Building the First UFC Show in Germany

by Luke Thomas on Nov 25, 2008 4:40 PM EST in News Comment 16 comments

Sherdog has an interesting look into what's going on to make this happen:

Behind the scenes, co-host Lieberberg is not just your ordinary concert promoter. Besides organizing tours for some of the biggest bands and artists in the world like Bon Jovi, Lenny Kravitz, Metallica, The Police and U2, the Frankfurt-based music magnate has also been instrumental in bringing pro wrestling juggernaut WWE (formerly WWF) to Germany in 1992 before monstrous crowds. More than 41,000 WWE fans flocked to the four shows that were held at the Lanxess Arena between 2002 and 2007.

Rhine metropolis Cologne is not only the fourth-largest city in Germany, it is also very well connected to the rest of Europe through Cologne Bonn Airport and is famous for its residents, who are literally mad on sports. Fans tirelessly convene to the Lanxess Arena and the Rhine Energy Stadium to cheer for the 1. FC Köln, the Cologne Sharks and the Cologne 99ers -- the city’s first-division football, ice hockey and basketball teams.

In preparation of the event, the UFC is hard at work trying to secure a television deal in Germany. The promotion did have a deal with German pay-per-view provider Premiere between 2004 and 2006, but abysmal buy rates and the country’s generally problematic PPV market brought the arrangement to a halt.

As a result, Zuffa is currently negotiating to land a spot on network television, which will be a difficult task as powerful boxing lobbyists control most of the major channels. It’s likely the UFC will have to host its first event in Deutschland without any live coverage from a German TV channel.

In the end, this won’t be the deciding factor for the success of the show. The small but vocal hardcore fan base in Germany has been itching for the UFC to come to central Europe for years and are certain to pack into the Lanxess Arena in great numbers. With the UFC video game coming out next spring and an experienced professional like Lieberberg at the helm, things are looking promising and the next seven months leading up to UFC 99 will be the most important and exciting time in the history of German MMA.

For those who keep ringing the death knell of boxing, let this be a lesson to you. Certainly boxing has it's problems and has declined somewhat in popularity in North America the past decade or so, but Germany is fertile ground for some of today's top fights. Boxing fans and supportive and the power structures there are incredibly powerful - and have been for some time - with some of the biggest fights in the past few years available "to anyone in Germany with a television". The UFC is doing all it can and I suspect the show will be financially successful, but let's not kid ourselves about the challenges ahead.

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Read More: ufc 99, ufc, germany, randy couture, chuck liddell

Comments

I think the expressed sentiment that

“Boxing is dying” is correct. But so are most of the posters on this board. After you stop growing, you start dying. Boxing is not going to take any more steps forward in the sports world, at least I firmly believe that. But to expect them to dry up and die, when they’ve literally been the only world-wide combat sport for the last century, is ludicrous.

Boxing is on the backside of its life, but that doesn’t mean they won’t still be prominent players for another 50 years.

There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.

by misterjonez on Nov 25, 2008 4:05 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I think boxing is not dying, but there are troubling patterns in the states. The idea that it is dying anytime soon though is a bit much.

It just strikes me that if you look at boxing PPV numbers without De La Hoya, the gig is really up right now. I’m sure he’ll probably “come back” again a couple more times, but even the great 24/7 series couldn’t make Jones-Calzaghe a success.

De La Hoya vs. Pacquaio will do over a million because it’s Oscar, and that is the kind of thing boxing can probably fall back on for another five years. But after that? Who knows.

by Michael Rome on Nov 25, 2008 4:51 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

refs

The big danger concerning fights in Germany, to me, is the integrity of the refs and judges. Lord knows, US and non-Russian boxers have been cheated countless times by the local boxing authorities, no matter the stakes of the fights. Lets hope things go differently when MMA is involved.

by augbesian on Nov 25, 2008 5:14 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

What's "Dying?"

Dying is not blinking out of existence. Dying means it’s hemorrhaging fans annually. Dying means it’s not rebuilding its fan base with new and younger fans. Dying means its not replacing its aging stars with new ones. Dying means its losing its luster as the premiere combat sport. Dying means that the sport is associated with crotchety old coots, and is no longer hip with the young crowd. Under these definitions, sure boxing is dying, at least in the United States. The irony is that it’s all from self-inflicted wounds.

by cyph on Nov 25, 2008 5:34 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

With no competition comes complacency. While I am in no way a fan of boxing, I think it’s a bit premature to be calling it dead or dying. There are enough hard core fans, and people whose power is caught up in the boxing world (and no one willingly gives up power) that, if nothing else, they intend to put up a hell of a fight.

It’s possible they are giving MMA the proverbial rope.

by mythbuster on Nov 25, 2008 5:45 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

The UFC is building its fan base through TUF

the bastion of the fair-weather fan. MMA is poised for a serious Wall Street like correction in the future.

by skwirrl on Nov 26, 2008 1:17 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

MMA is poised for a serious Wall Street like correction in the future.

I think you may be right. I’m wondering if the recent push for super fights won’t be the “jump the shark” moment (you know, like adding a child to a sitcom, or when a main character water skis over a shark wearing light blue shorts and a leather jacket). Many people see the meteoric rise of the UFC and don’t take into account that it takes effort to keep it there, and I’m not sure insta-gratification fights are the way to go.

by mythbuster on Nov 26, 2008 9:33 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Superfights = jump the shark? Are you living in a universe where everything is in reverse?

by cyph on Nov 26, 2008 10:00 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Do you believe the UFC can maintain it’s current popularity without putting on superfight after superfight, and becoming more entertainment than sport?

by mythbuster on Nov 26, 2008 10:25 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I don’t think superfights are more entertainment than sport.

by subo on Nov 26, 2008 10:43 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I don’t have the answer to that and neither do you. However, your claim of the UFC “jumping the shark” which is a TV reference and is the opposite in meaning to what you suggest.

The problem with boxing is that it does not put on fights that fans want to see because they are protecting their champions. Here, the UFC is doing what the fans want. How could that be jumping the shark? That is the opposite of jumping the shark because it is elevating its entertainment purpose forward its ultimate goal: giving the fans what they want. Jumping the shark is the opposite of that because a TV series is prolonged past its proper ending with ridiculous storylines and characterizations.

I and many others felt that BJ Penn won the first fight between the two. This is a rematch that needs to be done so that it can settle the score once and for all. The only fans who wouldn’t want to watch this are the GSP fans because his belt is the only one on the line and it’s a lose lose situation for him. It’s actually a lose lose situation for the UFC as well considering a two belt holder won’t benefit them. However, this is a fight that needs to happen and I’m glad they’re doing it.

by cyph on Nov 26, 2008 10:46 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I just want to understand here… is your problem with my point, or with my usage of the term “”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumping_the_shark" target="new">jump the shark"? Because I stand by both, but I want to know which one is hurting you inside.

Jumping the shark is a colloquialism used by TV critics and fans to denote that point in a TV show or movie series’ history where the plot veers off into absurd story lines or out-of-the-ordinary characterizations, particularly for a show with falling ratings apparently becoming more desperate to draw viewers in. In the process of undergoing these changes, the TV or movie series loses its original appeal. Shows that have “jumped the shark” are typically deemed to have passed their peak.

You admit that neither of us can see the future, so I don’t know why my wondering if these will be the jump the shark moments is so offensive to you.

2: The UFC will be faced with two choices: To lose ratings due to lack of super fights that appeal to the casuals, or to put on super fight after super fight at at the expense of the sport. If they choose superfight after superfight, the rest of the sport suffers as entertainment takes hold (for example, putting the two most popular football teams in the superbowl rather than the two best teams). If they choose to go sport, then they lose the ratings that the casuals bring. They can’t maintain the current high ratings without going the Big circus, Extravaganza route – at which point it becomes less sport and more entertainment. Hell, they’re going to lose ratings anyway as the casual fans move on to the next thing. Then the UFC has to decide what it wants to be left with.

3: Boxing has many problems. To say that its woes are caused by lack of super fights is ridiclous..

Let me see, did you throw anything else my way? Oh right…

4: BJ Penn vs GSP – I have no problem with this fight, and I’m not sure why you brought this up. I do have a problem with the inter-division title. If BJ wins, that will cut the title fights down since he will be defending both. I realize many people want to see it, and that’s cool – but make the guy drop the title if he wants to fight in other divisions.

by mythbuster on Nov 26, 2008 11:29 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

My problem with “jumping the shark” is that it’s never ever been used in conjunction with a sport before. You’re using it in the same way as we would refer to a TV show or the scripted WWE. Is it a sport or a TV show? However, if you want to use it in that context then fine. Lets move on to the next point.

You’re assuming a lot of things here. First, that what the hardcore wants and what the casual fans want are mutually exclusive. Second, I have no idea what “ratings” you’re referring to. Third, since when has pitting two great fighters against each other not a sport? What is your narrow definition of a sport anyway?

Okay, I’ll give this one to you. I’m thinking Penn VS GSP II when I think of Superfight and you’re referring to Liddell VS Couture.

Lets not forget that not everyone will buy every UFC. Some UFC are for hard cores and some are for casuals. Evidently, the fight in Germany is there to build its presence and not to settle the heavyweight question. I don’t think the UFC would be putting any meaningful fights up there and I surely hope not. If I have to watch a UFC on tape delay, I might as well wait and download the whole thing off the Net.

by cyph on Nov 26, 2008 12:46 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Boxing will have its run of superfights, and then… Who knows. Plenty of the top fighters have been around quite a while. Boxing definitely needs to get a talent infusion, but MMA looks like it’ll be picking off more and more of that group just as football/basketball already have.

There are still a number of good boxers, but Floyd/Ricky/Oscar/Manny are the big draws, and quite a few of those combinations have or will have played out in relatively short order. Boxing will be in quite a lull once these big paydays are shot. This situation reminds me of Affliction’s heavyweight division to an extent – 3-4 major players with no other fighters looking to break into that group.

This is why I hate the non-exclusive/superfight mentality in MMA. Without stable promotion, superfights will happen very often. It will be more and more difficult to find the next generation of stars as the pay distribution ends up ridiculously weighted to the main event like in boxing. And the new generation will not get the proper exposure with the headliners taking up the entire spotlight.

Another thing is that fans will come to demand nothing short of superfights in MMA – pressure to improve is great, but superfights cannot realistically be put on monthly.

by bigweeze on Nov 25, 2008 8:27 PM EST reply actions 0 recs