors vying for the UFC^® Fan Expo grappling tournament title at the Direct Energy Centre in Toronto on April 29 and 30.

Sanchez will meet number-one ranked Canadian grappler Andrew McInnes in the opening round, while world-renowned jiu jitsu ace Ryan Hall, who defeated Hermes Franca at the UFC Fan Expo in Boston last August, will take on Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt Jorge Britto. Britto has trained under the likes of Helio Gracie, Royler Gracie, Saulo Ribeiro and Xande Ribeiro.

The tournament will be presented by Grappler’s Quest. It is the third grappling tournament held at a UFC expo.

Payout Perspective:

The rise in popularity of MMA has seen an indirect rise in its core disciplines including grappling. Regular people have enrolled in Jiu Jitsu schools and taken submission wrestling classes based on watching the UFC. The grappling tournament at UFC 129 adds to the list of things to do at the UFC 129 Expo in Toronto. It is a good way to promote the sport as well as giving grappling practitioners a chance to compete in front of people not exposed to the sport.

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A pair of Toronto MMA enthusiasts have developed an iPhone app generating possible MMA names for its users. Similar to the Jersey Shore nickname generator developed a couple years ago, the app is aims to be an entertaining app for MMA fans.

Via press release:

Toronto, ON (April 14, 2011) – Fans and wannabe fighters can get a taste of the MMA spotlight with the Cage Name app, from Me Thinks Studios. The entertaining and easy-to-use app generates fighter personas by pairing unique nicknames with standout images for every type of MMA fan – from the glass-jawed rookie to the cauliflower-eared veteran. The MMA-focused name generator is one of the first of its kind.

With a tap, a swipe, and a shake, the app lets users choose names from an array of categories and then matches their name with a comic book-style character depicting one of the major fighting styles.

The app has a price point of $0.99. Cage Name is available in iTunes for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

Payout Perspective:

An interesting way to enter the MMA marketplace: the iPhone app. At a price point of $0.99 the app should garner the interests of MMA fans willing to try something out for a buck. The company does a good job in trying to capitalize on the social media angle by encouraging its users to integrate the app with other social media such as Twitter and Facebook. Perhaps it will not be the next “Angry Birds” (or maybe it will) but its a novel idea to attract MMA fans.

MusclePharm announced earlier today that they will be prominently featured during the Strikeforce: Diaz vs Daley event airing on Showtime Saturday night.

From the press release:

MusclePharm Corporation, a Nevada corporation (“MusclePharm” or the “Company”) MSLP, an expanding U.S. healthy lifestyle company, is pleased to announce that it will be prominently featured during Saturday’s Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley fight card, which takes place at Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, California and will be broadcast live on Showtime cable network.

MusclePharm will have significant mat placement in the cage for the event, which will be available live to Showtime’s 16.5 million subscribers.

This will be Strikeforce’s first major event since it was purchased by Zuffa, LLC (“Zuffa”), which is the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).  Zuffa acquired Strikeforce on March 12. In the main event, Nick Diaz defends his welterweight title against challenger Paul “Semtex” Daley.

Thanks to his entertaining style and brash personality, Diaz has been involved in several of Strikeforce’s most viewed telecasts on Showtime, which we believe will allow for greater exposure for MusclePharm during the broadcast.

The co-main event features current lightweight champion Gilbert “El Nino” Melendez fighting Tatsuya “Crusher” Kawajiri.

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Payout Perspective:

In the press release, MusclePharm claims that it will have significant mat placement in the cage for the event, which will be available live to Showtime’s 16.5 million subscribers.  They also go on to point out that Nick Diaz has been involved in several of Strikeforce’s most viewed telecasts on Showtime, which will allow for greater exposure for MusclePharm during the broadcast.

MusclePharm has also been tied to some interesting headlines lately, most notably, a report that surfaced last year claiming that Musclepharm, the WEC’s official supplement company at the time, owed the WEC $375,000 in sponsorship fees. The company’s debt was sold to a third party company, and shortly after that settlement, MusclePharm announced they had raised 1.4 million to continue to fund the company. MMAPayout covered the events earlier this year:

It was announced last month that nutritional supplement company, MusclePharm, owed Zuffa approximately $375,000 in over-due sponsorship fees accrued over the course of a year-long agreement between the two companies starting in January. This outstanding debt was subsequently sold by Zuffa to a collection agency in the Fall.

Many were surprised to see the brand return to the Octagon in January. The WEC deal had expired and Zuffa didn’t appear to have any outstanding obligations to the company. Why would it do business with a company that had already failed to pay its debts? The answer is ostensibly because MusclePharm was able to raise new capital in December to fund new marketing efforts and recommit to sponsoring UFC fighters (including the payment of the UFC “sponsor tax”).

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MusclePharm signed a one year deal with the WEC back on January of 2010 and had accumulated debt throughout the partnership with the WEC.

World Extreme Cagefighting® announced today that MusclePharm will serve as the organization’s Official Sports Nutrition Company for 2010. Considered a leader in the sports nutrition industry, MusclePharm is committed to providing the best nutritional products to athletes and general consumers. MusclePharm’s commitment to athletes, in particular mixed martial artists, made the partnership attractive to WEC officials.

“We are pleased to have MusclePharm as our official sports nutrition company for 2010,” WEC Vice President Peter Dropick said. “They are dedicated to providing the best nutritional products to athletes of all levels. Because of that, they are a great fit for WEC.”

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Since the time the WEC/UFC merger took place late last year, the fate of MusclePharm was in limbo considering the debt collected working with the WEC along with the UFC’s exclusive sponsors and partners, though it seems they are in good graces with the UFC once again.

Good4U drinks was in a similar situation when the UFC banned them for being  a competitor to one of their existing sponsors.  Good4U was able to land on HDNet, followed by Showtime as a main sponsor just a few weeks ago for M-1′s debut on the network.  Showtime is quickly becoming a great alternative for MMA sponsors who are looking for a platform to grow their brand, as many sponsors are not allowed in the UFC.

The UFC acquisition of Strikeforce was offically announced this morning after Saturday’s surprising announcement.

Via Zuffa press release:

Forza, LLC, a subsidiary of Zuffa, LLC, which owns the Ultimate Fighting Championship^® brand, announced today that it has purchased the assets of Explosion Entertainment, LLC dba Strikeforce^®. Under the terms of the deal, all Strikeforce fighter contracts will be honored, as will its broadcast agreement with Showtime^® Networks, Inc. Strikeforce will continue to operate as a separate business and current Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker has signed a long-term employment agreement with the company.

“We have worked hard to make mixed martial arts the fastest growing sport in the world,” UFC President Dana White said. “We’ve spent countless hours getting this sport regulated and taking the Octagon^® all over the world. Acquiring the Strikeforce assets allows us to continue to develop this sport into a global force.”

“We intend to operate Strikeforce as a separate business much like we did with the WEC for many years,” Lorenzo Fertitta, Chairman and CEO of Zuffa, said. “We look forward to working with Scott Coker, and the entire Strikeforce and Showtime teams to continue to provide quality content for mixed martial arts fans.

“We’ve long admired Scott Coker and the Strikeforce business he launched and developed,” Fertitta continued. “We feel that together with Scott, we can continue to build both Strikeforce and the UFC.”

Currently, Strikeforce holds 16 events annually across the United States. The organization will continue to do so under new ownership and fans can look forward to exciting fights featuring their favorite Strikeforce athletes. While there are currently no plans to bring Strikeforce fighters to the UFC, a new strategy to strengthen Strikeforce’s talented roster is being developed.

“This is an important day for the sport of mixed martial arts,” Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said. “We are excited to work with Lorenzo Fertitta, Frank Fertitta, Dana White and everyone at the UFC on the quest to make MMA the biggest sport in the world. Fans can continue to expect quality Strikeforce shows and we look forward to giving our athletes an even broader platform on which to perform.”

Strikeforce was represented in the transaction by Evolution Media Capital, a media and sports investment bank affiliated with Creative Artists Agency.

Payout Perspective:

A good discussion of the acquisition in our Main Event section. How long will UFC-Strikeforce operate as “business as usual”? In today’s conference call, Lorenzo Fertitta stated that Showtime will continue production of Strikeforce shows, but they will offer input. (H/t: Bloody Elbow) It will be interesting to see  how much input they will offer? There seems to be a lot of things that UFC could make better immediately.

It also seems that Strikeforce fighters (except Paul Daley) are toeing their new company line by stating that the merger is a good thing. MMA Junkie reports that many Strikeforce fighters are excited about the monetary benefits of the merger: fight purses, sponsorships and performance bonuses.

Last week Bellator CEO, Bjorn Rebney was featured in an interview on WSJ.com about building the Bellator brand. He talked about the substantial growth of MMA and the past and future of Bellator.

Via WSJ.com

Bellator will make its debut on MTV2 this Saturday night, March 5th at 9PM ET.

Via Bellator press release:

Bellator Fighting Championships’ highly anticipated fourth season will premiere this Saturday, March 5, live on MTV2 beginning at 9pm ET/PT from the Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino in Lemoore, Calif. Bellator 35 will feature the quarterfinal pairings in the Season 4 Welterweight Tournament, including: Rick Hawn vs. Jim Wallhead, Jay Hieron vs. Anthony Lapsley, Chris Lozano vs. Lyman Good and Brent Weedman vs. Dan Hornbuckle. A Spanish-language telecast will air on MTV Tr3s on Sunday, March 6, at 8pm ET/PT. MTV2’s live event telecasts will feature returning duo Sean Wheelock as the play-by-play announcer and Jimmy Smith as the analyst and the Tr3s: MTV, Música y Más telecast will include George X and Manny Rodriguez as the on-air announce team.

“We’re thrilled to have both our English and Spanish language broadcast teams back in place for the coming years,” said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “With their wealth of experience, knowledge of the game and excitement for MMA – I truly believe that we have the best broadcast team in the sport”

Sean Wheelock has called Bellator fights since Season 2 and is familiar to MMA fans around the globe thanks to his experience as the play-by-play announcer for PRIDE, Affliction and M-1 Global events. Wheelock has also been a columnist for the websites of Fox Sports, the BBC and Major League Soccer, along with being the co-founder and a principal of Eudora Productions, LLC, which focuses on soccer and MMA remote productions and live broadcasts.

Also returning for his third Bellator season is Jimmy Smith, the color commentator. Smith is a professional MMA fighter with a record of 5-1 (4 Submissions) and notable victories over UFC veteran James Wilks and Jason Chambers. As a broadcaster, he has teamed with Wheelock to provide color commentary for M1-Global and was the host of the Discovery Channel’s very popular “Fight Quest.”

Payout Perspective:

Good PR for Bellator in leading up to its debut on MTV2. Rebney does a good job in addressing the difference between Bellator and UFC by selling the fact that it is tournament-based and that the fighters take the decision-making out of the hands of matchmakers. Perhaps this makes a difference to fans that are sick of the matchmaking in the UFC. It was interesting to note that he states Bellator is at a break even point and he expects a profit within 9 months. Not sure if this was to be taken as a subtle jab, but he also says that he was glad to be aligned “with the group that owns and controls Spike (TV)”.

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.

Jon Jones’ agent, Malki Kawa, has joined forces with a sports management agency to form Authentic Sports Management. The agency will have offices in New York, Los Angeles and South Florida.

Via Authentic Sports Management press release:

Entrepreneur and business owner Glenn Robinson and entertainment manager Jon Rubinstein announce the establishment of Authentic Sports Management (ASM) company and the merger of ASM with longtime Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) manager Malki Kawa’s First Round Management. The merger forges a team with vast experience in MMA and sports and entertainment management, endorsements and sponsorships, brand building, marketing and public relations to create a unique full service firm. ASM offers unparalleled representation that will set a new standard in the MMA sport.

Payout Perspective:

The press release indicates that Robinson began a sports agency in late 2010 but it does not indicate whether he had experience in representing mixed martial artists.  Rubinstein owns an entertainment agency with offices in New York and Los Angeles. As we know, Kawahas a stable of MMA stars including Jones. The alliance combines Robinson’s marketing experience, Rubinstein’s mainstream entertainment knowledge and Kawa’s MMA clientele. One might see this as an acquisition of Kawa’s stable so ASM can get its foot in the door of MMA.

With the recent ousting of manager Shari Spencer by GSP and Frankie Edgar, this new merger of fighter services will be interesting. It appears that the move is an attempt to bolster the visibility of MMA fighters with the goal of getting fighters (namely, Jon Jones), mainstream sponsorships. We will see how Rubinstein can leverage his entertainment business knowledge into opportunities for mixed martial artists. Also, how receptive will mainstream sponsors be of fighters. After GSP, maybe Jon Jones (provided he wins in March) can crossover. But, will there be enough appeal for others?

“Inside MMA” LIVE at Friday’s Weigh-in beginning at 5:00 p.m. ET; LIVE Undercard Broadcast Saturday at 8:00 p.m. ET

DALLAS (February 10, 2011) This weekend, HDNet will present two and a half hours of LIVE coverage  of the “Strikeforce ™ World Grand Prix – Heavyweight Tournament” as it kicks off this Friday in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Coverage begins Friday at 5:00 p.m. ET as “Inside MMA” broadcasts LIVE from the “Strikeforce™ and M-1 Global: Fedor vs Silva” weigh-ins at the Izod Center. Fedor Emelianenko, Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva, Andre Arlovski, and Sergei Kharitonov will step on the scales in anticipation of their respective grand prix showdowns.

Kenny Rice and Bas Rutten will get a first hand perspective on the tournament from its remaining participants including Alistair Overeem, Fabricio Werdum, Josh Barnett, and Brett Rogers. Plus, Ron Kruck will interview the combatants themselves as they step off the scale.

Saturday at 8:00 p.m. ET, HDNet will present exclusive LIVE coverage of “HDNet Fights: Strikeforce™ World Grand Prix Heavyweight Tournament Undercards.” History will be made as “The Voice” Michael Schiavello and Bas Rutten will call the action together for the first time as Josh Cholish (5-1) meets Marc Stevens (12-5) in the main event.

In other action, Igor Gracie (2-2) meets John Salgado (4-4-1), Sam Oropeza (4-1) takes on Don Carlo Clauss (6-3), and Anthony Leone (8-2) faces Josh Laberge (7-4).