As far as nobody to sell, well, that’s part of the reason of signing a network deal, you use their marketing and increased exposure to build new starts. Fedor had little success breaking into the U.S. market through the PPV model and limited exposure on the FSN PRIDE highlight show, but with CBS they were able to introduce him and a basically completely unknown in Rogers and they produced good ratings.

I find it hard to believe that with effective marketing the UFC and a network, say Fox or ABC/ESPN couldn’t promote the hell out of Randy, Chuck if he comes back, Forrest, Carwin, Machida, Shogun, etc. and make them interesting to the public.

The Kimbo phenomenon is what it is, it is basically impossible to duplicate and I think the UFC did the smart thing in taking advantage of it with TUF and in the future with a UFN or two.

We will see, this is an important stretch for the UFC to weather and see if they can grow.

I think an important part in a UFC network TV deal may be how well a 2nd Strikeforce show on CBS does. If CBS is able to build on the first show and gain ratings in important demos then it puts more pressure on other networks to add a MMA promotion and gives the UFC more leverage in keeping more control. However, if the ratings stay the same or drop then MMA becomes a little less desirable to other networks and the UFC finds itself in a similar position it is in now.

As for a TV deal, they’ve tried so many times and failed. From what I understand this is due to their inability to release some of the creative control. The big 4 are not going to sign a deal with the UFC that does not make sense. Especially if its for 5 million viewers (CBS/Strikeforce). Without Kimbo, the UFC’s numbers on SPIKE are pretty lackluster. Without Brock, they have no one else to sell on major TV.

It really amazes me with all the talk about the UFC “peaking” in 2009. At the end of the day they may have peaked, but they have one major card to play to see if they can push to the next level and that’s a network TV deal, especially if that deal is with ABC/ESPN. They will get a huge push if that happens, now maybe it is a niche sport that peaked, but a network deal will give it a big chance to push it to a whole new level. I think a perfect main event for a network debut would be Tito/Forrest III

Should be interesting to see the final buy results for the PPV. Overall an entertaining card, with some interesting results, and minimal controversy (although the Kos vs Johnson fight was bizarre) Should be a good year in 2010 for Zuffa if they can wea…

I don’t disagree in many ways, but it’s not as if the UFC is jumping into foreign territory here. They’re making reasonable line extensions within the MMA industry that, regardless of their direct effect on the bottom line, should further the UFC as *the* MMA brand.

There are some 26,000 martial arts training centers in the US, and the enrollment is growing – not just in males but females. The UFC is partly responsible for that, and should make an attempt to leverage their position in the market to capitalize on that growth.

The UFC poker, on the other hand, isn’t something I’m very keen on, but we’ll see how long that lasts. I think they’re in a place right now where they can afford to experiment. They just have to pick their spots.