UFC 145: Payout Perspective
April 22, 2012
Welcome to another edition of Payout Perspective! This time the UFC hit Atlanta for UFC 145 where the much anticipated fight between Rashad Evans and Jon Jones took place.
Jones outclasses Evans
Did the fight live up to its expectations? Despite the hype, the outcome was never in doubt. Jon Jones dominated Rashad Evans to win via decision. Jones’ ability to utilize his reach and unique strikes did in Evans.
Both fighters received their share of boos from the crowd. It’s interesting to witness that folks hate Jones. Is it due to the perceived arrogance?
It appears that Jones is heading for a clash with Dan Henderson in a fight where most fans will be behind Henderson.
Next big thing?
Rory MacDonald may be the next dominant fighter in the sport. He dominated Che Mills to continue his ascent up the welterweight ladder. He is adamant that he’d never fight GSP if it came down to it. But, that scenario is down the line. We will definitely see more of him and he’s still very young.
Rothwell ends Schaub quickly
Honestly, I went out of the room during introductions and I came back and this fight was over. This was the second straight fight in which Schaub was knocked out. A good win for Rothwell who looked like he was in much better shape than his last fight against Mark Hunt.
Attendance and Gate
The UFC announced on Friday that 145 had sold out the Philips Arena. We’ll update the numbers once we recieve them. UPDATED: MMA Junkie reports 145 drew 15,145 for a gate of $2.2 million.
Sponsorships
- The big news for UFC 145 was that headliner Jon Jones would sport UFC branded gear. As we noted, it appears that this will be a trend for the future. Frank Mir, who will take Alistair Overeem’s place at UFC 146, will be the next fighter to wear UFC gear.
As it turns out, MicroTech and Xyience were secondary logos on Jones’ UFC gear. Xyience had prominent space on the back side of Jones. In the end, is this new trend a conflict of interest?
Evans was sponsored by MMA clothing manufacturer Jaco. But, he also was sponsored by Bony Acai, MusclePharm and Corn Nuts. Three UFC Official Sponsors. Coincidentally, MusclePharm was a prime sponsor of the main event.
Frankly, we do not know the relationship between Official UFC Sponsors and what opportunities each gets in terms of signage/visibility at each event. So, it’s possible that the UFC placing its official sponsors on UFC branded fighters is a complementary piece to its existing partnership. It could also charge its official sponsors for being secondary marks on the UFC branded fighters. The UFC has indicated that branding fighters is a sign of the future. As we hypothesized, the UFC could be inching out other MMA sponsors from the fighters in the Octagon. As a result, there might be a time the UFC could entice more sponsors to become official UFC sponsors so that it could be on fight shorts or walkout shirts.
- Metro PCS, Dodge, RYU, US Marines and Corn Nuts all sponsored different portions of the night. Metro PCS sponsored the weigh-ins on Friday. MusclePharm sponsored the main event.
- Some new fight sponsors I noticed last night:
Kalapaki Joe’s – Its is a sports bar in Hawaii. Interesting that a sports bar with locations in the islands decided to sponsor UFC fighters. The good news is that one of its sponsored fighters was Rory MacDonald.
Square – Full disclosure. I actually use this device. It allows businesses to swipe credit cards remotely.
Majors Pharmacy – Mark Bocek’s sponsor on the back of his trunks. It was easy to see and it helped that Bocek had top position most of the fight.
Husky – Rashad Evans was sponsored by this company although after an internet search I could not find them. Always have your website with your logo folks. I seem to think that this is an industrial-type company but if any reader can help, I’d appreciate it. UPDATED: According to a commenter, Husky is a tool and construction accessory company.
- The UFC didn’t have its usual walkouts as the main and co-main events were the only walkouts shown. This is a new trend that may hurt sponsors in the end. As it turned out, with the KOs, there was some filler time between fights which could have been done with walkouts.
Bonuses
MMA Junkie reports that the bonuses for the night were $65,000 each.
Submission of the Night: Great ji-jitsu by Travis Browne to submit Chad Griggs.
KO of the Night: As I stated earlier, I missed the Rothwell-Schaub fight because it was so quick. But after rewinding, it was an impressive KO.
Fight of the Night: Eddie Yagin and Mark Hominick – Hominick included his customary pushups after the final bell rang. In return, Yagin did some situps. It was like they were completing a workout or something.
Pre-Fight Hype
The UFC Primetimes were pretty interesting but were hidden away on Friday night and with TUF Live as a lead-in. For all the efforts in promoting the fight, there were not enough opportunities to see a pretty good Primetime lead-in for the fight.
UFC Primetime Episode 1: 462,000 viewers
UFC Primetime Episode 2: 573,000 viewers
There was a lot of mainstream promotion for Jones-Evans. The two traded verbal jabs on ESPN, UFC 145 sponsored a segment of Sportscenter (and I thought Dana White said the network hated MMA and the UFC?), they made an appearance on the NBA on TNT’s post-game show featuring Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal and Jones was featured in the Wall Street Journal. The TNT appearance probably was due to the fact that the event was in Atlanta where TNT studios are located.
Mashable also had an article which featured the UFC’s social media strategy. In the article, it reports the UFC purchasing Promoted Tweets for UFC 145 which should increase trending visibility for the event. Despite paying for tweets, many UFC Fighters were trending topics last night on twitter organically.
The UFC is also starting to use Pinterest – which I still am not clear on how it works.
A criticism about the promotion of this card is the fact that not enough was done to promote the undercard. There was little time spent on MacDonald-Mills, Rothwell-Schaub or any of the other fights.
Post-UFC 145 Headline
- Henderson next for Jones: The only one real headline after the PPV. The young lion versus the old vet. Will Henderson have a chance against Jones? Can he pull a Randy Couture? Henderson packs more of a punch than Evans but will face the same reach disadvantages as Evans. Also, Jones’ conditioning is phenomenal and one need only look to the Rua slugfest at 139 to see that Henderson may be in trouble.
Odds and Ends
- If the UFC is coaching certain fighters in interviews, it must have talked to Michael McDonald when he said he was going to party after his fight, “But not with alcohol, with the sweets.” Ben Rothwell is another for thanking strangers, who he revealed were the fans of the UFC. Of course, I am joking about this. I was chastised on twitter about making light of McDonald. Now I know how Cage Potato feels. Ok, not exactly.
- Che Mills had the best walkout music of the night. Too bad he faced Rory MacDonald.
- I had hoped that Rashad Evans would have come out with his Bill Gates Mug Shot T-Shirt (FighterXFashion has the backstory). The same one he wore after his knockout of Chuck Liddell at UFC 88 in Atlanta. Evans did walkout to the same music at 88.
- Anyone else think that the “Jones vs. Evans” lettering on the poster for UFC 145 was an odd choice?
Conclusion
In the end, the success of this PPV will hinge on the main event as the UFC put all of its marketing and promotional force behind the one fight. It received some good mainstream acknowledgment which should help. Also, Jones and Evans are great ambassadors for the sport. This was the first PPV in which you could see some tweeks which could be influenced by Fox. This included the elimination of walkout entrances of most fights except the main and co-main events. Venturing a guess as to the PPV buys, I would speculate we see somewhere in the 500K neighborhood.
Xyience takes center of Octagon May 5th
April 20, 2012
Xyience will hold the center of the Octagon in the UFC’s third network appearance May 5th. The official energy drink of the UFC will also appear on the ring bumpers during the event..
Via Xyience press release details the importance of the visibility:
To gain perspective on what this means in terms of reach for XYIENCE Xenergy, the November 12, 2011 UFC debut on the network, UFC on FOX Velasquez vs. Dos Santos was ranked No. 1 among men aged 18–34. It also delivered more viewers of a younger age (35), and a higher concentration of males, than other live sports on broadcast television. The XYIENCE Xenergy logo could be found on the perimeter of the mat during that broadcast.
In support of the announcement, Xyience is staging local appearances by Matt Serra on May 4th and 5th. Details can be found here.
Payout Perspective:
A good boost for the visibility of the Xyience brand for the event. Similar to the November 12th event, UFC on Fox 3 will have to compete with a big boxing PPV the same night as Floyd Mayweather fights Miguel Cotto. It’s likely that the two events will not directly cross paths that night as the Mayweather fight will likely occur later on in the evening after UFC’s event on Fox.
It’s interesting that we are seeing more brands having an opportunity to take the center of the Octagon for events. As an example, Affliction was the center for UFC on Fuel 2. We will see who will be next.
Update on Xyience Chapter 11 Bankruptcy case
November 9, 2011
Some interesting movement in the Chapter 11 Bankruptcy case of sport drink manufacturer Xyience. Last week, Forbes reported that Fertitta Enterprises was sanctioned by the Bankruptcy Court in Nevada for failing to provide certain information previously requested by the Bankruptcy trustee.
The sanctions stem from Fertitta Enterprises’ failure to provide e-mails from its chief financial officer which claim that it orchestrated the funding for Xyience during its bankruptcy proceedings. In addition to the sanctions, a motion for summary judgment has been filed by the trustee seeking an order that the Fertittas pay back over $945,000 and that Zyen, LLC does not have a security interest in Xyience assets.
Zyen, LLC loaned $12 million to Xyience in December 2007. The loan was secured by all assets of Xyience. Zyen, LLC was controlled by the Fertittas. The trustee alleges that this is a “loan to own” scheme. It occurs when a distressed entity must borrow money which it cannot repay and default is assured. The loan is secured by the assets of the entity so the lender will be able to foreclose and end up owning it.
Via The Las Vegas Review Journal:
…Chicago-based trustee David Herzog contends that the $12 million that Fertitta entities loaned Xyience in 2007 as it faltered financially came with such heavy-handed terms that it scared off potential buyers. As such, he (the trustee) will try to recoup damages that could lead to “potentially significant recoveries,” as described in court papers, at a trial now scheduled to start next spring.
Via Forbes.com:
In an Oct. 28 order, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Lloyd King held that William Bullard, the chief financial officer of Fertitta Enterprises and a manager of Xyience, failed to comply with discovery requests for documents related to the company’s bankruptcy.
In addition to Bullard’s role with Fertitta Enterprises and Xyience, he is CEO of the Gordon Biersch Brewery/Restaurant chain. It is on the Gordon Biersch computer system where e-mails were found related to the Xyience bankruptcy.
More from Forbes.com:
The bankruptcy trustee lawyer, which oversaw the disposition of the 2008 Xyience bankruptcy, accused executives from Fertitta Enterprises of lying about the existence of e-mails which would have detailed how Fertitta Enterprises took control of Xyience with a $12 million loan.
Those documents include an e-mail to Lorenzo Fertitta one day before his firm lent the $12 million to Xyience, disclosing a potential $150 million buyout offer from Cott Corp. The buyout could have allowed Xyience to repay investors, who instead lost everything when the company defaulted and the Fertittas seized its assets.
In addition, the day that the Fertittas lent Xyience $12 million, it paid their Zuffa Marketing $4.5 million and paid another $1 million to Fertitta Enterprises.
The bankruptcy trustee filed a summary judgment motion seeking an order on two of the causes of action in its case against Fertita Enterprises and Zyen, LLC. The trustee is seeking an order which asks the court to order Fertitta Enterprises to pay the trustee in excess of $945,000 as a result of the alleged “loan to own” scheme. In addition, the trustee seeks to avoid the security interest granted Zyen, LLC in the transaction with Xyience. Thus, the trustee would not have to repay Zyen, LLC first if it receives money to distribute to creditors. A hearing on the motion for summary judgment will be heard on December 9th.
We will continue to monitor the case as it develops and report on any other court filings.
Since the initial bankruptcy, Xyience’s assets were purchased in a Chapter 11 proceeding and is one of the UFC sponsors. The current Xyience company has no relation to the bankruptcy proceedings.
Mir signs sponsorship with Xyience
September 28, 2011
UFC Heavyweight Frank Mir has signed a sponsorship deal with UFC’s official energy drink maker Xyience. Mir will be a brand ambassador for Xyience through 2012.
Via Xyience press release:
Like XYIENCE, Mir is based in Las Vegas and will be a key component of the brand’s marketing initiatives throughout the Southwest and Rocky Mountain regions. The endorsement deal also includes a series of personal appearances at key MMA and beverage trade events throughout the United States, as well as the use of Mir’s image on the brand’s website and in its advertising campaign.
Payout Perspective:
I’ve always thought Mir to be an articulate and affable guy from his days as an WEC commentator. This will help him as brand ambassador during personal appearances for the company. The partnership makes sense considering Mir and Xyience are based out of Vegas and Mir is a known persona in the area.
Xyience introduces Jones collector can, advises not to mix with alcohol
July 19, 2011
Xyience, the official energy drink of the UFC, announced the launch of its second in a series of its collector cans, this time featuring light heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones. In addition, the back of the can will caution that the drink not be mixed with alcohol.
Via Xyience:
XYIENCE’s powerful affiliation with the UFC is a contributing factor to its year over year sales growth that checks in at a more than 38 percent increase. John Lennon, XYIENCE’s president, says that approximately half of that growth is due to the expansion of XYIENCE’s distribution network. “The strength of our partnership with the UFC and its athletes, like Jones, has had a favorable impact on our sales,” says Lennon. The full-size energy drink category is up 13.4 percent in the past 52 week period, ending May 15.
Along with Jones’ image, XYIENCE has made another addition to its packaging, one that it feels will further validate its position as the energy drink of choice for athletes and active adults. “We are including a recommendation on the back of the can advising consumers not to mix Xenergy with alcohol,” Lennon says.
Lennon goes on to explain that unlike some of its competitors, who specifically target teenage energy drinkers, XYIENCE is reaching out to a different demographic. “XYIENCE targets a young, upscale adult consumer leading a healthy active lifestyle, and Xenergy supports his or her way of life in a very authentic way. It is sugar- and calorie-free, with a moderate amount of caffeine- as much as a cup of coffee,” Lennon says. “So its sustained energy without the calories.”
The collector cans will be available September 1, 2011.
Payout Perspective:
An interesting strategy by Xyience to distance itself from the recreational drinker (Red Bull and vodka anyone?) and focus on the young, active adult. It markets itself as the “pick me up for the health club.” Perhaps not the pick up drink at the night club. Indirectly, it is a public service announcement warning against drinking. Of course, there will be those that will try Xyience with Vodka(or alcohol of choice) just because.
[UPDATE] Another reason why Xyience may have included its recommendation is to distinguish its brand from Four Loko, a controversial energy drink that has been banned in states and is receiving scrutiny in others for the potential health risks associated with the drink. Xyience’s recommendation on the can may also ward off any potential investigation by state AGs that may group the energy drinks together.
It appears that the Xyience-UFC relationship has helped Xyience sales and the growing popularity of the UFC and its stars like Jones can only mean continued growth for Xyience.
UFC 131: Payout Perspective
June 12, 2011
Welcome to another edition of UFC 131′s Payout Perspective. This time the UFC made its way north to the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In the main event Junior dos Santos retained his #1 contender spot by pummeling Shane Carwin.
JDS beats Carwin, Cain next
Junior dos Santos soundly defeated Shane Carwin to retain his number 1 contender spot and is set for Heavyweight Champ Cain Velasquez. Carwin was battered and bloodied in the first and had no answer for JDS. Even with the loss, Carwin should remain in the top tier of the division considering the status of Brock Lesnar. Bare in mind, Carwin, coming off of an injury, stepped in for Lesnar and was slated to fight Jon Olav Einemo – a more of a warm up fight compared to JDS.
JDS vs. Cain this fall. It should be good.
K-Flo defeats Nunes, Aldo next?
Give it up to Kenny Florian for 1) dropping over 30lbs to fights at Featherweight and 2) wearing a Boston Bruins jersey in Canuck country at the weigh-ins. And yes, an impressive victory over Diego Nunes.
It was less than a year ago that Dana White labeled Florian as someone that “chokes in the big fights.” That was after a loss to Gray Maynard. Now, K-Flo appears to be the next in line for Jose Aldo.
Munoz defeats Maia
30-27? Probably the most perplexing score of the night. I thought the judges had monitors to help them. Despite an improved standup game and an almost submission in round 2, Mark Munoz defeated Damian Maia. The win propels Munoz into a potential #1 contender match with Brian Stann.
Attendance and Gate
Although it did not do as well as last year’s appearance in Vancouver the UFC had a solid attendance of 14,685 for a gate of $2.8 million (h/t MMA Junkie). UFC 115 last June had 17,669 fans in attendance for a gate of over $4.2 million.
Notably, UFC 115 had 550K buys. That was with a main event of Franklin-Liddell. Two popular fighters in the UFC. Ironically, you may recall that the card initially was Liddell-Ortiz III but had to be scrapped due to an injury to Ortiz.
Bonuses
MMA Fighting reports the bonuses for UFC 131. Each fighter received $70K.
Knockout of the Night: Sam Stout. Stout’s left hook flush on Yves Edwards’ chin could be the KO of the year.
Submission fo the Night: Chris Weidman. Its rare to see a standing guillotine choke but Weidman saw the opening an executed it perfectly.
Fight of the Night: Dave Herman and Jon Olav Einemo. A back and forth fight with Herman looking in trouble numerous times before getting the KO.
Sponsorhips
The Octagon had Bud Light in the center and the mats and ringposts had MMA Elite, Xyience, MusclePharm, Jobbi.com, Tapout and the new UFC Peronal Trainer game coming out later this month. Dodge sponsored the Tale of the Tape.
Buy My Shorts.com – I noticed this at the weigh-ins with Dave Herman wearing the logo on the front of his shorts. At first, I thought it was Herman’s way of asking for a sponsor. But, its actually a web site that appears to sell fight worn shorts.
Xyience – Mark Munoz and Krzysztof Soszynski were new sponsored athletes of the company. Munoz was also sponsored by Toyo Tires.
In addition to having the center of the Octagon, Shane Carwin was sponsored by Bud Light. Although not on his shorts, Carwin had a commercial spot for UFC-banned sponsor, sports drink Good4U the day before during Inside MMA on HDNet. It wasn’t the best comeback fight for Carwin, but he had a tough opponent. As we stated, Carwin is still near the top of the Heavyweight title picture and his sponsors will stick with him.
Hockey over MMA
The Vancouver Sun noted that while the UFC is usually the top draw in each city it goes to, it would not be the top sports story in Vancouver due to the Stanley Cup Final. As a result, ticket sales were slow and it was not a sellout with many hockey-crazed fans opting to spend their sports dollars on the Canucks. Compared to last year’s event where the tickets sold out in 30 minutes, the ticket sales were disappointing. The UFC put a positive spin on the situation recognizing the fact that while Canada is fond of MMA, it loves Hockey.
Post-UFC 131 Headlines
JDS vs. Cain: This should be a very entertaining fight between the division’s top two fighters. Odds appear to favor the challenger although it is early.
Munoz one fight away from title shot? Dana White was noncommital about Munoz next fight or whether the next fight would be a #1 contender fight. Many believe a showdown with Brian Stann will determine the next challenger to the Middleweight crown.
Florian impressive at 145. A lot of questions surrounded the weight cut, but Florian did not look emaciated in his new weight division. As a result, he is in line for a title shot against Jose Aldo. This fight should be booked as it would highlight the lighter weight division. Florian is a known name for UFC fans dating back to TUF 1 and it would garner recognition for the Featherweight division.
PPV Buy Estimates
Estimates pre-event for UFC 131 had many believing that it would garner somewhere between 300K-450K buys according to a poll on the Wrestling Observer (subscription required). In comparison, UFC 130 is estimated to have had between 300K -325K buys (h/t Wrestling Observer) . Last year’s Vancouver event, UFC 115, garnered 550K PPV buys. We note that all three of these had retooled main events. UFC 131 probably suffers the most from the change in the main event due to the loss of Brock Lesnar. While Carwin is a capable replacement, he does not have the appeal as Lesnar.
Odds and Ends
-This was the first event where fans could watch fights on YouTube. Now, fans can watch on Facebook and YouTube online before switching over to SpikeTV and then the PPV.
-Michihiro Omigawa will receive his win bonus according to Dana White’s twitter. In a fight on Facebook, Omigawa lost a controversial decision to Darren Elkins.
-Donald Cerrone affixed SafeAuto Insurance logos on each side of his cowboy hat. Talk about sponsor placement.
-The weigh-ins were held at the most picturesque place its ever been held. A good call for the UFC to have them outside overlooking the water.
-Speaking of the weigh-ins, Joe Rogan wore a Canuck shirt and Diego Nunes a jersey to get the fans behind them. Kenny Florian, in a move done by most heels, wore a Boston Bruins jersey. Not without precedent, he wore a Celtic jersey last year in Boston.
-June is now 1 for 2 for retaining #1 contender spots. JDS retained his. Anthony Pettis lost his.
Xyience supplements hit GNC stores in Canada
March 10, 2011
General Nutrion Centers (GNC) is boosting the retail presence of Xyience in its 171 stores across Canada. The official energy drink of the UFC, Xyience is promoting its supplements in addition to its energy dring in preparation for UFC 129 in Toronto.
Via Xyience press release:
XYPRO is XYIENCE’s advanced protein complex product and XYMASS is a high performance lean mass gainer that’s a blend of proteins, carbohydrates and essential fats. Both are available in chocolate and vanilla flavors. The addition of these supplements in GNC builds XYIENCE’s in-store presence; GNC also carries XYIENCE’s Xenergy Premium and Xenergy Xtreme energy drinks. In Canada, Nutrition Club distributes XYIENCE supplements exclusively.
Payout Perspective:
This move is an example of the importance of the Canadian market. This week the UFC and Rogers Sportsnet entered into a four year broadcast agreement. The UFC also pushed up the PPV time for the big UFC 129 card to likely accomodate big east coast cities in Canada. In addition, UFC 129 in Toronto should see record attendance, gate and PPV buys. Smart move by Xyience in capitalizing on this.
UFC 126: Payout Perspective
February 8, 2011
Welcome to another addition of Payout Perspective. Today we look at UFC 126 held in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Super Bowl weekend show featured a trio of fights: the much-anticipated Anderson Silva facing Vito Belfort, Forrest Griffin taking on Rich Franklin and Jon “Bones” Jones faced Ryan Bader.
Silva KOs Belfort
After an intense weigh-in face off where both fighters had to be restrained, the fight ended abruptly as Silva’s front kick to Belfort’s chin stunned “The Phenom.” A couple shots on the ground by Silva ended the evening in the first round. Although he credits Steven Seagal for teaching him the kick, the Spider is still pretty good.
Next up for Silva is a potential superfight with GSP. Certainly everyone, except Yushin Okami, would like to see it next. As we’ve talked about, a GSP-Silva fight could surpass 1.6 million PPV buys. The anticipated fight should have an international appeal and it will be interesting where the UFC will have the fight. Look for this fight to happen in December.
Griffin beats Franklin
In a fight between fan favorites, Forrest Griffin fought off the Octagon rust to beat Rich Franklin. In the post-fight interview, Joe Rogan helped Griffin “push product” as Griffin put it, by plugging Griffin’s two books. Unfortunately for Griffin, MMA Junkie reports that he is out until August with a foot injury unless he is cleared by a doctor. It will be interesting what Franklin will do next. He is still a quality fighter but his future may not be in the Light Heavyweight division. If Anderson Silva decides to leave the middleweight division, I could see Franklin moving back in.
Jones submits Bader, earns title shot
Jon Jones submitted Ryan Bader in the second round and leapfrogged into a title match versus Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. With Rashard Evans out with a knee injury, and Rampage Jackson not ready for the shot, the UFC decided to give it to Jones. The announcement came via Rogan in the post-match interview. A good ploy by the UFC as you got to see Jones’ reaction as he first heard he was getting the shot. Even though Jones is getting the shot on relative short notice, Rua cannot be happy with the matchup especially since he will be facing a Pro-Jones crowd in New Jersey. Only Matt Serra had it worse for a title defense.
The Rua-Jones fight should bolster ticket sales and PPV buys. Not only is Jones’ popularity at a high, the native New Yorker will get home field advantage in Newark, New Jersey. Obviously, the UFC is playing up the local ties and hopes that the event shows the folks in New York what its missing.
Fighter Payouts
Via MMA Junkie:
Champ Anderson Silva: $200,000 (includes no win bonus)
def. Vitor Belfort: $275,000
Forrest Griffin: $275,000 ($150,000 win bonus)
def. Rich Franklin: $75,000
Jon Jones: $140,000 ($70,000 win bonus)
def. Ryan Bader: $20,000
Jake Ellenberger: $32,000 ($16,000 win bonus)
def. Carlos Eduardo Rocha: $8,000
Miguel Torres: $56,000 ($28,000 win bonus)
def. Antonio Banuelos: $9,000
Donald Cerrone: $36,000 ($18,000 win bonus)
def. Paul Kelly: $19,000
Chad Mendes: $19,000 ($9,500 win bonus)
def. Michihiro Omigawa: $8,000
Demetrious Johnson: $10,000 ($5,000 win bonus)
def. Norifumi Yamamoto: $15,000
Paul Taylor: $36,000 ($18,000 win bonus)
def. Gabe Ruediger: $8,000
Kyle Kingsbury: $20,000 ($10,000 win bonus)
def. Ricardo Romero: $10,000
Mike Pierce: $28,000 ($14,000 win bonus)
def. Kenny Robertson: $6,000
As always, the payouts are not inclusive as certain fighters receive “locker room bonuses” from the UFC and paid from their individual sponsors.
It’s interesting to see that Jon Jones gets paid like a top star. His base was only $5K less than the more-established Rich Franklin. It looks like the base salaries has increased from a $3,000 minimum to $6,000 minimum.
Bonuses – each fighter received a $75K bonus
Paul Kelly versus Donald Cerrone – Fight of the Night
Jon Jones – Submission of the Night
Anderson Silva – Knockout of the Night
No complaints on any of the fighter bonuses. I have been a proponent of giving the benefit of the doubt to a lower-tier fighter for Sub or KO of the night but both Jones and Silva deserved their bonuses.
Attendance and Gate
Saturday’s “UFC 126: Silva vs. Belfort” event drew a reported 10,893 attendees and generated a live gate of $3.6 million. This did not include an additional $45,100 in revenue generated by the 1,046 attendees who viewed the fight via closed-circuit broadcast. (h/t MMA Junkie)
Sponsorship Watch
Xbox 360 – Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson was sponsored by the Microsoft video game console maker. Johnson’s gym in Kirkland (recently featured on Inside MMA) is 15 minutes from the Microsoft campus in Washington. Not sure if this was the tie-in to get him sponsored, but it’s a theory. Not only did Johnson use his twitter to ask his followers to demand that his fight be televised, he used it to promote Xbox 360′s Twitter and Facebook page.
Xyience – The energy drink of the UFC was in full force with signage on the mat and on every bottle of water used by the fighters. It also sponsored an Ultimate Access Sweepstakes where two fans could win the VIP treatment at UFC 129 in Toronto which includes meeting Jon Jones. A great form of brand activation.
Tapout – A new fashion statement coming to the ring replacing the regular fight shirt – the track suit top. Not a lot of design and it looked great.
Form Athletics /K-Swiss – Jon Jones signed a multi-year deal with K-Swiss which promised a Jon Jones shoe. Jones wore the K-Swiss tubes at the weigh-ins. Also, Jones will have a signature line of clothing with Form Athletics. It probably includes this hoodie.
MusclePharm – Despite its past troubles, it sponsored three fighters (two in one fight – Ellenberger v. Rocha) including Anderson Silva.
Speaking of Silva, he reportedly made $100K from Brazilian brand Bonanno for wearing it during the fight. In addition, Silva signed with Brazilian sports marketing agency, 9ine. Although relatively new, the agency is owned by WPP, an established, worldwide advertising firm.
Facebook and Twitter
The UFC utilized its Facebook page to live stream another fight. It first used its page at UFC Fight for the Troops 2. This time, Demetrious Johnson faced Kid Yamamoto. Johnson had campaigned, via his twitter, to have his fight televised. And behold, he gets the opportunity to have fans see his fight via Facebook. Johnson also forged a nice sponsorship deal with Xbox 360.
The UFC also introduced a fight game on Facebook: UFC Fight Nation.
Vitor Belfort and Anderson Silva made waves on Twitter as both were trending prior to weigh-ins. The fight was especially popular in Brazil. After his big KO, Silva remained trending in twitterverse hours after the fight.
UFC 126 Prelims: 2 million viewers
MMA Junkie reports that Saturday night’s UFC 126 prelims hit 2 million viewers. It earned a 1.2 household rating including a 1.7 for M18-49. It was the highest-rated program in its timeslot among M18-49 and 18-34. It was an all-time high for “UFC Prelims” broadcasts.
HD Net at the UFC Weigh-Ins
HD Net’s Inside the MMA held its weekly show at the UFC weigh-ins. Bas Rutten and Kenny Rice were joined by Mike Goldberg. The show provided insight and did a good job in hyping the fights as the fighters got on the scales. It was surreal to see Joe Rogan host the UFC weigh-ins on one channel and then flip to Inside the MMA and see his PPV broadcast partner on HD Net. I think the HD Net broadcast adds value to the weigh-ins but it cannot go up against the live feed hosted by Joe Rogan. It will be interesting to see what the UFC decides to do.
UFC offers new experience via UFC.tv
The UFC introduced a new technology on UFC.tv which includes control of audio and video, multiple camera angles and interaction with other fans. No news yet on how many people took advantage of it but we will keep you updated.
Storylines Post-UFC 126
“Superfight in the making” – Silva v. GSP: Jake Shields is the only man to stop this from happening.
“Next big thing” – Jones gets title shot on 6 weeks notice: At 23, is he ready to hold down the Light Heavyweight Division?
“Rashad Evans moving?” If Jon Jones wins, Evans stated that he will never fight his teammate and move divisions.
Odds and ends
Look for the UFC to do something more with 3-D. With its new technology initiatives, it’s coming soon.
In its pre-main event fight analysis, the UFC used mini-Belfort and Silva to go over the keys to victory. Pretty interesting.
Aaron Rodgers thanked Dana White via tweet for the Championship belt he had on the podium after the Super Bowl.
If you were wondering where Silva got the mask at the weigh-ins, Sherdog has the info. Before Silva donned the mask, there was Shaq.
Xyience and UFC offers Ultimate Access contest for UFC 129
February 3, 2011
Xyience, the official energy drink of the UFC and the UFC have teamed up for a contest where fans will have the “Ultimate Access” for UFC 129. The winner will receive round-trip airfare, hotel accommodations, access to the Fan Expo, tickets to UFC 129 and the opportunity to attend a UFC 129 after party. In addition, the winner will hang with Jon Jones and Xyience spokesmodels.
Via Xyience press release:
The Ultimate Access Sweepstakes gives mixed martial arts (MMA) fans the chance to receive VIP treatment at the UFC Fan Expo, being held at the Direct Energy Centre in Toronto, April 29 – 30, 2011. One lucky winner and a guest will receive round trip airfare and hotel accommodations and VIP passes for the UFC Fan Expo.
If that isn’t enough, the Ultimate Access Sweepstakes winner will receive VIP access to the UFC weigh-in on Friday, April 29, as well as tickets to attend UFC® 129: ST-PIERRE vs. SHIELDS at Rogers Centre on Saturday, April 30 as a guest of UFC light heavyweight Jon “Bones” Jones. After the fight, Jones and XYIENCE spokesmodels Amber Nichole and Amanda Corey will escort the winner to the official UFC 129 after party hosted by XYIENCE.
Payout Perspective:
This is a pretty attractive contest for UFC fans. It is a great form of brand activation for Xyience. It partners with the UFC for what is likely one of the biggest UFC events of the year. Not only does the winner get a chance to go to UFC 129, they will get to meet Jon Jones and Xyience spokesmodels. The use of Jones is another sign that the UFC, and sponsors like Xyience see him as the next big thing in MMA not only in the Octagon, but as a spokesperson. Yes, a loss to Bader on Saturday can put a damper on the lovefest, but its hard not to recognize his marketability.
When going to the page to enter the contest, it leads to the UFC page and offers the chance to enter the contest or go to the Xyience web site. When registering, it is required that you enter your favorite Xyience product. Thus, it gives Xyience a forum for additional research into the popularity of its products.
Overall, a good promotion and it will be interesting to see the number of entrants and how the winners enjoy the contests.
Xyience Launches UFC Weekend Experience
May 12, 2010
Xyience, maker of Xenergy, the official energy drink of the UFC, has announced it will hold a UFC Weekend Experience similar to those recently held by other UFC sponsors like Harley Davidson, Bud Light, and Edge Shave Gel. One grand prize winner will receive a trip for two to Las Vegas in order to train with Xyience athlete Wanderlei Silva and attend a UFC event.
The sweepstakes has already started and runs until August 30th, 2010.
Payout Perspective:
It’s nice to see these sponsors investing around their sponsorships to really drive home the association between their brand and the UFC. Not only do sponsors benefit from borrowing the UFC’s equity, but the UFC benefits from the increased exposure and marketing. Xyience products are sold in over 40,000 retail stores across the US and that presence is now transfered to the UFC by way of this sweepstakes program.
Note: The contest is free, so be sure to sign up. Ten people will also receive a gift card to buy a gaming console and MMA video game (the fact that it’s not specifically UFC Undisputed 2010 leads me to believe there was possibly a legal issue there that they wanted to avoid).
