In a Yahoo! Sports exclusive, Kevin Iole is reporting that Kimbo Slice will appear on the next season of The Ultimate Fighter, Season 10.
In addition to Slice and the two coaches – Quinton Jackson and Rashad Evans – UFC President Dana White is claiming to have a few more surprises up his sleeve for what is promising to be the biggest and highest rated season yet.
Payout Opinion:
Obviously this is HUGE news for the UFC as Slice’s appearance on TUF 10 is bound to draw significant interest from casual fans that are still fascinated with the backyard brawler. That interest will more than likely directly translate into increased ratings, increased sponsorship revenue, and increased interest in other UFC events (including the PPV shows which currently account for nearly 75% of UFC revenues).
Let’s not forget the timing of this announcement, either: the UFC just released a video game that sold 500,000 copies in less than two weeks, they’re approaching their centennial show that will be headlined by two of the biggest stars in the game (Lesnar and GSP), and now they’ve made an addition to their TUF line-up that promises to make the next series the most highly rated ever.
Perhaps there is some potential downside here, but the UFC has enough flexibility to push any possible and unlikely negative outcome to arm’s length. They can downplay their association with “stand-gate;” they can say “I told you so” if Kimbo gets annihilated; and they can play up his work ethic, determination, and athleticism if, by some miracle, he does well. The risk vs. reward here is quite favourable.
I know one thing, Zuffa’s new CMO better get on his job. This is a bloody marketing bonanza!
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