Welcome to another edition of Payout Perspective. This time we take a look at UFC 160 at The MGM Grand where Cain Velasquez made quick work of Bigfoot Silva.
Same time this year
364 days before Saturday Bigfoot Silva wore the crimson mask and bloodied the Octagon canvas at the hands of Cain. This time, the canvas was already bloody from previous fights but the result was similar. Cain owned Bigfoot. This time it was a 1-2 that floored the giant and he could not withstand the rain of punches. A good stoppage despite Bigfoot’s protest.
As most thought the result would be the same, it was quicker work this time around. Cain now gets someone else he owned in their last fight: Junior dos Santos. But, the rubber match is warranted considering JDS’s performance Saturday.
Hunt for Gold ends with spinning heel kick
Two weeks in a row a spinning heel kick gave UFC fans a highlight reel KO. This time, already way ahead on the cards, JDS decided to try to finish Mark Hunt. It gained a lot of respect from the crowd that was deeply behind the underdog. Hunt ate a huge looping right to his ear in the first but got up like it was nothing. JDS wore Hunt down and the kick in the third showed Hunt’s fatigue.
JDS gets the trilogy and fans will wonder which fight will they see: the first or second fight.
TJ Grant crashes Lightweight Title Picture
Its why they have the fight. TJ Grant wasn’t supposed to win and get the next shot at Benson Henderson. But, when Dana White made the promise that the fight would determine the next challenger for Bendo, Grant had a shot and did it in impressive fashion.
Attendance and Gate
As reported at the post-fight press conference, the unofficial attendance was 11,089 for $2.942 million. The Nevada State Athletic Commission will announce the official attendance and gate.
According to Dave Meltzer on the Wrestling Observer podcast, the attendance was relatively low based on the initial sales. He reported that casinos did not purchase as many tickets as in the past.
Bonuses
JDS, Hunt, TJ Grant and Glover Texeira won the bonuses for FOTN, KO and Submission of the Night. According to Dana White, Mike Tyson influenced him to award the KO of the night to Grant instead of JDS. Each received $50,000.
Sponsorships
Prestone, which had signage in the octagon for the TUF series was the newest presence inside the Octagon. MetroPCS, UFCFit.com, Harley Davidson, TapouT, Dodge, UltimatePoker.com and Bud Light in the center of the Octagon. Also Affliction returned to the Octagon.
Mark Hunt did not have any sponsors. He came to the ring without a walkout shirt and just UFC shorts. It could be due to the fact that it was unknown if he would get a visa into the country. There is speculation that his reps were trying to get sponsors on the day of the weigh-in. However, the fighters have until Thursday night to turn in their fight shorts for review by the UFC. Its unfortunate that Hunt did not have existing relationships with sponsors to have just in case he received a visa.
A lot of negative reaction on twitter for the “infomercial” on online poker. It was forced, odd and a blatant plug for the site. The comparison of MMA and poker was atrocious. But, it is an official sponsor and owned by the Fertittas. Coupled by the fact the PPV was short on time makes it acceptable as it did not take away from any fights. Still, carving out any time to promote the poker site seems out of place.
Junior dos Santos had new Nike gear and his performance had Nike execs breathing a sigh of relief considering his last fight wearing the Swoosh was with Cain. JDS was sponsored by TNT energy drink, a Brazilian energy drink. You may recall it being the center of the Octagon for UFC on Fox 8. Its web site also list Jose Aldo has an endorser.
A lot of bumpers for the UFC App which is trying to catch-up to the Bellator and WWE Apps.
In addition to the Online Poker plug, there was a plug for the city of Las Vegas featuring Dana White and Ronda Rousey.
Cain’s one flaw: social media
Is Cain using his twitter the wrong way? His twitter timeline is littered with sponsors. Cain even plugged Harley Davidson in his post-fight Octagon interview. Usually there is a healthy bit of insight on the fighter’s life, fighter/fan interaction as well as the sponsor plug.
Here’s a sampling of Cain’s twitter feed:
Get the best UFC 160 PPV experience on @xbox -w/ Kinect voice commands and a 2nd screen experience w/ #Xbox SmartGlass #UFConXboxLIVE
— Cain Velasquez (@cainmma) May 25, 2013
Thank you to my sponsors @microtech & @microtechceo – excited to wear the #MicroKloud logo for #UFC160
— Cain Velasquez (@cainmma) May 25, 2013
#UFCKnockout is in stores now. Find my Fist-ograph along with other cool autograph and relic @ufc @toppscards. twitter.com/cainmma/status…
— Cain Velasquez (@cainmma) May 25, 2013
New kicks from @lugz to wear this weekend. instagram.com/p/ZtU2xazYUF/
— Cain Velasquez (@cainmma) May 24, 2013
While Cain’s use of twitter is not wrong (one need only took to Nate Diaz among others for examples), its not engaging and its an overt commercial for his sponsors. Yes, social media campaigns are based on receiving celebrity endorsements but Cain’s is straight copy. If there’s a flaw with Velasquez its his marketability and we’re not talking about his “Brown Pride” tattoo either. But, we’ll leave that for another post.
Post-Fight Headlines
UFC 160 has some intriguing post-fight headlines. First, when and where will they hold JDS-Cain III. While Vegas is always the old standby, the possibility of Mexico or Brazil are definite possibilities. The UFC is looking to hold an event in Mexico by the end of this year and what a better way to make a splash into a new market.
TJ Grant-Benson Henderson for the TV Title Lightweight Title is rumored be on the Boston card for UFC on Fox Sports 1: 1. There is also the possibility its on an event in the fall.
Glover Texeira continues his ascent in the Light Heavyweight division with a first round sub over a very good James Te Huna. Texeira could be a fight or two away from Jon Jones.
Donald Cerrone v. Josh Thomson? I’ll set the DVR.
Odds and Ends
– With the NHL and NBA Playoffs running opposite UFC 160 Prelims on FX, it will be interesting to see its ratings.
– Unless you were on Facebook/YouTube, you probably missed the fight that caused all that blood on the canvas. There was no way to try the clean the mat between fights like it does when the UFC is on Fox?
– After the initial controversy with the UFC rankings, are we starting to accept them in looking at title contenders and matchups?
– At the post-fight press conference, it was announced that Stephan Bonnar and Forrest Griffin were going into the UFC Hall of Fame. I understand their first match being a “Hall of Fame” type moment but I can see arguing against either one having a HOF career. Bonnar is the most suspect here especially since he was caught taking PEDs his last fight. What type of message does that send?
– George Roop doesn’t look healthy at 135. Yet, he keeps winning so we’ll likely see more of him at this weight.
– Will Bloody Elbow use the shot of Cerrone showing Noons his elbow on its front page from hereon out?
– It seemed like Mike Tyson received more camera time than anyone this weekend. He looked like he was genuinely having a good time and each fighter was appreciative that he was there. Its good to see that he’s turned his life around.
Conclusion
The attendance and gate seem to infer that UFC 160 might not draw as well as past Heavyweight cards featuring main events. However, based on the previous PPV history of Cain and JDS, we’re probably looking at a buy rate of around 550-575K.
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