Edgar visits Jets for 2nd straight year
October 17, 2011
MMA Fighting reports that UFC lightweight champ Frankie Edgar visited the NY Jets to inspire the NFL team for tonight’s Monday Night Football matchup. Coach Rex Ryan invited Edgar back after he visited the team last year.
Coach Ryan is a fan of MMA and has used the term “Ground and Pound” to describe his team’s run game. Jets QB Mark Sanchez credited Edgar’s speech last year as motivation for the team’s win that week.
Payout Perspective:
Edgar’s return visit to the Jets is good for his personal brand and shows that the UFC is becoming more mainstream among NFL players. With people from the NFL becoming fans of the sport, personalities like Edgar become more visible and widely known among a greater group of sports fans. It doesn’t necessarily mean that NFL fans will convert to the UFC but it adds a level of credibility. But, with the new Fox deal, UFC fighters like Edgar will become more recognizable when the network plays promos.
MMA Promotion ProElite & UFC Hall of Famer Featured on CBS’ Hawaii Five-0
September 15, 2011
It looks like CBS is not completely done with MMA just quite yet. Los Angeles based MMA promotion ProElite and CBS top rated show “Hawaii Five-0” have teamed up to create an episode based around the sport of Mixed Martial Arts and UFC & MMA Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell.
ProElite’s Head of Fight Operations T.Jay Thompson stated the following on Twitter:
“#1 rated show Hawaii 5-0 shooting an episode based around a Pro Elite MMA event today. @Rich_Chou and I on set at Blaisdell Arena.I think there may be some raised eyebrows when you find out who is playing the role of ProElite fighter opposite McGarret on H50.”
The episode (Episode 6, Season 2) will air this fall and will feature no other than UFC and MMA Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell playing the role of ProElite MMA fighter who takes on Hawaii 5-0 star Alex O’Loughlin (Steve McGarrett).
Hawaii Five-0 Season 2 Preview on CBS:
Payout Perspective:
ProElite held it’s first event last month (8/27) in Hawaii under new Stratus Media ownership. The event took place at the Blaisdell Arena, which interestingly enough is the same location where the Hawaii Five-0 MMA episode is filming. The episode is set to air this fall on CBS, which is around the same time ProElite is rumored to host it’s second event from New Jersey.
Thompson informed MMAPayout back in July that the goal was to have a TV deal in place by the second event targeted for early November. The exposure that ProElite will gain from being featured on a top rated CBS show is another step in the right direction for the promotion in achieving that goal. For it’s first event, ProElite was able to sign-on high profile sponsors such as Monster Energy Drink and PayPal without a TV deal and only a stream on Sherdog.com in place. For the second event, the goal will be to land a TV deal that is suitable for a company who is scheduling only their second event under new management and personnel.
Chuck Liddell retired from MMA in late 2010 and was appointed as Executive Vice President of Business Development for the UFC shortly after. At the time, he still wanted to fight but agreed to retire from MMA to take a job with the UFC. At press time, it is not known whether this project is part of his job with the UFC or independent work, and if so, if he had UFC’s blessing to jump inside the cage promoting a non-Zuffa owned MMA brand.
UFC-Harley Davidson announce multi-year partnership and “Hometown Throwdown” promotion
August 16, 2011
The UFC announced that it has entered into a multi-year partnership with longtime UFC sponsor Harley Davidson. The motorcycle maker became a core UFC sponsor in 2008.
Harley Davidson will be featured across multiple UFC platforms including PPV, tv broadcasts, online and in the octagon. It will also be a partner in a newly announced promotion called “Hometown Throwdown.”
Via UFC:
On the heels of this major announcement, the companies also jointly announced the launch of a new promotion that gives fans the opportunity to bring a UFC event to their city in late 2012. Beginning next month, fans can visit http://www.ufc.com/hometownthrowdown and vote for their city to win the Hometown Throwdown event. The fully-interactive site will include all of the latest information on the promotion, as well as unique offerings from Harley-Davidson. The city finalists will be announced in early 2012, with the winner being crowned in the spring. The event is expected to be held next summer.
In honor of the UFC’s visit to Harley Davidson’s headquarters, it gave away a Harley Davidson Blackline to Chris Lytle, the winner of the UFC on Versus 5’s main event.
Payout Perspective:
With the news of the UFC-Fox deal today, the UFC-Harley Davidson news has taken a backseat. Harley Davidson’s renewal is good for both parties as the UFC now has its network deal. Looking at its partnerships with mainstream brands, we see that the UFC is starting to enter into partnerships with sponsors for specific events. We’ve seen this with Bud Light and the Battle on the Bayou promotion. The Hometown Throwdown promo appears to be a good bit of brand activation for Harley Davidson and we will see what ways it will promote this.
GSP featured in Under Armour “Footsteps” campaign
August 9, 2011
Georges St. Pierre is featured in a commercial with Ray Lewis, Tom Brady, Cam Newton and other athletes for the newest Under Armour ad campaign. The campaign entitled “Footsteps” launched in support of this year’s fall line of clothes.
A link to the commercial is here.
Payout Perspective:
In this extended version of the UA commercial, GSP is prominently featured. The numerous Primetime and Countdown shows have served as good placement for UA as much of the time viewers watch GSP engaged in some form of workout with Under Armour attire. The new UA commercial is a positive step for GSP as it shows he is on par with the likes of NFL elites like Ray Lewis and Tom Brady when it comes to athlete endorsements. It will be interesting to see if more athletic brands sponsor MMA fighters. Last week, we saw that Anderson Silva will be sponsored by Nike at UFC 134. Jon Jones will have a K-Swiss shoe. We will see if other brands pursue the likes of Cain Velasquez, Jose Aldo, Frankie Edgar or Dominick Cruz. All champions and all marketable figures.
UFC 132: Payout Perspective
July 3, 2011
Welcome to another edition of Payout Perspective. This time we look at UFC 132 from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. The featured bout was Dominick Cruz defending his Bantamweight title againt Urijah Faber.
Cruz defeats Faber in entertaining matchup
Welcome to the UFC Dominick Cruz. A back and forth bout saw Cruz take control of Faber in the end to earn his first UFC win and successful title defense. As we discussed here, the UFC will need to start actively promoting its Bantamweight champ. An example of this can be found in last week’s print edition of the Sports Business Journal. The UFC has a full page ad on the back page were it shows its current champions: Velasquez, Jones, GSP and Edgar. It neglects to include Jose Aldo and Cruz. Last night’s action was fast-paced and entertaining. The UFC can get behind the lighter divisions and sell this type of action. We will see what happens in the future. Certainly, a Faber win would have made life easier marketing this division.
As for Faber, a rematch could happen sooner than later. But, he has lost his last four shots at a title. How many more chances can he get?
Axe Murderer KO’d by Leben, career over?
As predicted, the Wanderlei Silva-Chris Leben matchup featured a big knockout. It was a little surprising that it happened in the first minutes of the fight but Chris Leben took a couple haymakers and returned his own to KO Silva. Dana White essentially stated that Silva’s career is over in the UFC. Similar to Chuck Liddell, Silva will have to have someone tell him to stop fighting. Although he has an exciting fight style, the years are catching up to him and a body just can’t sustain that many shots.
Ortiz upsets Bader, keeps job
The gravedigger celebration was brought out once again as Tito Ortiz submitted Ryan Bader in the upset of the night. For as much heat Ortiz receives, the arena seemed to be at its loudest. Bad news for Bader as he will need to regroup after two straight losses.
Attendance and gate
MMA Junkie reports that UFC 132’s attendance was at 12, 947 for a gate of $2.3 million. The numbers are in line with its other Vegas shows this year: UFC 125 (12,753, $2.57M) and 130 (12,874, $2.174M) (h/t MMA Supremacy).
Bonuses
MMA Junkie reports the bonuses for UFC 132. Each received $75K.
Fight of the Night: Cruz vs. Faber
KO of the night: Carlos Condit
Sub of the night: Tito Ortiz
There were several KO of the night candidates including Chris Leben, Melivn Guillard and Rafael dos Anjos.
UFC Programming
Spike TV debuted the UFC’s Countdown show during the day Wednesday of fight week instead of its regular primetime spot. While subsequent airings were shown at night, it could be seen as passive aggressive programming as a result of the looming hole the UFC will leave Spike when/if it goes to another network.
Sponsorships
Bud Light Lime, MusclePharm, Dodge, TapouT, Harley Davidson and Xyience were in the Octagon. Bud Light Lime branding utilized the lime color as the ring girls donned lime attire at the weigh-ins and during the PPV. Also at the weigh-ins Bud Light Lime owned the space in front of the scale fo the weigh-in.
In the leadup to UFC 132, Form Athletics, a company co-founded by Faber, held an autograph session featuring Anthony Pettis and Mark Munoz and other UFC fighters to promote Faber’s main event. Pettis and Munoz also appeared at a Las Vegas ABC Store to sign autographs on behalf of its sponsor Xyience.
The movie Conan took over the Harley Davidson check point. It also made a mistake by having its star, Jason Momoa, try to hype the film. The Goldberg-Momoa interview was as awkward as the man-hug at its conclusion.
Matt Wiman sported a PETA-inspired sponsor on his shorts: Meet your Meat.com.
Twitter trends
Notably, Faber trended during and after UFC 132 but Dominick Cruz’s name did not. . Also trending were “Crippler” for Chris Leben and “Siver” for Dennis Siver. (h/t MMA Supremacy)
Also, Justin Bieber was at the fights and posted it on twitter. Pretty good mainstream publicity considering Bieber has over 10 million followers.
Post-UFC 132 Headlines
-More small guys? Saturday’s main event showcased the reason why fighters 155 and under should be on more PPV cards. While most are relatively unknown, hopefully Jose Aldo, Mark Hominick, Brian Bowles, Might Mouse Johnson and Dominick Cruz will become regulars on PPV cards.
-Melvin Guillard looks like he has resurrected his career. The Young Assassin looks poised to make a run at the Lightweight title
-Losing Faber. Urijah Faber is one of the most marketable faces in the UFC. His looks and athleticism have earned him mainstream appeal from the likes of Rosie O’Donnell and Jim Rome. The UFC would have loved to see Faber win the title as it would lend notoriety to the division. Despite losing, he still can be the face for the small guy in the UFC. It will be interesting to see how the UFC will book Faber because an upset loss in his next fight could be damaging .
Odds and ends
- Watching the replay, you can see Faber’s muay thai coach, Master Thong, peek over the shoulder of Bruce Buffer as he was announcing the judge’s scores. He saw the score before it was announced.
-Dominick Cruz was awarded his blue belt after his title defense. Cruz has to be the toughest blue belt around. Ironically, Faber was awarded his brown belt after his last fight against Eddie Wineland.
-If we saw Wanderlei Silva’s last fight in the UFC, someone must pick up his entrance music.
A second straight week of solid fights from the UFC. The night saw some great action, a W for Tito Ortiz and a great five round fight from Faber and Cruz.
The Sports TV Landscape, Pac-12 Landmark Deal, & Where MMA Fits
May 9, 2011
The soon to be Pacific 12 conference officially announced last week a blockbuster media rights deal with Fox and ESPN worth $3-billion over the span of 12 years, topping all other current collegiate conference TV deals and quadrupling the worth of their previous TV deal, setting the new standard for sport properties looking forward to upcoming re-negotiation periods.
Although some may wonder what the correlation is between this deal and MMA, you don’t have to search too long to realize that there is a scramble and bidding war going on at the moment to secure more sport content for networks, many who are either trying to get into the game or just acquire as much content as possible to stay in it. We are currently seeing a new trend for the sports and TV industry right now, where networks are paying a premium for this type of content, where now the Pac-10 has set the standard going forward.
CNBC’s Darren Rovell wrote, “[sports are the] best bet on entire television landscape. People get sick of sitcoms, reality shows and soap operas, but fans don’t lose interest in a sport. That’s why networks don’t have any problem signing deals that last as long as they do despite the fact that they have no idea what the economic or technological landscape is going to look like”.
Looking at the deal, the Pac-12 will use an equal revenue-sharing plan, which means each team in the conference will be raking in $21 million annually in guaranteed money just from this deal. The Pac-10 will be bringing in $250 million per year ($60 million in rights with the previous deal), which tops all TV deals by other conferences, including the Big-10 ($220 million per year) and the SEC ($205 million). As if that wasn’t enough, the soon to be Pac-12 will also start their own Network which will be fully owned by the conference, unlike the Big Ten Network which is 49% owned by Fox, which should bring even more revenue to the conference, which some have estimated could be worth an additional $10 million. The deal would put each team grossing around $30 million a year. The conference also created the “Pac-12 Media Enterprises” to manage and sell sponsorship and licensing rights controlled by the conference, along with the conference championship games. To illustrate how big of a deal this is for the schools, Utah – who left the Mountain West Conference to join the Pac-10 – was making about $1.2 million in TV money in the MWC, where in a few years in the Pac-12 could be 20-30 times more with the new deal signed.
According to Sports Business Journal, the front-runners in landing the Pac-10 deal were Fox and ESPN (who got the split deal) and Comcast/NBC, who was trying to pickup the rights for Versus, which will soon be renamed to NBC Sports after the Comcast/NBC merger. If you recall, just a few weeks ago, NBC/Versus was able to retain the NHL (TBS/TNT, ESPN, and Fox were also bidders) by signing a 10-year 2 billion dollar deal, which pays out at about $200 million a year. Versus – who currently has a TV deal with the UFC until 2012 – is in the midst of being renamed to NBC Sports as they will do their best to become a competitor in the sports TV market (ESPN). Keeping the NHL was a must and losing the Pac-10 deal was a blow, but it could be the silver lining for the UFC who has positioned themselves in the last couple of years as vital programming who can draw the 18-34 demo and brings in some of the better ratings for Versus. UFC events and playoff NHL games do about the same ratings on Versus (NHL averaged 624k viewers for the first round this year, UFC on Versus 3 on March 5th averaged 681k viewers), but UFC (MMA) outperforms the NHL during the regular season on average.
While the UFC’s deal with Versus is up next year, they are also in a renegotiation period with their other TV partner, Spike TV, who’s deal will also run out next year. Experts within the industry believe that both parties have been involved in intense negotiations (Spike advertising Bellator events during TNA showings and UFC putting prelims and other specials like Primetime – which were previously exclusive to Spike- on other networks like Ion and ESPN on time-buys. The UFC has also been experimenting airing their own content by utilizing Facebook to provide free preliminary fights.
In the past year, the UFC’s Dana White told MMA Fighting that he expected a network deal to be done by 2011, followed up by possibly starting up their own network in the next couple of years, though he has shied away from those comments recently. “Sports Business Journal came out with a survey asking big names in the industry with sport could start its own network and 4 out of 5 said us. They are right. I agree” said White.
Other networks that have long been interested in acquiring MMA content or a sport franchise are TNT/TBS/TruTV and Fox channels (FX & Fuel TV). In the last couple of months, MMA start-up promotion Shark Fights signed a deal with Fuel TV to air their events on the newly created “Friday Fight Night” segment. Long time Fuel TV VP/GM CJ Olivares stepped down from his role with the network just last month, and was replaced by Fox Sports Network’s George Greenberg who shared some insight if MMA programming will still be in the plans for Fuel TV.
You do not see a lot of MMA on Fuel right now. Will we have a little bit? Yes. Will we have more? Yes, a bit more. Television programming is a diet that needs a bit of everything in it. It’s okay to have some MMA, and it’s okay to have your action sports stars appear in shoulder programming, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. At the end of the day, TV is a horse race and we need to get ratings.
On the other hand, FX will be a part of the Pac-10 TV deal with Fox, which it has agreed to televise college football games on the network. Back in December of last year, it was rumored that Bellator was going to sign a TV deal with Fox which would put the MMA promotion on FX, FSN, and Fuel TV, a deal that fell through and ultimately landed Bellator on MTV2. FX was also said to have some interest in Strikeforce and the UFC in the past, but nothing had gone beyond exploratory talks. It is said that after NBC/Versus and Fox lost rights to sport franchises they were bidding for, both entities could not afford to lose their current programming staples.
NBC/Versus signed a lucrative deal with the NHL and looks to use them as the premier league for their newly created NBC Sports channel, while Fox (losing out the LA Lakers contract in Southern California) needed to keep the Pac-10 programming to keep their stations going in that region. As a note, HBO, Fox, NBC, and ESPN/ABC have been said to be interested in MMA content from the UFC in the past, though nothing ever came to fruition.
Back in January, MMAPayout discussed the “The Sports TV Landscape” and brought up the domino effect of these lucrative TV deals and why a network deal would have to make sense to the UFC due to the PPV vs. Rights to fee trade-off. A move by the UFC to leave Spike TV could generate a chain reaction by Spike to replace them with another promotion if they wanted to keep airing MMA content, which would be no easy task but not impossible either, since many think that Bellator is being groomed just for that reason. Larry Scott of the Pac-10 said it best when he proclaimed the three main goals for the conference that should apply to any sports entity looking to grow in the current market conditions are to increase revenue, generate exposure, and create your own network. Three key points the UFC has been stressing over the past couple of years and is aiming to accomplish in the near future.
Current Sport TV Deals – Collegiate Sports, NHL, MLS, WWE, and UFC:
Pac-10: $250 million/Year (Fox/ESPN/ABC) … previously $60 million (Fox/ESPN/ABC)
Big Ten: $220 million/Year (ESPN/ABC)
SEC: $205 million/Year (ESPN/CBS)
NHL: $200 million/Year (NBC/Versus) … previously $77.5 million (Versus)
ACC: $155 million /Year (ESPN)
Big 12: $130 million/Year (Fox)
WWE: $30-35 million/Year [Meltzer] (USA Network) … With Syfy included, estimated at around $70+ million/Year.
UFC: $35 million/Year [Meltzer] (Spike TV) … TV deals will be up after 2011 with Spike TV and Versus (4 events).
MLS: $14.75 million / Year (ESPN2, $8.5 million/Fox Sports Channel, $6.25 million) … Asked for $20 million/Year (FSC)…. previously $3 million (FSC)
UFC 129: Payout Perspective – Part 1
May 2, 2011
Welcome to another addition of Payout Perspective. This time we take a look at UFC 129 held at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario Canada. The three and a half hour PPV set records in attendance, gate and bonuses. It was the organization’s biggest event in its history.
In the main event, Georges St. Pierre outclassed Jake Shields to retain the welterweight title. Canadian Mark Hominick may have gained the most in a loss to Jose Aldo. Randy Couture was retired by Lyoto Machida with a front kick. Steven Seagal had his hands (or should we say feet) all over this one.
GSP downs Shields
In the highly anticipated matchup, St. Pierre stuffed all of Shields’ takedown attempts and defended the welterweight title despite losing vision in his left eye. At no point did Shields have an opportunity to use his dreaded jiu jitsu. It was a GSP-dominated match although many have criticized GSP’s performance.
Aldo downs Hominick
Mark Hominick fought valiantly with a huge hematoma on his head but lost to a superior Jose Aldo. Despite Joe Rogan selling the 5th round, it did not seem like Aldo was in any danger. We learned after the fight that Aldo may have been sick. During the telecast, Rogan surmised that it may have been the repercussions of a bad weight cut.
Many believed that the fight would end due to the hematoma, but the ringside doctor determined that he was fine to continue. This actually brought praise from Dana White after the fight.
Seagal strikes again
First Anderson Silva, now Lyoto Machida. Machida used a front kick reminiscent of the Karate Kid to knock out Randy Couture. The Natural was gracious in defeat in what looks like his last fight. Machida claims that the kick should be attributed to his training with Steven Seagal.
Sponsorship Watch
Due to the enormity of fans at UFC 129 and the many ordering the PPV, we saw more mainstream sponsors participating at UFC 129.
The Hamilton Tiger Cats sponsored Mark Hominick. Unfortunately for the Ti-Cats, the hematoma on Hominick’s head was so huge; he could not properly put on his cap during the post-fight.
Amor All sponsored Fightmetric’s Fantasy MMA Tournament on Rogers Sportsnet.
Sailun Tires sponsored Kyle Watson and Vladimir Matsushenko.
Dodge sponsored the UFC Fights on Facebook. A sponsor on The Ultimate Fighter, it’s nice to see Dodge having more of a presence. For the UFC, having a sponsor for its Facebook fights is the exact reason for airing fights on Facebook.
Blue Grace Logisitcs, a transportation, logistics and technology provider, represented Ben Henderson and indicated that it would sponsor more fighters in the future.
1-800-Radiator was the sponsor for the front of Jake Shields’ shorts and DC Solar Systems sponsored the back. As I stated in the UFC 128 Payout Perspective, the last two fighters that won titles had tool manufacturers as its sponsor. DC Solar Systems is a renewable energy system company. Sorry, no go.
Post-UFC 129 Headlines
GSP vs. Silva Nick Diaz next?
Dana White seemed open to Diaz fight although the underlying issue would be the demise of Strikeforce. Having its champion fight the UFC champion would be a great PPV fight. Diaz would sign on considering it would mean a big payday which he craves. For GSP, it’s another challenge in his chosen weight division. If you can take anything from his comments after the Shields fight, he was hesitant to commit to a fight at 185. Without going further, GSP seemed the only way he would fight Silva would be at a catchweight lower than 185.
What’s next for Jake Shields?
Two UFC fights and two disappointing efforts for the man brought to the UFC to dethrone GSP. UFC Primetime and Countdown really helped UFC fans get to know Shields. He seems like an all-around good guy. But, one thing not seen from the UFC Primetime or Countdown shows was practicing takedowns. GSP is world-class, but Shields lacked the skill to take down GSP and perform his famed jiu jitsu. Maybe Shields takes an in-between fight before matching up with a Jon Fitch or BJ Penn.
Aldo defense good news for lighter weight divisions
The fight showed off the lighter divisions of the UFC. With Edgar-Maynard III headlining later this month and Cruz-Faber topping the card in July, the future seems bright for fighters 155 and under.
Will the UFC make the Stadium Show a regular event?
The UFC marketed around the 55,000 fans in attendance in Toronto. Despite a fan brawl that is making the rounds on Youtube, it sounded like the arena experience was amazing. Watching the PPV, the crowd seemed into all of the fights. We will see if the UFC will try to make the stadium show an annual event. It knows that it can do it in Toronto and we will see if it will try to replicate this in the U.S.
Fan Expo
It was announced this week that the next UFC Fan Expo will take place October 7th and 8th. The Toronto Fan Expo drew tons of fans and it was an opportunity for MMA sponsors/vendors to get in front of its audience. MMA Elite and Round 5 were just a couple of the companies that took advantage of the expo to roll out new products.
GSP and Machida were trending worldwide an hour after the PPV had ended. It was natural for GSP to be trending and Machida’s incredible kick got people talking.
Odds and Ends
- Biggest non-sponsor featured at UFC 129: Costco water. The Kirkland brand of water was used throughout and received a lot of airtime when GSP doused his eye with water. In prior UFC events, the water bottles were either sponsored or covered the true manufacturer. In the arena of monetizing every inch of real estate, I was surprised the water bottles did not receive one.
- Sponsors are taking advantage of the weigh-ins as Kyle Watson and Rory MacDonald sported undershorts with logos specific for the weigh-ins (i.e., logos in the groin area).
- Rory MacDonald’s suplexes were reminiscent of Chris Benoit/Kurt Angle in pro wrestling.
- Perhaps we should think of Steven Seagal’s martial arts pedigree rather than his three-word titled movies (e.g., Above the Law, Hard to Kill, Out for Justice, Marked for Death).
- Anyone else notice the fan winner that put the belt on GSP almost gave away the result before Buffer’s announcement. White had to hold the guy back. Yes, we knew who won, but it was a funny moment.
MMA Payout will have a Part 2 of the Payout Perspective which will cover much more on UFC 129.
MMA training favored among baseball players?
April 13, 2011
The NY Times had an article yesterday on baseball players doing MMA training to get in shape. The article entitled, “Mixed Martial Arts makes inroads in baseball training,” examines the fascination with using MMA to train.
Russell Martin is once again identified as a player that trains in MMA. He was featured in a Wall Street Journal article several weeks ago.
Via the NY Times:
Adam Dunn of the Chicago White Sox, Brad Penny of the Detroit Tigers and Russell Martin of the Yankees have used the sport’s punches and kicks to improve their throwing and swinging. In addition to improving overall fitness, Martin said, mixed martial arts can make an athlete mentally tougher.
Dunn and Penny declined comment on their training although the article notes that Penny trained with Dan Henderson. It would be interesting to know whether baseball players have in their contracts that they cannot do any other physical sports (golf not too physical) outside of baseball. I’m sure teams would not be pleased if a player would get hurt checking a kick or throwing a punch. Can you imagine a pitcher hurting his pitching hand from sparring.
An interesting note from the piece about the fact that MMA training is not utilized by Japanese baseball players:
Bobby Valentine, an ESPN baseball analyst, has managed in the major leagues and in Japan, where one would think mixed martial arts training is popular among players. But that is not the case, he said.
“It’s more prominent in the States,” said Valentine, who said he believes the training is beneficial.
He added: “Most mixed martial arts instructors teach balance, quickness and awareness of your surroundings. There are a few cases in Japan, but most players just play baseball over there.”
Payout Perspective:
The article covers the latest training fad by professional athletes to use MMA as a means of conditioning. We’ve seen the likes of Jay Glazer taking advantage of the MMA training boom by offering their services to professional athletes. Not sure if Matt Leinhart reaped the benefits of training but it is still an interesting story that mainstream outlets picked up on. Moreover, the MMA training trickles down to regular people who want to lose weight or get in better shape. Capitalizing on this, the UFC has opened gyms and developed an interactive video game, the UFC Personal Trainer coming in June.
UFC 128: Payout Perspective
March 22, 2011
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.
UFC thanks Feds for icing PPV pirates
February 3, 2011
The US Attorney of New York and the US Immigration Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) received a big thanks from the UFC in a press release on Wednesday as the agencies shut down 10 websites that allegedly live streamed sporting events and PPVs.
Political news web site POLITICO reported the enforcement actions but did not mention the UFC in the article. Instead, it focused on the fact that the seizure of websites was made prior to the Super Bowl as context for the actions. The sites themselves do not provide the content, but provide links to other websites where people can access the events illegally. The POLITICO article states that the sites not only act as a conduit to provide people to sites that illegally stream content, but dent revenues of sports leagues and broadcasters which ultimately will hurt viewers.
Via UFC press release:
In connection with the recent forfeiture raids initiated by the United States Department of Justice, the UFC® wishes to individually thank Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York and John T. Morton, the Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) for aggressively confronting and pursuing these criminal enterprises.
Speaking on behalf of the UFC®, Dana White, Zuffa’s President, issued the following statement: “The very forceful actions taken by Mr. Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York and Mr. Morton, the Director of ICE, against these parasitic websites is very welcome news. The criminal theft of Pay-Per-View events has resulted in the loss of millions of dollars of revenue to not only the UFC® and its fighters, but has also deprived federal, state and local government of their rightful entitlement to significant tax revenue.
“On behalf of the UFC®and its fighters, I extend my sincerest thanks to Mr. Bharara, Mr. Morton, and the many Assistant United States Attorneys and Agents of Homeland Security Investigations who worked so tirelessly during the course of this intensive investigation.”
Despite the seizures, one of the websites that was shut down on Wednesday has already reappeared online.
Payout Perspective:
For the UFC, the press release reaffirms its aggressive stance on piracy. The UFC release is part government relations as it complements, by name, the NY US Attorney and ICE Director for its work. Notwithstanding recent news about MMA in New York, thanking the US Attorney in New York doesn’t hurt.
Although mainstream news outlets like POLITICO will focus on the affect the seizures have on professional leagues, it goes without saying that the work helps the UFC as well. This weekend’s UFC 126 should be one of the more compelling PPVs in a while with Silva-Belfort, Griffin-Franklin and Bader-Jones. The PPV buy rate should be good and with the assist from the feds, some users may need to buy the PPV rather than get it for free.
Of course, while some sites go down, others pop up: a game of whac-a-mole as the Fight Lawyer pointed out last year.
