Fedor Emelianenko to Fight on January Affliction Card

by Kid Nate on Sep 11, 2008 7:53 AM EDT in News Comment 68 comments

NBC Sports has the story:

Affliction COO Michael Cohen told NBCSports.com that the company is expecting to run the show in January, and that they would also make a major announcement in the next two weeks that would “change the dynamics of mixed martials arts. Not just nationally, but globally.”

The October event was initially expected to feature a main event with current WAMMA champ Fedor Emelianenko against Arlovski, but the former broke his hand in defeating Tim Sylvia and would not have been ready in time for October, necessitating an opponent switch.

Cohen said that Emelianenko will fight on the new January card, but an opponent has not yet been decided.

Some are speculating that Tito Ortiz might have come to terms with the organization. There are even possibilities of Tito vs Fedor being bandied about. MMA Weekly broke the news about Tito:

It looks as if the negotiations to sign the biggest free agent in all of mixed martial arts are about to come to an end. Tito Ortiz tells MMAWeekly.com that he expects to announce his new deal by the end of September.

One suitor that has been ruled out is Ortiz’s last employer, the Ultimate Fighting Championship, who had been talking to the former light heavyweight champion about a possible return.

MMA Payout has an interesting idea about the big Affliction announcement:

The Marquez-Casamayor fight is certainly an interesting choice of venues for the next announcement on Affliction’s future. That card is being promoted by Golden Boy and will air on HBO PPV. Affliction and Golden Boy had exploratory talks on possibly working together when Affliction was formulating it’s plans to enter MMA in early 08.

The possible pairing unraveled in late March due to issues over who would be in ultimate control of the promotion. However, Affliction apparently remained interested in the possibility of mixed boxing and MMA cards as part of their future. Part of Affliction’s decision to use the 5 roped over-sized boxing ring was reportedly to do MMA and boxing together on the same shows at some point.

Speculation within the industry concerning a potential deal between the two companies has been strong in recent weeks. Still open to speculation is the inclusion of HBO in any pairing between Affliction and Golden Boy. Golden Boy and HBO have a very close relationship, but the folks at HBO have been resistant to MMA in general.

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Hate to sound negative...

But I doubt any of this is true…Just wild rumors to cover up the stench. Remember how in one week we had the UFC sold and Pretty boy to the UFC while signing a deal with FOX.

by banter on Sep 10, 2008 9:45 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Say they’ve booked Emilianenko vs Ortiz. Would that have the potential to save Affliction, or are they doomed regardless? It might be determined by how they market the event. If they do something exciting and innovative, there’s a chance they could pull it off. No?

by klown on Sep 10, 2008 9:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I really don't see anything saving them at this point.

If they’d gotten Couture vs. Fedor, that would have given them quite literally every single PPV buy and non-committed fan that was available. But while Tito is a huge name to the casual fans, none of the hardcores are intrigued by a Fedor vs. Tito match. Probably we’d all watch it, but we aren’t intrigued at all. We know how that fight ends.

Actually, a Fedor vs. Tito match would be a fitting way for Affliction to die. Fedor = unstoppable force in MMA, Tito = most hyped guy who, while good, is simply overmatched by the Big Dog. See any organizational similarities here?

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

by misterjonez on Sep 10, 2008 10:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think the boxing/MMA cross promotion, or getting on HBO, is a very mild possibility. I don’t think Fedor/Tito will happen, because I can’t see Tito accepting that fight short of an obscene payday beyond anything the promotion can handle. That fight would do one of two things: end Tito’s career, or end Affliction. Neither one makes sense for Tito if he signs with Affliction.

by Michaelthebox on Sep 10, 2008 10:12 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I’d be very interested to see how this plays out, especially with how top heavy the payouts can be in boxing cards. Especially after the trouble that De La hoya and Pacquiao had coming up with an agreement on the revenue. I don’t really know how much of the pie the boxers would be willing to give to the fighters.

It’s a completely different way of doing business than what an MMA org has tried before, it will be interesting to see how it works out.

by Phildo on Sep 11, 2008 12:27 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Then Affliction will cancel shows until Fedor is ready for Affliction III???? I think they are just blowing smoke up as many asses as possible

by fightfan on Sep 10, 2008 10:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thats ecxactly what they are doing and thats Toms Job to spin this bad news the best way he possibly can and try to make excuse after excsue on why the cancelled the show. Come on this was horrible news for them today for God sakes they did not even tell there Top fighters that they cancelled the show, Look at the article on Sherdog Arlovski’s management was not to happy that sherdog was the first to tell them this show was a no go.

by Shocbomb on Sep 10, 2008 11:15 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

They're all out of plays, though.

Really there’s no choice at this point. Hype whatever you’ve got left, take out a second and a third on what’s left of your soul, and hope that some sort of miracle occurs.

There’s just no way to take on a pro sports franchise with $10 million and no operational advantage.

UFC is as big of an entity as most MLB or NFL teams. You don’t go taking on the Red Sox just because you’ve got a stadium, some sticks and a bucket of balls.

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

by misterjonez on Sep 10, 2008 10:00 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Actually this is the normal cycle in a MMA Org’s lifespan before they die (which I have written about before)…

First events get canceled, then they vehemently deny any problems, then they have a Special announcement (ala the "hex")… then they just wither and die.

Affliction is trying to change “MMA” domestically and globally by mixing mma and boxing matches into one event?

Sounds like a “hex” to me.

by mmalogic on Sep 10, 2008 10:01 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Speaking of a hex,

I’m actually waiting for a triangular shaped fighting cage. I’d love to see how hard fighters worked to stay in the center of the ring, just to avoid being taken into a real corner and dominated.

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

by misterjonez on Sep 10, 2008 10:04 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

No triangles.

Any organization that would utilize an odd fighting structure is the same type of organization that would employ the services of , one, Butterbean. It’s tough enough watching Butterbean marooned on his back with his opponent raining down fists and elbows. I just can’t stand to see Bean stuck defenseless in the corner of a triangle.

by Cannon Jacques on Sep 10, 2008 10:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

The triangle would protect him

Remember how much difficulty Smith had in maneuvering around him in a wide open area? In a triangle all Bean has to do is drop to his back in a corner, and nobody will be able to maneuver past his flopping legs and enormous gut.

by Michaelthebox on Sep 10, 2008 10:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

The scene you just described is really going to sell PPV’s. The horror!

by Cannon Jacques on Sep 10, 2008 10:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don't know if a trianglular ring is tantamount to Butterbean,

but you have a point.

I would just like to see the effect this has on fighters. The Octagon is symbolic, but really it doesn’t offer anything a true ring doesn’t have. There aren’t any real angles to work with for trapping an opponent, so one would think that as cages go, this is about as neutral as you can get.

I admit I’m a wrestler, but that’s not why I’m interested in seeing other right shapes. I’m purely interested in seeing the overall effect. Terrain is the third active participant of any battle.

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

by misterjonez on Sep 10, 2008 10:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

right shapes = ring shapes.

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

by misterjonez on Sep 10, 2008 10:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Alright.

On a serious note, I like the octagon – really the cage aspect – because the action isn’t stopped when a fighter gets in between the ropes. It’s probably not optimal for the live audience, but it’s pretty effective overall. I think a triangle would be difficult for the fighters and the ref to maneuver in. It would be a cool experiment, however.

by Cannon Jacques on Sep 10, 2008 10:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

difficult for the the ref to maneuver in

Depending on the size of the triangle I can really see a ref getting pinned in a corner and tangled up with the fighters.

by Michaelthebox on Sep 10, 2008 10:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

We might pay to see certain referees in that situation.

Would also make for some hilarity watching the ref clamber up to the top of the cage and climb back around the fighters.

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

by misterjonez on Sep 10, 2008 11:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Octagon or nothing

Octagon is the correct fighting venue for MMA. Having seen UFC live, it did not in any way block my line of sight or affect my ability to enjoy the fight. Rings are sloppy, dangerous, and make MMA look hokey when you drag guys out to the center in the middle of a fight (and don’t get me started on PRIDE with the guys pushing the guys back into the ring and holding the ropes). Rings are also more dangerous for fighters cause it’s easier to fall out of them. The only reason to not like the Octagon is the old, misguided belief that the fencing makes it look more barbaric.

by thetakeover on Sep 10, 2008 10:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Absolutely agree about the cage.

while PRIDE always put on good shows, the ground game was nothing remotely similar to what we’ve become accustomed to. No using the cage for positional leverage or for shutting down a BJJ guy’s angles and delivering vicious Ground-and-Pound made for a far less interesting overall fight. The stand-up benefited significantly from this, and guys like Fedor and Rampage were helped as well, since they do their best work in an open space.

As for the ref maneuvering in a triangle, (my tongue is firmly in my cheek) how about having a wire-harness like they use for Hollywood action scenes? You could just whisk him up out of there at the first sign of danger (or Butterbean).

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

by misterjonez on Sep 10, 2008 10:58 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

the clinch fight also becomes much more interesting

the greco-roman and judo guys fare much better in a cage where they can get off trips and throws and slams without dealing with rope grabbing, stalling in the corner, etc

by Kid Nate on Sep 11, 2008 9:23 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

You should apply to write for Fight Opinion, Zach Arnold would love you

by smoogy on Sep 10, 2008 11:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

fedor fighting for affliction in january?

i thought he was doing another new years gig in japan?

by woooburn on Sep 10, 2008 10:10 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Suggests to me that both Sengoku and Dream have finally come to the conclusion that Fedor isn’t worth his price tag.

by Michaelthebox on Sep 10, 2008 10:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

While sad, this is almost certainly true.

At this point, there aren’t enough major promotions out there operating at a high enough level to support big-time free agents like Fedor.

The value in fighters, today, is in the marketing efforts of the promotions. Promotions simply cannot afford to dump millions into advertising a fighter they will possibly/likely never show again.

We sometimes get annoyed, but hearing Joe hype Cheik Kongo, Brock Lesnar or whoever is the number one most valuable way to market your fighters to your fans. Putting a name and a face on a poster doesn’t do it for anyone who isn’t already familiar with the person.

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

by misterjonez on Sep 10, 2008 10:24 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Agreed

I’ve had the feeling for a while that a lot of promotions, especially the upstart promotions like Affliction, have thought that the audience for boxing is a lot like the audience for MMA. Get the number one fighter and basically all the fans will know that you have the number 1 fighter, and act accordingly. In reality the “hardcore” MMA fanbase is a tiny fraction of the size of the hardcore boxing fanbase. The UFC has gotten where it is by building up an enormous fanbase of casual and UFC-specific fans, but very few of those fans will transfer to a new promotion just on the basis of fighter names, short of maybe Chuck Liddell. Pride had the same thing going on, and Dream is finding out that the fans aren’t transferring over the way they maybe hoped would happen.

by Michaelthebox on Sep 10, 2008 10:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Correct.

The boxing model does not apply, and probably never will apply to MMA. All of the power in boxing lies with the promoters, and the organizations fill that role in MMA. Cross-organizational events are just too problematic, both logistically and financially, to become mainstream. There’s just no mutual upside to it.

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

by misterjonez on Sep 10, 2008 10:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

"Not just nationally, but globally."

Maybe some sort of co-promotion with Fighting & Entertainment Group? Or M-1?

by Chris Nelson on Sep 10, 2008 10:23 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Hmm, that would both satisfy the “global” aspect AND the hex stage. I think we have a winner!

by Michaelthebox on Sep 10, 2008 10:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

M-1 is high profile enough

that it might warrant the thought that it would change the landscape globally.

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

by misterjonez on Sep 10, 2008 10:27 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don’t think anything can save Affliction at this point…dana will go all out to bury them.

http://mma4real.net/

by Tha Realness on Sep 10, 2008 11:12 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

MMA on a Boxing card??

Jim Lampley will shit himself on PPV and proceed to kill himself on live TV

by nitro on Sep 10, 2008 11:30 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Blockquoted paragraph test

by mmalogic on Sep 10, 2008 11:32 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

bq.AH: Were slow tickets sales a factor?

bq.MDC: Tickets sale were slow or, as I should say, slower than tickets sales for that same time period for our first event. However, that is not the prime factor for the postponement. Let’s also note that we have not invested in advertisements for the event and that decision was made because, as you may be aware, August is a very slow month everywhere, including Las Vegas. The first two weeks of September are also slow so that was not an appropriate time with which to advertise. Our advertising budget was supposed to begin yesterday. This is why tickets sales were not the driving factor.

bq.AH: How about the billboard in Times Square? Has that been taken down yet?

bq.MDC: It’s still up. It will be taken down or changed after the announcement.

The Key Quote:

bq.Let’s also note that we have not invested in advertisements for the event and that decision was made because, as you may be aware, August is a very slow month everywhere, including Las Vegas.

So the Nascar promo and the times square billboard was free? and they also had billboards and signs up in las vegas for this event.

Here’s the translation:

“we spent money on a dog and the thing wouldn’t sell so we have to cancel it.”

by mmalogic on Sep 10, 2008 11:36 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs

exactly.

As for the announcement, it will change the mma world. Hmmm, now where have we heard that before? lol. This better be a more exciting announcement than Dana’s.

"The bigger the cushion, the sweeter the pushin'"

by BJJDenver on Sep 10, 2008 11:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!!!

What makes anyone think Tito is going to fight Fedor??? They are not even in the same weight class. Is there going to be a catch weight for the WAMMA Belt?? I don’t think so. If something like that is to happen then everyone is right about this is the end for Affliction!!!!!! Dana and the UFC WIN!!!

by CliffH1 on Sep 10, 2008 11:47 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Tito and fedor are about the same size guys. Tito is huge for LHW and Fedor is not a big HW.

Why do you think there would be a catch weight?

"The bigger the cushion, the sweeter the pushin'"

by BJJDenver on Sep 11, 2008 11:52 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Not hard at all

It would not be to hard for Tito to move up and Fight Fedor a HW what so ever.

by Shocbomb on Sep 10, 2008 11:57 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

People are focusing on all the wrong things here. Fightlinker pulling the idea of Fedor vs. Tito out of his ass is unimportant. Obviously the announcement isn’t going to be mixed shows with boxing and MMA. But if they were to make a deal with Golden Boy? Now THAT would in fact be a big deal on a number of levels. And securing the services of Ortiz would mean they have a proven PPV draw to build around. I’m amazed how some of the armchair MMA business experts are overlooking the potentially big things Affliction is trying to make happen.

Now back to your regularly scheduled programming of YAMMA/Hex jokes.

by smoogy on Sep 10, 2008 11:57 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Well let’s focus on what is true so far:

1. they canceled the oct 11th show.

2. The COO said they didnt even promote for the show and that is a lie.

2. ticket sales were horrible.

Now let’s look at some of the assumptions/theories:

The COO said that the announcement will change MMA globally and domestically… keep in mind this is the same guy that lied.

Assuming that he is telling the truth and what he believes what he says he are a few things that fit with this description:

- The closest thing would be hybrid mma/boxing events in which case is a “hex” type of novelty that will change nothing.

- If it was a HBO tv deal why would they cancel the october 11th event? HBO could use that event to counter program showtimes tarver/dawson card. And a HBO deal doesnt fit his description.

Here is my assumption on what is happening:

The investors saw the second show will do worse than the first… And the final numbers on the first are mostly in. Atencio tried to ram another event before people realized how much money was being lost.

The brakes have been put on and they are trying to divest out of the MMA business…

And the way they will do it is through fulfilling their contracts with a boxing promotion where they can sponsor fighters and have the boxing promotion take care of the rest: fill their cards with some MMA fights, pay some of the purse, take care of the infrastructure etc…

by mmalogic on Sep 11, 2008 12:58 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

Congrats, thats the most cynical theory I’ve heard so far

by smoogy on Sep 11, 2008 1:06 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

cynical…

Affliction is announcing a partnership with golden boy – you’ll probably here it tomorrow.

by mmalogic on Sep 11, 2008 1:18 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

It would not be ground breaking if they did a deal with Golden boy the bottom line is they have to make $ for Golden Boy to keep them on baord and I just don’t ever see them pulling there own weight. Sure they might make a deal with Golden boy and how long will that last a good 6 months if that, Golden boy is not going to pull there weight ounce Affliction starts coming up in the Red after the first or second show they do under Goldn boy and then thats it. I persoannly don’t think Golden Boy would even do deal with Affliction knowing the odds are they won’t be making any real $, It a hige gamble for Golden Boy that I don’t see them taking. It makes no sence what so ever on there end.

by Shocbomb on Sep 11, 2008 12:02 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Come on !!!

What it all boils down to after all of Tom’s spin today is Affliction had to cancel a show they paid millions on already and did not even tell the fighters of there main event this info. If Tom Atencio wants to say thats good day for Affliction I would really hate to see what a Bad day looks like ???

by Shocbomb on Sep 11, 2008 12:11 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Where’d you hear they spent millions on it already? Outside of a billboard and a NASCAR sponsorship I don’t think they even started their real promotional push.

by smoogy on Sep 11, 2008 12:13 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don't know about millions...

but I’m sure they lost a load on money they put down to lease the venue, pre-production work for the broadcast, fees paid to the NSAC, etc. No huge expenditures (though I do wonder what the Times Square ad cost), but they probably lost a ton of nickles and dimes.

by AJB on Sep 11, 2008 12:18 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Well they were talking about it today on Sherdog radio for one. And how much do you think a sign in Time sqaure cost a few bucks !!! When you cancel a show you loose a few million thats given and Affliction can’t afford to loose a few bucks right now. I guess all the other signs posted up around NYC were free also I have seen !!!

by Shocbomb on Sep 11, 2008 12:18 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

yeah right

Why would people watch Fedor vs Tito match up when Tito will just get KTFO? What a waste of time. Affliction is for sure a WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY.

by sure win on Sep 11, 2008 3:40 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

When was the last time you saw a new HDNet Fights event?

It was a big deal when Cuban got into the MMA business and the dude has a huge amount of resources, not to mention his own channel in which to promote it. So why aren’t we seeing his own branded events anymore? Don’t get me wrong, I love their MMA programming, but he’s obviously only willing to lose so much off of running events.

So what difference is Golden Boy going to make in the long run? Is Affliction going to somehow turn around and make millions the second show? Doubtfully. And how much is Golden Boy willing to invest in an unprofitable venture or have their name associated with it?

Then you have the main event for January. Are we back to Fedor vs Arlovski? Does that mean Barnett gets left out in the cold? Once again, this whole thing seems like BS from a company that’s grabbing at anything in order try and salvage the situation.

by LiuLang on Sep 11, 2008 7:05 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Cuban is smart. he is letting these other guys lose their money and he is showing a ton of mma that he gets relatively cheap.

If a bunch of promotions tank, expect Cuban to renew his interest in promoting, only with a superior business model.

"The bigger the cushion, the sweeter the pushin'"

by BJJDenver on Sep 11, 2008 11:56 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don’t think he’s going to start promoting, he’s in a pretty good situation right now. He saw how hard it was to make money promoting and changed his plan.

He might have come back if he could get Randy/Fedor, but now that it’s official that the Randy/Fedor fight is UFC or nowhere, I don’t see him getting back in.

Especially if he gets a new toy (the Cubs).

by Phildo on Sep 11, 2008 12:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

So what difference is Golden Boy going to make in the long run?

Assuming this ends up true, probably a big one. Golden Boy is responsible for the promotion of most of the major names in boxing, the biggest PPV in the history of boxing, owns the parent company of Ring Magazine, has most of HBO’s dates and is obviously the most influential force on them, which is pretty key when HBO’s boxing budget for ’07 was about on par with the entirety of the 5 year deal Zuffa and Spike have. Putting the fights on HBO, even through HBO PPV, gives them a legitimacy that no one else can touch with the best creative teams and production squads on the planet.

Is Affliction going to somehow turn around and make millions the second show? Doubtfully. And how much is Golden Boy willing to invest in an unprofitable venture or have their name associated with it?

If Golden Boy actually gets involved, that tells me that Affliction probably did a lot better than most have been openly thinking of late. Would they be willing to work with an unprofitible venture for awhile? Depends on the kind of growth it shows. If they do a mixed card with Diaz/Casamayor and Fedor and Tito doing the MMA thing and there’s a solid level of buys that increase over the previous show, even if they lose a nominal amount of money, they’re gonna continue on. Its ridiculous to think that Golden Boy’s entrance into MMA wouldn’t be a paradigm shift.

by D.Capitated on Sep 11, 2008 1:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Out of curiosity, who are the big names GB has?

Outside of Oscar, who is fighting his last fight, and 83 year old Bernard Hopkins, I can’t think of many. I was under the impression that their big draws were all nearing the end, but i may be wrong. And I am talking about big name draws, not name boxer who we know are good, but don’t sell.

Thanks in advance.

"The bigger the cushion, the sweeter the pushin'"

by BJJDenver on Sep 11, 2008 1:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ricky Hatton is under Golden Boy. So is Shane Mosley, Casamayor, Marquez (who fights Casamayor on PPV this weekend), Juan Diaz, and Israel Vasquez. Oh, and Oscar himself. Compared to them, the next biggest stable in the US is Bob Arum with Margarito, Cotto, Pacquiao, and Kelly Pavlik.

by D.Capitated on Sep 11, 2008 1:41 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

You seem to know what you’re talking about, so I’ll ask you.

Do you think those boxers would be willing to share enough of the purse with fighters like Fedor to make it worthwhile for anyone?

I’m not an expert on how boxing events work, but I’m not sure how much more money the mma aspect of this partnership will bring into the fold, so it looks like someone would have to take a pay cut.

by Phildo on Sep 11, 2008 1:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

If one was to do something of this nature (its been done overseas and to a lesser extent here domestically), you’d probably have a 4-5 fight PPV card with a few preliminaries (likely MMA bouts due to cost). PPVs, regardless of what anyone claims, sell on the basis of the headliners. Combine a couple “lower costing” boxing bouts that would otherwise be on World Championship Boxing (combined purses around $3 mil) with a solid MMA draw like Tito and you could probably make good money. Not only that, you could convert some hispanic fans into MMA fans, and they love their lousy PPVs. HBO had a field day a couple years back throwing multiple horrid Marco Antonio Barrera PPVs at the public and watching them keep buying the stupid things.

by D.Capitated on Sep 11, 2008 2:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hatton and Pacman are my favorite boxers, but I am realistic enough to realize that Hatton is only a draw if he is fighting Floyd or Oscar, which he passed on. Eliminate Oscar, as he is retiring, and their stable doesn’t have the type of fighter that is going to draw huge numbers. In fact, I would say that with Floyd and Oscar gone, boxing in general doesn’t have that big ppv draw anymore.

Not that they have to set a record every time out, but I’m not spending money to see Mosley or any of their other fighters.

Now the interesting thing would be if they had, say, Hatton/Floyd 2 and Fedor/Barnett and a couple of decent boxing and mma fights on one card. But damn, could you imagine the outcry from boxing traditionalist if they did that?!?!?

While GB would lend some legitimacy and recognition to the promotion, I dont think it will be enough to save it in the long run.

"The bigger the cushion, the sweeter the pushin'"

by BJJDenver on Sep 11, 2008 2:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

And I’m sorry, but most of the time, mma fights are more exciting than boxing matches. I’m a fan of both, but there is rarely a good, exciting boxing match available. I have a hrd time accepting that boxing would want to put a more exciting sport side by side with it. It seems they would run a huge risk of devaluing their product. I know there are still many exciting boxing matches happening, just stating in comparison that overall and more commonly, mma is more exciting to watch.

"The bigger the cushion, the sweeter the pushin'"

by BJJDenver on Sep 11, 2008 2:14 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

It’s been said repeatedly in threads here, but one of the big differences for me between a boxing ppv and an MMA ppv is that, more often than not, a good boxing ppv has a great main event and a bunch of shitty/uninteresting undercard fights. I find most high-level MMA shows have at least 3-4 fights that I’m hyped about watching, and at least 2-4 fights that turn out to be VERY entertaining (strangely, not always the one that I thought would be entertaining; look at UFC 88…).

by AJB on Sep 11, 2008 3:37 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Couldn’t agree more. This is why I don’t order boxing ppvs anymore.

The last full good boxing card I saw, was Pacman vs. Erik Morales I think. It had Jorge Arce vs Hussein Hussein and JC Chavez Jr on the undercard, and almost every fight was exciting. That was several years ago.

Boxing has turned into 55 bucks for a name fight and an undercard of virtual unknowns or young fighters. Sorry, but 55 bucks is to much for that.

mma, usually has a couple of big fights and some mid level fights on the undercard, and more often than not they are exciting.

I would rather watch 2 unknown mma guys get it on, than 2 unknown boxers, 100 out 100 times.

"The bigger the cushion, the sweeter the pushin'"

by BJJDenver on Sep 11, 2008 4:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Especially since the boxing unknowns are usually set up between an unknown prospect and an unknown scrub to make the prospect look good and build them up for a main event slot in the future. At least the squash matches and showcase fights in most MMA shows (ahem Kimbo and Ken aside *ahem*) are kept to a minimum. And EVEN THEN, how many times have we seen the “victim” smash the big name? Gonzaga-Cro Cop; Chuck-Rashad; Serra-GSP; and so on.

by AJB on Sep 11, 2008 4:41 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

right on.

"The bigger the cushion, the sweeter the pushin'"

by BJJDenver on Sep 11, 2008 4:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Also “not selling” is one of those things I chuckle about coming from MMA fans. That a fighter doesn’t sell 500,000 PPVs every time doesn’t matter, especially to those guys that are consistently selling 200,000-300,000 PPVs. Those guys make more money than anyone in MMA is even at the very top. And yet, somehow, promoters and networks seem to make money too.

by D.Capitated on Sep 11, 2008 1:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

so your saying golden boy will do what:

Doug deluca, Gary Shaw (who has been promoting way longer than oscar), showtime and CBS couldnt do?

by mmalogic on Sep 11, 2008 3:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

plus they put in 30m… which i doubt golden boy will do.

by mmalogic on Sep 11, 2008 3:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I should say they had over 30m to invest in it.

by mmalogic on Sep 11, 2008 3:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Okay, you got me. You know your Golden Boy. I could care less about boxing. And I guess that’s part of my point. If GB and Affliction do some sort of co-promote card, how many fights could they realistically squeeze into a card? And are pure boxing fans and pure MMA fans going to want to spend their money on a mixed card? I can say without even knowing the card that there’s a remote chance I would. I’m not a boxing fan, I’m an MMA fan. I obviously don’t know for sure, but I suspect many of the people here would feel the same way.

Also, I highly doubt GB initiated these talks. If Affliction came to them knowing they needed to do something to insure their future, I doubt that this deal would be very equitable. This doesn’t seem like something the GB needs and more like something that Affliction is doing as a stop gap to not go out of business. I only have to point to CBS paying peanuts to EliteXC for their shows. What I could see as a possibility for Affliction, is that they provide a couple big fights to a GB card here and there, being able to cash in on big fights.

Also, GB getting involved with Affliction doesn’t really mean anything in regards to their previous success. No matter what way you cut it with best estimates in regards to PPV sales, they still lost millions. What it could mean, is that GB is smart enough to see that Affliction has a couple big money fights in the pipe and is trying to cash in on them.

Anyroad, thems are just my thoughts ie. talking outta my ass.

by LiuLang on Sep 11, 2008 2:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs