The Zuffa UFC/WEC Event Mill
by Kid Nate on Feb 8, 2009 10:48 PM EST
in MMA News
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PrintMMA Frenzy notes something significant that hasn't been commented on in all the excitement of the last month:
Zuffa, LLC. has just completed a string of four consecutive weeks where they put on a ten fight card (Zuffa, LLC. is the parent company of both the UFC and the WEC). That’s forty fights in four weeks folks. Each fight takes two combatants, so that’s eighty fighters. They take a week off for Valentine’s, then they have another three week stretch with events every week. Two of those cards have eleven fights scheduled, and one has ten.* That’s a further thirty-two fights, and sixty-four fighters.
If you’re following along and doing the math, you’ve figured out by now that by March 8, Zuffa, LLC will have put on seven events in eight weeks. The total number of fights will be seventy-two, and fighters involved one hundred forty-four. I don’t care who you are, that’s impressive. Some people have complained about the lack of big names on the cards of some of these events, but all of the events still include/d intriguing match-ups. But what the people that make those complaints fail to realize is the sheer magnitude of one company being able to put on seven MMA events in eight weeks. The magnitude of this accomplishment grows even more when you realize that just five years ago, in 2004, Zuffa put on a sum total for the whole year of five events. They had the same total in 2003, and only had six in 2002.
The sheer volume of fights that Zuffa is mounting in 2009 is really impressive. Especially when you remember that they are putting on each event at a profit. Even the UK events are in the black.
No promoter has come close to matching the pace of quality and profitable fights that Zuffa is putting on right now.
Even PRIDE at their absolute peak never came close to this.
As of 2009, Dana and company are the biggest and best MMA promoters of all time.
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yup. that is very impressive.
they have a huge roster, and its nice that theyre giving everybody a chance to earn some green..
http://weoweoweo.deviantart.com/
On top of that...
6 DREAM cards + Dynamite
6 Sengoku cards
12 Bellator FC cards in 12 weeks
12 or so televised Strikeforce cards
Another full season of M-1 Challenge, if you’re into that.
2009 = High level MMA virtually every week
Some questions for you:
When does Bellator start?
Is every Strikeforce show going to be out of San Jose? This would be the greatest thing ever for me if true.
by Michael Rome on Feb 8, 2009 10:41 PM EST up reply actions
Bellator is supposed to start April 3rd (and air April 4th). I don’t really have any inside information on it, I just happened to catch one of the PR people on the UG asking for photos of a list of fighters that sounded suspiciously like the group rumoured for Bellator and put two and two together. The lineup of rumoured and confirmed fighters currently:
185lbs: Paulo Filho, Virgil Lazano, Edwin Aguilar, Hector Lombard, Daniel Tabera, Joey Villasenor
170lbs: Lyman Good, Toby Imada, Norman Paraisay, Omar De La Cruz, Nick Thompson
155lbs: Eddie Alvarez, Jorge Masvidal, Thomas Schulte, Diego Garijo, Daniel Morales, Marcus Aurelio, Fabricio Camoes
145lbs: Wilson Reis, Ben Greer, Sami Aziz, Nick Gonzalez, Joe Soto
I heard a rumour that Strikeforce is looking into running a show in Hollywood, Florida, but other than that, I have no idea. Hopefully they branch out, there are lots of under served MMA markets IMO. Chicago, Texas, Alberta, Quebec, NOVA SCOTIA…
To me it makes sense to just run in San Jose for Showtime shows and do the CBS elsewhere. They own the arena which is a big deal for money, and the crowds have been great for big fights. SF in general is an underserved market.
Coker was on sherdog radio and he said he’s had offers to do show al over the place but he doesn’t really plan on going that far.
He did mention probably going to Seattle and said that he’d like to go back to the playboy mansion (but that would have to be on showtime).
Too expensive and so many other factors to run a show in the city Rome
Plus inside the city Gavin Newsom would probably run out and have the doors barred to the arena because the Brutality of MMA just isn’t right. Not to mention the rest of the SF smug would get self righteous about a brutal event in their town. You could probably get one up and running in Oakland or the surrounding areas, (see SJ), but for some reason I think all things would conspire to make it difficult to get a good event in the city.
Oh yah and the only place to hold it in SF unless you wanna do it outside at AT&T Park or Monster Park, (which would be awesome in the summertime), would be the ginormous Cow Palace.
If you want good MMA just come up to Sacto on the Amtrak. It’ll drop you off right by the freeway entrance to head out to Arco then its probably a 15 buck cab ride out to the Arena.
Gimme 1 Round!
It feels good, doesn’t it? To witness the coming of age of our sport?
by Derek Suboticki on Feb 8, 2009 10:05 PM EST reply actions
Good description.
MMA really has turned a corner, and it’s all been on Zuffa’s back. I’m thrilled that DREAM, Sengoku and even Affliction are able to turn out a quality product on the coattails of what Zuffa’s done, but the only reason this sport has attained the measures of prominence and acceptance currently enjoyed is because of Dana White.
This is how industries are started. A Big Bang started by one guy with a head full of steam, and the ensuing chain reaction which ends with an entire, completely developed industry capable of competing in the open market.
Say what you will, but right now the consolidated nature of high-level MMA is working very much in our favor, as fans. Even if you despise Zuffa and their tactics.
There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.
I really don’t get people’s beef with Zuffa.
They are in the entertainment business. As long as they don’t sacrifice babies to Satan, they are better than 80% of their peers.
I think this is pretty much exactly it. I liken it to the 60’s-style hippie movement, that basically wanted to tear the whole world down because the world was big, and stuff. And corporations, man (myaaaaan)! They’re like…bad, man!
Ultimately, whoever is on top of their respective pile, is there because he is willing to do what others are not, and he is also capable of it. Dana’s railroading this industry, but since he’s also the one laying the first tracks, I really don’t get the opposition to it.
Everyone else will get to use those tracks in some capacity…
There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.
UFC is the ExxonMoble, Wal Mart, McDonalds, Microsoft, Coke of their industry and they are going to take the similar kinds of heat for it. Even if Zuffa did everything properly (and they don’t) they would still be getting heat from people just due to who they are.
focus more on EXXON
and especially WALMART. I would say Enron but ZUFFA doesnt have any shareholders to defraud
Gimme 1 Round!
ExxonMobile is a better company than they get credit for due to which industry they are in, they also have no problem at all working with other companies in the oil industry. Microsoft would actually be the better comparison than Wal Mart for what you are trying to imply (Enron doesn’t make any sense at all). The point I was making was that when your on top your every move is going to get picked apart by people no matter what you do.
by who me on Feb 9, 2009 12:07 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
They are in the entertainment business.
I think that’s a problem that a lot of people have with them. People want MMA to be some mythical “pure sport” and don’t like the fact that Zuffa are really in the Sports Entertainment business. Hell, even people who like Zuffa don’t want to recognize how much their business is based on pro wrestling, and particularly WWE.
Sport’s Enetertainment is different in that it isn’t a sport at all, the UFC is a Professional Sport just like all the rest. I think that a lot of people don’t get that all professional sports exist to make money. Baseball, basketball and football don’t pay all those athletes big money just to win, the goal is to fill arenas with paying customers and tv with big audiences. They are all for profit organizations and their primary goal is providing entertainment for fans.
by who me on Feb 9, 2009 12:24 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
The problem is that most people who hate the UFC often long for the good old days of PRIDE, which was far more Sports Entertainment than anything Zuffa has.
those are the closet homos who go out and gay bash…
They make fun of wwe and pro-wrestling fans yet they worship pride which WAS pro-wrestling.
by mmalogic on Feb 9, 2009 2:48 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
I am really glad
to to have the chance to see some many new faces and fights. The Jon Jones fight is great example, i don’t think we would of seen that fight if it was like it used to be; I think that this is the start of very big things for MMA.
You know who I miss? that crazy dude that used to show up and make YouTube videos about how awesome PRIDE was and how fake the UFC is. Where did that guy go?
Don't believe a word I say, I don't train BJJ. -- TangleBones
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