MMAterial Facts (02/23/10)

• ProElite Relaunch under Management of Stratus Media Group
• UFC 110 International Ratings
• We must move with the times or be beaten to the punch
• HGH test leads to ban of rugby player
• The UFC Will Now Overcharge Fans in Movie Theaters As Well

ProElite Relaunch under Management of Stratus Media Group

“This acquisition allows Stratus and ProElite to combine forces at the management and board levels of both organizations,” stated Paul Feller, President and CEO of Stratus. “ProElite has a globally recognized brand. We believe that by combining select key experienced management executives, who made ProElite the immediate success it was, with new top executives with demonstrated successes in conducting and televising MMA events internationally and sufficient capital, that we will achieve the brand’s strategy for global growth and success. With this combination, we can start focusing on strengthening and repositioning ProElite events and the brand, planning a series of MMA events that we believe will bring excitement to the MMA market, fans and our shareholders and establish ProElite as a leading international MMA company.”

Founded in 2006, ProElite still holds the record for highest ratings for a major network telecast of a MMA event. ProElite also owns a web portal with social networking for MMA fighters and fans and live streams of MMA bouts not broadcast on television. A focal point of ProElite’s live event promotions is Elite XC. Running its first show in 2007, it quickly became one of the most visible brands in mixed martial arts in the United States. Prior to the sale of specific assets which produce ongoing financial considerations owed from Strikeforce and King of the Cage, ProElite recorded $13.5 million in MMA event and television revenues for the 18 months ended June 2008. ProElite has engaged in an extensive restructuring that included the sales of certain assets for cash and a share of future revenues, significant expense reductions, the elimination of $12 million of direct and contingent liabilities and the shedding of unprofitable subsidiaries. The company maintains its ownership stake in South Korean-based Spirit MC, and British promotion Cage Rage.   (PRESS RELEASE) … (MMAPayout’s Perspective)

UFC 110 International Ratings

Australia Free to Air TV Ratings:

Top shows for the night:
1 Seven News – Sun Seven 1,292,000
2 Border Security – Australia’s Front Line Seven 1,276,000
3 Air Ways Seven 1,267,000
4 The Good Wife Ten 1,256,000
5 Twenty/20 – Australia V West Indies Nine 1,247,000
6 Nine News Sunday Nine 1,237,000
7 Bones Seven 1,156,000
8 Talkin’ ‘Bout Your Generation Ten 1,091,000
9 Sunday Night Seven 1,027,000
10 House Ten 958,000
11 Vancouver Gold 2010 Winter Olympics: Day 8 Nine 916,000
…
43 Bewitched GO 187,000
44 The Great South East Seven 177,000 B only
45 Gardening Australia Rpt ABC1 165,000
46 The Big Bang Theory GO 162,000
47 The Love of Money SBS ONE 162,000
48 Dateline SBS ONE 159,000
49 Born to Be King: Prince Charles at 60 Rpt. ABC1 150,000
50 Wipeout GO 147,000

(Outside of Top 50) UFC 110 Main Card Live One  123,000

Top Programs Across Sports Channels
Rank     Program     Channel     Average     Peak
1    Live: AFL: NAB Cup Geelong v North Melb    Fox Sports 2    130,000    201,000
2    UFC 110 Main Card Live    ONE    123,000    189,000

* Ratings figures are OzTam Five capital city Preliminary figures. Five capital cities are Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. Raw data sourced from TV Tonight, Media Spy, Media Week, and Who We Are. Some Ten programs based on figures provided by Ten. (Throng)

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We must move with the times or be beaten to the punch, says Lewis

Lewis, who has trained world champions Kostya Tszyu, Jeff Harding and Jeff Fenech during his 50-year involvement in boxing, was among the 250,000 Australian viewers who watched UFC 110 on One HD and admitted he was impressed.  (Sydney Morning Herald)
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UFC 110 scores big ratings in Saudi Arabia, beating “24”, TV ads for 112 behind, speculation on annual shows in Abu Dhabi

UFC110 was a huge success over here being the highest rated program of the week (beating 24 Day 8 by over 30 percent). The most watched fight was Wanderlei Silva vs. Michael Bisping which was watched on around 40 percent of televisions in the country (according to Mobily who are the main TV/Phone/internet providers). I have no idea if that is an accurate figure as I have no idea if the company are trustworthy; that said, the verbal feedback I have received certainly point at it being the top end of the expected viewership.

…

– An advert for UFC112 ran straight after the PPV which advertised the old main event of Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort. Apparently this was changed on the replay to the correct main event fighters

– UFC 112 is now a nightly news story on the main news network over here (unfortunately, my Arabic isn’t good enough to understand what is being said, but each night they flash up a graphic of the arena and a graphic of the three main events).  (MMATorch)

We must move with the times or be beaten to the punch

LEGENDARY boxing trainer Johnny Lewis believes Sunday’s successful UFC event in Sydney has highlighted the threat his sport faces from mixed martial arts, and has called for a single body to run the sweet science.

Lewis, who has trained world champions Kostya Tszyu, Jeff Harding and Jeff Fenech during his 50-year involvement in boxing, was among the 250,000 Australian viewers who watched UFC 110 on One HD and admitted he was impressed.

”It was enjoyable and you could see why it does so well,” Lewis said. ”I think we’re a long way behind at the moment.”

Asked whether he thought many others in the boxing community had taken notice of the Acer Arena event, Lewis said: ”I think they made us take notice of it. They are gobbling up our sport very, very quickly.”

…

”The one thing they have got is a single body in charge of the sport and it is working for them,” Lewis said. ”There is one world champion and everyone knows who it is. I think our sport got a big wake-up call out of it. We have got too many world champions and we should take a leaf out of what they are doing.”

UFC organisers hope to stage the next Australian event in Melbourne but need the Victorian government to lift its ban on cage fighting before they can do so. It was not clear last night whether the NSW government would fight to retain the event in Sydney. (Sydney Morning Herald)

HGH test leads to ban of rugby player

In a major breakthrough in the fight against doping, a British rugby league player has become the first athlete to be suspended for using human growth hormone.

Terry Newton admitted taking the substance in a statement released by his attorneys on Friday. The United Kingdom Anti-Doping authority announced a two-year ban on Monday after Newton was fired by his club, Wakefield.

“It’s the first time and very significant,” WADA director general David Howman said. “It shows the people who say that HGH cannot be detected that it can. The sports people who said it can’t be detected are fooling themselves.”

…

HGH is banned in the major North American sports leagues, most notably by baseball since 2005. But amid the lack of an effective test, there has not been testing for the substance…

“There has been a feeling that you can take growth hormone with impunity, but this shows this is no longer the case,” Parkinson said. “Now there is a test, so our message to athletes is to think twice about using it.  (ESPN)

The UFC Will Now Overcharge Fans in Movie Theaters As Well

Our first question, obviously, is “How much is this shit gonna cost us?” The answer, sadly, is “Even more than we spent to see Avatar in IMAX, which was totally worth it, but still.” A quick search for tickets in my area shows that the UFC 111 movie theater experience will set me back $25 per ticket plus service charges. As GalsGuidetoMMA puts it, “I mean, you’re probably not going to go by yourself, right? So for two people you’re looking at over $50. Why the hell wouldn’t you just get the PPV?”

This = truth. If I’m giving up legroom, and trays of homemade hot wings, and the freedom to drink as much beer as I want, and the right to not have strangers shouting in my ear, then I want the experience to cost significantly less than it normally would. Is the audience going to be packed with lonely people who can’t find friends to watch the fights with and who don’t live near any sports bars? I have no problem with Zuffa trying to maximize profits, but after the WEC PPV pricing announcement, I wonder if they’re leaving money on the table by establishing price points that make absolutely no sense… (CagePotato)

IMAGE OF THE DAY

QUOTE OF THE DAY

”The one thing they have got is a single body in charge of the sport and it is working for them,” Lewis said. ”There is one world champion and everyone knows who it is. I think our sport got a big wake-up call out of it. We have got too many world champions and we should take a leaf out of what they are doing.”  (Johnny Lewis, Australian Boxing Trainer)

QUICK HITS

• Strikeforce ‘Challengers 6’ Lineup Finalized (Sherdog)
• Bellator’s tourney payouts tighten; new weight classes likely for season-three tourneys (MMAJunkie)
• ProElite Will Promote MMA Events Again (MMAFighting)
• “Adrenaline MMA V” canceled for March 20 but could be rescheduled for April (MMAJunkie)
• Kaufman vs. Hashi title fight elevated to Strikeforce Challengers VI main event (MMAJunkie)
• Bellator Sets Matchups for Featherweight Draw (Sherdog)
• NSAC Director Explains Sotiropoulos’ Attire (MMAFighting)
• Frank Mir issues apology after Brock Lesnar death comments (MMAJunkie)
• OLYMPICS SPEED UFC PLANS TO RETURN TO BRAZIL  (MMAWeekly)
• SURGERY PUTS ANTHONY JOHNSON OUT FOR MONTH (MMAWeekly)
• MARLON SANDRO VS TOMONARI KANOMATA IN SENGOKU (MMAWeekly)
• MODAFFERI HOPES TO ENTER STRIKEFORCE TOURNEY (MMAWeekly)
• White flips his lid over Mir’s comments about Lesnar (Cage Writer)
• Trevor Prangley Returns to the Spotlight (Heavy)
• Jamie Varner vs. Kamal Shalorus likely for WEC 48 (FiveOuncesOfPain)

TV LISTINGS

• HDNet Fights Presents K-1 Classics (Hari vs Bonjasky) at 8 PM ET on HDNet (02/26/10)
• InsideMMA (Dominick Cruz, Alan Belcher and Karen Darabedyan) at 9 PM ET on HDNet (02/26/10)
• HDNet Fights Presents The Featherweights, Vol. 2, at 10 PM ET on HDNet (02/26/10)
• Best of Pride FC at 10 PM ET/PT on Spike (02/26/10)
• Strikeforce Challengers: Kaufman vs Hashi at 11 PM ET/PT on Showtime (02/26/10)
  

UPCOMING EVENTS

• Strikeforce Challengers: Kaufman vs Hashi at 11 PM ET/PT on Showtime (02/26/10)
• WEC 47: Bowles vs Cruz on at 10 PM ET on Versus (03/06/10)
• HDNet Fights: Sengoku Raiden Championship 12 at TBD on HDNet (03/12/10)
• HDNet Fights: XFC X-Night of Champions at 10 PM ET on HDNet (03/19/10)
• UFC on Versus: Vera vs Jones at 10 PM ET on Versus (3/21/10)
• HDNet Fights: King of the Cage – Legacy at 10 PM ET on HDNet (03/26/10)
• Strikeforce Challengers: Johnson vs Mahe at 11 PM ET/PT on Showtime (03/26/10)
• UFC 111: GSP vs Hardy at 10 PM ET on PPV (03/27/10)
• UFN 21 : Florian vs Gomi at 10 PM ET on Spike (03/31/10)
• The Ultimate Fighter 11 Debut after UFN 21 on Spike (03/31/10)