UFN 21: Payout Perspective

Welcome to another edition of Payout Perspective! Just days after UFC 111 we’re now looking at UFN 21: Florian vs. Gomi, which was held in Charlotte, North Carolina at the Bojangles Coliseum. In addition to Florian-Gomi, the event also featured a co-main event between heavyweights Roy Nelson and Stefan Struve.

Florian taps Gomi, likely eyeing Boston

Florian used his reach and jab to pick apart Gomi in the early going, then finished him off with a rear-naked in the third. It was a fairly impressive fight for Florian, but I’m not sure it should be enough to earn him another title shot. The decision will likely depend on who wins the lightweight title fight next week, and if it’s BJ Penn, whether he stays at lightweight.

The most attractive option for the UFC might be to give Florian the next title shot and hold the title fight in Boston on August 28th. The gate for that fight would be tremendous on account of Florian being a Mass-native, especially considering his ability to work with the media and promote the fight locally.

Regardless, I’d expect Florian to fight on that card – title shot or no.

Nelson knocks out Struve, could face dos Santos

Nelson demonstrated the striking power we all knew he possessed and dropped Struve with an over-hand right. The prevailing thought going into this fight was that a victory would earn Nelson a date with up-and-coming heavyweight Junior dos Santos. The nature of his win probably increased the likelihood of that match-up, if only because of the potential for a fight between two heavy-handed heavyweights. Nelson is an experienced veteran that could also test dos Santos on the ground should he get hit early and decide against throwing with the Brazilian.

Joe Rogan made a comment during the broadcast that Nelson’s figure might lead to some opponents underestimating his fighting skills. Likewise, potential sponsors might be reluctant to job on board with the fighter, because he doesn’t quite reflect the attributes the brands are looking to communicate. Only Tapout and UltimateFighter.com were listed on his shorts and banner.

If I were Nelson’s management I’d look to play up his appearance where future sponsorships are concerned. How effective would a sponsor from Manwich or Campbell’s Chunky Soup or Bud Light, for example, be with a guy like Nelson? Not only would Nelson transfer the right sort of attributes to the sponsor product, but it would communicate a sense of humor and effectively catch the eye of the audience.

Sponsorship Watch

The event was sponsored by the UFC’s regular group – Bud Light, Harley-Davidson, Tapout, etc. – but we did see the addition of one curious entry, National Rent-A-Center. RAC isn’t the typical UFC sponsor, but its target audience skews pretty well toward the MMA demo: young, disposable cash, commitment free. The company does come off as a second-rate sponsor in comparison to more mainstream, sports-oriented brands, but it obviously paid pretty well for the privilege when you look at the activation it did on the advertising side of things around the event (i.e., the numerous Hulk Hogan spots).

The ad space sold around the event was also your typical fare: DirecTV, U.S. Marines, Subway, Castrol, movie (Kick-Ass), game (Splinter Cell) etc. Perhaps the most interesting commercial all night was the Tapout commercial; very poorly pixelated, but well done nonetheless. Hopefully they can fix that up.