Fightlinker Solves the Mystery of UFC 83

So many possibilities. But here's a possibility for you: Steve Sievert is fucking wrong. This isn't official news people, this is news from an anonymous source. And while Steve's source is saying UFC83 has moved, other more reliable sources are reporting that the UFC continues to sign UK and European fighters to participate on the card. So hmmm. Who to believe? But yeah, I just wanted to remind you all that you've just swallowed a pretty big hook from the guy who also announced that Sean Sherk wasn't going to be stripped of his lightweight belt. Think about that for a bit.

Okay, I've done a bit of responsible journalism and investigated the situation with the UFC UK event in March. It turns out that it was never the plan to hold an event in London on March 8th. The original plan was to hold a UK event in Liverpool sometime in March, but the arena they were looking to use wasn't ready. Since then the plan has been a big April show in Manchester. So long story short, the UK event isn't turning into a US show, it's just changing dates. I hope all you other MMA news sites appreciate all the effort it took writing six people who know what they're talking about to ask them wassup.

UFC President Dana White has openly acknowledged the challenge the company has faced in its expansion efforts. "I don't think there is anything profitable about the European market right now," White said in a recent conference call. "We're getting our ass kicked over there." White went on to say that the television and pay-per-view markets are completely different in Europe, but the company is "stomping through this thing until we can figure out." The latter statement is emblematic of the company's entire international expansion effort and perhaps explains a great deal of the problems they've faced. Figure it out as you go is not exactly the best business strategy. For whatever reason, the company seems to have jumped into international expansion head over heels on the assumption that the UFC brand would carry it through. It's the same type of hubris the company showed in its purchase of Pride and its bold plans to resurrect the brand in Japan. Of course, the company was ultimately forced to abandon Japan and the Pride brand altogether. Whether that same fate awaits its European expansion effort remains to be seen. At present, the most interesting questions revolve around why the company was so eager to expand internationally, particularly in Europe, and why the 3/8 event is being moved back stateside. No one questions the wisdom of international expansion in the long term, but the sense of urgency with which the company has pursued it has raised some eyebrows within the industry. The timing seems rushed, especially with the company still struggling to firmly establish itself in the United States, much less in North America where the company has yet to run live events in Canada or Mexico. The explanation may be as simple as hubris or perhaps there are greater motives at the heart of the initiative that are yet to be revealed.