Drew Brees edged out Aaron Rodgers for the top spot this year. Brock Lesnar and Fedor made it on the list in 2010. The list is based on an athlete’s performance, popularity and marketability.

Last year’s top spot, Peyton Manning, fell to 51st on the list. Lance Armstrong, No. 8 on the list last year, fell off the list completely as he announced his retirement last February. Despite retiring, Shaquille O’Neal remained No. 7 on the list.

Payout Perspective:

Will there be a UFC fighter on this list next year? Certainly, Jon Jones and Georges St. Pierre would be the two names that would come to mind when it comes to the criteria. Jones would be more likely to make the mainstream jump this year consdering GSP’s injury. A combination of Jones’ personality, his athletic ability and the UFC’s visibility through the Fox deal should help land Jones on this list.

Remember when putting on a Jabawockeez mask to intimidate your opponent at the weigh-ins caused a near riot? It seems like the weigh-ins are becoming much more entertaining than just that.

Here are some highlights from yesterday:

-Danny Castillo wearing a tux which you could zip off from the back scored major points in the creativity department
-Tom Lawlor going Steven Seagal (shooting glasses and all). He also did his best Baron Von Raschke impression during the staredown as he gave the infamous claw. He also sported an XBox 360 shirt. In speaking with an XBox rep, Xbox is sponsoring Lawlor for its launch of the Kinect Sports 2. Demetrious Johnson remains as the only UFC fighter to be exclusively sponsored by XBox.
-Kyle Kingsbury and Stephan Bonnar hammed it up with a WWE-type posedown on the scales. With his patented fanny pack, Kingsbury is Zubaz and doo-rag away from being a 1980s wrestler from the Mid-South region.
-I’m not sure why more t-shirt sponsors of fighters allow the sponsored fighter to throw out free shirts to the crowd at weigh-ins. It gets your brand out there to the fans with the hopes of them coming back to purchase shirts. Of course the other side of that is the crowd is a considerable distance from the fighters. Thus, you get the Rick Story problem as he was unable to reach the crowd with some of his t-shirt throws. Since the NBA is out for some time, could the UFC borrow some of those t-shirt cannons to shoot out into the audience?
-Was Nick Pace confused in what division he was fighting in? Six pounds over really means that he should fight at 145 not 135.

Payout Perspective:

The weigh-ins seemed unorganized in terms of the actual weigh in. Whether there were issues with the scale or operator error, the weigh-ins seemed much more of an issue. Even though there were several fighters overweight, it usually doesn’t stop the pace of the weigh-ins. Also, it didn’t seem like the woman operating the scale knew about the one pound weight allowance as she grimaced each time she had to move the scale.

Similar to how the UFC wants its fighters to use twitter as a way to market themselves, the weigh-ins seem like an opportunity for fighters to promote themselves as well. Yes, the weigh-ins are usually something people pass over as its just guys getting on a scale. But, with a little more personality, it could be something that can be capitalized on in the future.

(H/t: Cage Potato)

Payout Perspective:

With the UFC Brazilian market growing, it looks like Silva is taking advantage of all the publicity. As we’ve seen, Silva is drawing many mainstream sponsor and his face is becoming more and more identifiable. This is a good thing for Silva personally and could prove to open up mainstream sponsor deals for other UFC fighters (e.g. Junior dos Santos).

This historic bout airs LIVE exclusively on FOX Saturday, November, 12 (9:00 PM ET).   FUELTV airs the LIVE weigh-in on Friday, November 11 (7:00 PM ET) and a two-hour special prefight show Saturday, November 12 (7:00 PM ET) featuring analysis from a champions’ roundtable and exclusive interviews from the red carpet arrivals of celebrities and athletes attending the historic fight.

Saturday, Nov. 12:
3:00 p.m. ET — Cain Velasquez: Brown Pride, episodes 1-3 on FOX Deportes
4:45 p.m. ET — UFC on FOX prelims live on Facebook and FOXSports.com
5:30 p.m. ET — Weigh-ins re-air on FUEL TV
6:00 p.m. ET — UFC Primetime re-air on FUEL TV
6:00 p.m. ET — Re-air of Cain Velasquez vs. Brock Lesnar on FOX Deportes
7:00 p.m. ET — UFC prelims live on FOX Deportes
7:00 p.m. ET — Pre-fight show on FUEL TV, hosted by Glazer, along w/ Kenny Florian & Stephan Bonnar
9:00 p.m. ET — UFC on FOX broadcast, hosted by Curt Menefee, along with Dana White, Brock Lesnar & Joe Rogan. Mike Goldberg and Rogan will call the heavyweight title fight.
10 p.m. ET — UFC on FOX post-fight show on FUEL TV, hosted by Glazer, along with Florian and Bonnar

***

Saturday’s UFC on FOX Red Carpet Celebrity List:

FOX
Michael Strahan (FOX NFL SUNDAY)
Howie Long (FOX NFL SUNDAY)
Odette Annable (House)
Harry Shum, Jr. (Glee)
Matthew Morrison (Glee)
Howie Mandel (Mobbed)
Max Greenfield (New Girl)
Jake Johnson (New Girl)
Lamorne Morris (New Girl)
Hannah Simone (New Girl – pictured)
Jesse Spencer (House)

FX
Joelle Carter (Justified)
Walton Goggins (Justified)
Nick Searcy (Justified)
Nick Kroll (The League)
Dayton Callie (Sons of Anarchy)
Ron Perlman (Sons of Anarchy)
Dorian Brown (Wilfred)
Jason Gann (Wilfred)
Fiona Gubelmann (Wilfred)

FUELTV
Danny Kass (Adventures of Danny & The Dingo)
Luke Trembath (Adventures of Danny & The Dingo)
Bas Rutten (Punk Payback with Bas Rutten)
Mike “Rooftop” Escamilla (Strangers in Danger)
Zack “Catfish” Yankush (Strangers in Danger)
Charlie Andrews (Knights of Mayhem)

SPORTS
Jim Brown (NFL Legend – pictured)
Brad Penny (MLB pitcher)
Kelly Slater (Professional Surfer)

FILM, MUSIC & TELEVISION
Dave Annable (Brothers & Sisters)
David Arquette
Travis Barker
Gina Carano (Haywire)
Claire Coffee (Grimm)
Ryan Guzman (Step Up)
Gilles Marini (Brothers & Sisters)
Nicole Murphy (Model)
Ronnie Mund (The Howard Stern Show)
Amanda Righetti (The Mentalist)
Mickey Rourke (Immortals)
Matt Sanders (Avenged Sevenfold)
Karina Smirnoff (Dancing with the Stars)
Eric Stonestreet (Modern Family)
Nick Swardson (Jack and Jill)
Kenny Wormald (Footloose)
Neon Trees

UFC
Michael Bisping
Carlos Condit
Dominick Cruz
Chuck Liddell
Gilbert Melendez
George St. Pierre
Brian Stann

Link: Yahoo Sports

Earlier this year, Pacquiao and Top Rank consolidated his marketing team to focus on securing endorsements. Team Pacquiao and Top Rank   hired Lucia McKelvey as his deal agent. McKelvey previously represented Tiger Woods.

Since the realignment, Pacquiao has signed deals with HP and State Street Produce. Recently, he signed a $1 year, $1 million endorsement deal with Hennessy.

McKelvey touts Pacquiao as a likeable, global brand. He ranks 24th in BusinessWeek’s power rankings of most influential athletes but there is skepticism that the fighter may have reached the top of his marketing potential.

Via Star.com:

Pacquiao rose 51 spots in BusinessWeek’s power rankings over the previous year but analyst David Newman, who helped prepare the report, questions how much higher Pacquiao can climb.

“He’s really close to the top of his peak,” says Newman, VP of analytics at CSE, an Atlanta-based sports and entertainment marketing firm. “The life cycle of a boxer is not long.”

McKelvey, meanwhile, doesn’t see Pacquiao’s marketability leveling off, and estimates the fighter could earn up to $50 million outside the ring.

Bad Left Hook offers this:

…I would have to guess that his time as a high-level pitchman could be drawing to a close. The lack of a Mayweather fight (like it or not, that’s the bigger breakthrough that still hasn’t happened) and the fact that Manny’s planning to retire after 2013 are both ominous signs. Without boxing, he’ll still have some offers, but he’s probably not going to be Michael Jordan, endorsing Nike and Hanes forever.

Payout Perspective:

The article presents an interesting question on the Manny Pacquiao brand. It is also an example of what happens when an athlete does not have appropriate business representation. Pacquiao is getting endorsement deals now, but you have to wonder how much he could have earned. Pacquiao is definitely reaping the rewards of his success and a mega-fight with Floyd Mayweather could land bigger deals for Pacquiao.

“We feel we can be the brand that really brings that innocent image to MMA- help it go mainstream,” said Mastrandrea, “We are re-branding to further target the kids. We feel there is a real need for a new generations Superhero.”

MP: When did Cagehero decide to target kids? What was the basis of your decision? Did you do any market research or look at trends to target a younger demographic?

CH: With the characters we have developed, we knew kids were always the ultimate destination.
We felt the need to educate the decision maker first. The 18-34 Male demo is the target everyone looks too, but we knew the increase in women’s interest-both as participants, and consumers in MMA was important too.  Both parents- the mother and father buy the kids their clothing.  When we looked at the numbers, we also found that the Youth Apparel Market is actually bigger then the Men’s Apparel Market.

MP: How did you find the kids to be in the commercial?

CH: It started with Stevo- the mohawked wrestling YouTube sensation.  When we saw his video on YouTube, it made both of us smile, laugh and really remember the days of Youth Sports. Days later we traveled to see him at a tournament to meet him, and his parents-the family were great people.  We then thought of the concept of the Cagehero Kids Team-  a compilation of the world’s best youth athletes across the world promoting there respective youth combat sports.    We checked out some kids in Vegas, California and then received some help from our friends over at Youth1.com.  In the past 2 days we have received almost 100 emails of new kids applying for the team.

MP: Are you still sponsoring MMA fighters? If so, who. Are they mostly in Bellator? I see that Ben Askren was in the commercial. Is he still sponsored?

CH: As far as the stereotypical MMA Marketing, walking out wearing our logo- Ben Askren is the only fighter in either Bellator/UFC that we will be marketing.  Ben is a great guy who really embodies our brand.  He also deals directly with kids, owning the Askren Brothers Wrestling Academy.  We do some outside signings/appearances with UFC guys, but for the time being we only “sponsor” in Bellator.

MP: How have/will the marketing efforts change as a result of the re-branding?

CH: We will continue to market in MMA-Bellator for now.  We have begun a stronger push with the Kids Marketing with Videos and a number of strategic partnerships with Youth-focused companies.  We are also starting to focus more on a grassroots level with a presence at Youth Wrestling Tournaments and BJJ Competitions.

MP: Are there any concerns that kids may be too young for MMA?

CH: When we started this company, we knew we were investing in the sport of MMA.  We’re passionate about it, and believe that one day it will be the largest sport in the world with acceptance by people of all cultures/ages.  With the UFC on Fox Deal, the recent Bellator-Viacom deal and the constant penetration of new markets- we think it’s only a matter of time.  Like Dana always says “Fighting is our DNA- we get it, we like it.”  Our brand will always have MMA roots.  It directly ties in with our characters as well.
Our Theory:
-In the 80′s the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles took over, representing the fictional art of “Ninjitsu”
-In the 90s- the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, with martial arts/Gymnastics.
We are the new Superhero, with ties to Mixed Martial Arts- the new martial art.

MP: How will you try to bring MMA mainstream?

CH: We are trying to bring MMA Mainstream through the Kid’s Team, the characters and the message.  Some people, even if educated, are ignorant to the sport.  When you align it with Kids, Superheroes and a message like “The Hero Comes From Within”- it definitely puts the sport in a more innocent light.

Our full length script and artwork with our finalized characters is also completed.  We are currently taking it to market and attaching the proper people.

MP: What are the future plans for the brand?

CH:  The future plans for the brand is to further develop the Cagehero Kid’s Team with athletes throughout the world.  We are doing our first Youth Combine with Youth1, Ben Askren and some surprise UFC guests in the upcoming months.  Keeping the same comic book aesthetic.  As far as the Adults, we will continue to market in Bellator, and always keep our eyes open if the opportunity is right to go to the UFC. Our new adult line is more geared towards inspirational lifestyle apparel.  The Big Picture remains the same:  A comic book, a movie.  Become this generations Superhero.

Payout Perspective:

CageHero is a unique brand and based on its designs, it was poised to make an easy transition from the young male target demographic to the kids demographic. This is partly due to the comic book designs and partly due to its positive messaging. Certainly, the way the brand is positioning itself in the market, it seems like the most kid-friendly, parent approved brand to wear as opposed to the more adult-themed shirts from other brands.

The Strikeforce merger with UFC may have muted a portion of its fighters due to the UFC sponsor fee. Although it says that it may make a return, the brand has found another way to market itself within the MMA industry. Through outreach and visibility at youth wrestling and grappling tournaments and continutng its sponsorship of Ben Askren, it is making all the right moves in targeting youth with its new campaign.

CageHero also is participating in a campaign benefiting Clothes4Soul, an organization that facilitates the donations of new clothing to those in need. When you buy one shirt, it will donate one to the organization. Participating in this program helps the CageHero brand in showing that it truly is making a positive impression in the MMA community.

CageHero’s new info:
New Website:  www.cagehero.net
Facebook:   http://www.facebook.com/CAGEHERO
Twitter:  @cagehero

The in-game promo occurred in the 5th inning of the Red Sox vs Rangers game, which was indicative of a few things. One, it showed that the message to promote the event was given from the top FOX executives (top-down) and it would heavily push the UFC events in the enthusiastic manner which they suggested ever since signing the TV deal with the UFC.  The other key point here is that the lengthy promo not only promoted the 11/12 event, but it also included a PPV promo for UFC 135, mentioning both headliners John “Bones” Jones and Quinton Rampage” Jackson. Via MMAJunkie:

“We’re jumping on this thing and making a big a deal out of it as we can,” Fox Sports president Eric Shanks said today during a conference call announcing the event’s headliner, a heavyweight title fight between champ Cain Velasquez and challenger Junior Dos Santos. “Guaranteed, we’ll be promoting this across all of our sports and all of our entertainment properties leading up until the 12th.”

The second promo was a 10 second commercial spot during the game for the 11/12 event and mostly featured highlights of Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos, ending with a shot displaying the title of the event, the date, and the UFC on FOX logo.

We were skeptical at first of how much FOX was really going to push the UFC , but after watching the first UFC on FOX promo during the press conference and this weekends efforts, it shouldn’t surprise anyone when FOX starts to run promos during NFL games in about a week.  Typically, those Sunday NFL games get great media coverage and high viewership numbers which surpass the majority of MLB games. The UFC will be looking to capitalize on the exposure FOX will provide in the next couple of months.

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.

According to MMA Junkie, “UFC officials today announced that either Chris Lytle or opponent Dan Hardy also will receive a 2012 Harley-Davidson Blackline motorcycle.” The motorcycle retails for $14,999.

Payout Perspective:

It would have been nice if there would have some leadup to this promotion. It appears that this was announced today, Sunday. Notwithstanding, Harley Davidson is a longtime sponsor and has promoted the Blackline during other UFC TV events. Almost a fitting retirement sendoff for Lytle, if he is able to win in his last MMA fight.

On another note, the name UFC on Versus 5 is not a title that just rolls off by memory. This should change next year when Versus changes its name and if UFC chooses another network.

Tecate will be taking advantage of the fact that the fight is a day removed from Mexican Independence Day, September 16th.  The fight takes place on Saturday, September 17th. In addition to the fight in Vegas, Golden Boy Promotions will promote a fight involving young up and comer Saul “Canelo” Alvarez at the Staples Center the same day as Mayweather-Ortiz. Fans attending the fight at the Staples Center would have a chance to watch the Las Vegas fight and fans attending Mayweather-Ortiz would be able to watch the Alvarez fight. Additionally, a music festival featuring two well-known Mexican acts will perform at Staples Center.

HBO has committed to having a broadcast crew at the Alvarez fight in addition to the crew at the Mayweather-Ortiz fight. The PPV buyers would receive fights from both locations.

In addition to its usual national promotional campaign for big fights, Tecate will launch a huge promotional campaign in Southern California in support of the Staples Center event. For the marketing push, Tecate will spend more than $800,000 in radio, TV and outdoor advertising in Southern California alone. It will also offer rebates for the Staples Center event similar to the rebates it has offered for past big fight PPVs. The rebates will be placed at promotional displays in 10,000 grocery and liquor stores across the Southland.

Payout Perspective:

Tecate is a huge backer of boxing and extending its marketing reach for this fight seemed natural considering the appeal of Victor Ortiz, the return of Floyd Mayweather and the fight coinciding with the Mexican Independence celebration. The demographic in the Los Angeles area made sense for Tecate to collaborate with  AEG (the owner of the Staples Center), HBO and Golden Boy in producing an event in the area. The big investment in Southern California is a calculated marketing strategy considering the fact that Tecate generates 35% of its US business in Southern California (according to the SBJ article). With this big marketing push, it will be interesting to see the numbers in attendance at the Staples Center to watch Alvarez and then Ortiz.