Bloody Elbow Exclusive: Major ESPN Executive Attends UFC 100 as a Guest of Dana White
by Michael Rome on Jul 24, 2009 9:12 AM EDT
58 comments
Bloody Elbow can confirm that John Skipper, Executive Vice President at ESPN in charge of content attended UFC 100 as a guest of Dana White. This was the first UFC event he has ever attended.
Is something brewing between the UFC and ESPN? When Bob Ryan said that the producers of PTI told him he had to talk about MMA for five minutes, it made me wonder if ESPN's extensive coverage of the UFC after UFC 100 had something to do with a potential business deal with the UFC.
There are rumors circling that the UFC is in the closing stages of a deal to bring a major live show to network television. Dana White added fuel to this fire on July 21 when he told ESPN radio that he is currently negotiating a deal to bring the UFC to a major network. The UFC's deal with Spike TV is cable-exclusive, but would not prevent a deal with ABC, a network whose sports coverage is entirely delegated to ESPN ("ABC Sports" is now "ESPN on ABC.")
I've avoided reporting on potential UFC network deals for the last year because they come up and fall through so often. But it appears something is brewing between the UFC and ESPN. Whether or not it actually pans out is a whole different story.
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If so, then Finally
I know the kickboxing didn’t really pan out for ESPN, but it is high time that they aired some MMA. I hope this doesn’t completely derail Bellator, as it would seem to be a good feeder promotion.
It ends in an armbar or a strangle regardless.
by capital L on Jul 24, 2009 12:08 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Bellator
Is already working on their 2nd season, trying to get some foreign talent for their tournaments. A few Korean fighters and Sengoku fighters are already rumored.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Jul 24, 2009 12:12 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Bellator? What's that?
Isn’t that like Mexican for “pretty” or something?
Si Hoc Legere Scis Nimium Eruditionis Habes
by Paynuss on Jul 24, 2009 8:25 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Latin for Warrior. Close though.
=)
by MMASuPreMaCy on Jul 24, 2009 1:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Even I asked that question : "What is Bellator?" which goes to show how "successful" it is....
by MetsGod on Jul 24, 2009 1:24 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
It also shows how “Succesful” you are at being an “informed” fan of MMA
It ends in an armbar or a strangle regardless.
by capital L on Jul 24, 2009 1:59 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
improper use of quotes
10 yards
Si Hoc Legere Scis Nimium Eruditionis Habes
by Paynuss on Jul 24, 2009 3:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Pretty funny that this is written after FO and Meltzer write this:
http://www.fightopinion.com/2009/07/23/ufcs-childish-stance-with-espn/
Dave Meltzer in this week’s edition of The Observer:
After the piece they did a few months ago, Dana White banned ESPN’s E:60 from being credentialed at UFC 100. The show was looking at doing three more UFC-related stories, a feature on Evan Tanner, Quinton Jackson and to do an updated feature on Brock Lesnar. However there have been signs over the past week that White is softening his stance.
That would be pretty awesome if that happened, but, we should all wait until it is all said and done.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Jul 24, 2009 12:10 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Funny haha?
Bolts from the Blue // "Game over." - Jamal Williams
Bloody Elbow // "Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." - H.L. Mencken
by Richard Wade on Jul 24, 2009 12:18 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
They are quite comfortable picking and choosing within entities,
After all, the UFC also has a strained relationship with Sherdog, which is currently affiliated with ESPN.com.
It ends in an armbar or a strangle regardless.
by capital L on Jul 24, 2009 12:31 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
That wasn’t really the right place to reply
It ends in an armbar or a strangle regardless.
by capital L on Jul 24, 2009 12:32 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
This would seem yet another reason not to take Fight Opinion seriously. I mean, think about it a minute. If Dana is bringing in an ESPN bigwig and trying to get a deal done, do you really think he’s going to ban an ESPN outlet? Dana might be vindictive but he puts his business dealings above all else.
by andherewego on Jul 24, 2009 2:17 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Actually, it sounds like he extended E:60 an Olive Branch after banning them from the accounts I hear.
by Michael Rome on Jul 24, 2009 2:27 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Actually...
It was Meltzer who reported that, and FO commenting on it.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Jul 24, 2009 1:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I wonder if that would mean network announcers for UFC broadcasts on ABC?
by a tommy point on Jul 24, 2009 12:15 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Dick Stockton and Hubie Brown doing MMA? LOL!!!
Oh wait…I know.
Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, and Charles Barkley calling MMA fights.
Chuck would say : “Man I could take that guy”
Kenny would say : “Yeah…if it was a hot dog eating contest..”
Ernie (looks at the audience) : “I do not know these people”
by MetsGod on Jul 24, 2009 1:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Any more details, like how many times a year?
by The Bronzeville Bully on Jul 24, 2009 12:18 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
No, I have no idea on the details. The deal isn’t done either, so as usual it can always fall through. The only thing I’m positive of is that Skipper was there as a guest of Dana White, the rest is circumstancial evidence supporting rumors of a deal.
by Michael Rome on Jul 24, 2009 12:22 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Bloody Elbow Exclusive
I get warm & fuzzy when I read these words.
Shameless self-promotion! http://twitter.com/scb0212
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by themachiavellian on Jul 24, 2009 12:25 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Little background on our boy Johnny S:
Skipper holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English Literature from the University of North Carolina and Columbia University, respectively.
Before joining ESPN The Magazine, Skipper served two years as senior vice president of The Disney Publishing Group where he was in charge of all Disney’s magazine, book and licensed publishing operations in the United States.
Prior to joining The Disney Publishing Group, Skipper held the title of president and publishing director at Spin magazine. Earlier he spent 10 years with Straight Arrow Publishing including eight years with Rolling Stone. At Straight Arrow, he rose to publisher of US magazine.
So this guy seems to be pretty intelligent overall, and hopefully he was able to see the potential for great storytelling as well as something that the growing number of fans want to see more of, which is prime time mixed martial arts.
Being a businessman he can see the upside of this for ESPN on ABC, as well as being in the magazine/books business he probably acknowledges the UFC Magazine already, and perhaps he was even a driving force behind that.
by DirtyML on Jul 24, 2009 12:32 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Wonder if Dana gave him any advice on how ta fukin run a fukin organization fukin right?
Keep firing Assholes!
Thanks to Bisping's reenactment of the Battle of Cowpens, walla walla walla I'm an idiot.
by Ubernoober on Jul 24, 2009 12:35 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Do you want to be a fukin Executive VP?
by MMASuPreMaCy on Jul 24, 2009 12:37 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I’m confused, if they can’t make a deal with ESPN why have an exec from the network there? I realize they are owned by ABC but they don’t run ABC so what’s the point? Does this guy have that much pull?
Some people might say that winning a fight makes you a better fighter but I don’t agree with that.- BlueberryMuffin
by ufc4 on Jul 24, 2009 12:40 AM EDT via mobile reply actions 0 recs
ABC Sports programming is completely delegated to ESPN, he is the executive in charge of content there. He has significant pull
by Michael Rome on Jul 24, 2009 12:46 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I see I didn’t realize that. There have been a lot of rumblings lately of big stuff going on behind the scenes, this would be a huge step for the sport as a whole. Dana was in LA a while back for some big meetings he mentioned on one of his vlogs, I imagine this was probably what it was about.
Some people might say that winning a fight makes you a better fighter but I don’t agree with that.- BlueberryMuffin
by ufc4 on Jul 24, 2009 1:02 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions 0 recs
Presumably, they would be able to run shows on ABC without running afoul of the Spike deal. Sports on ABC are done by ESPN, therefore enter this guy.
It ends in an armbar or a strangle regardless.
by capital L on Jul 24, 2009 12:46 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
But, they DO run them. ABC Sports is now “ESPN on ABC”
by Lewish on Jul 24, 2009 12:49 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I wonder what he thought of Brock Lesnar’s antics.
'Ello G'vnor!
by IHateMMA on Jul 24, 2009 1:02 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
So hard to tell on these things. It’s possible he hated them, or possible he saw them as ratings gold. His network sure didn’t mind covering it for the next week.
by Michael Rome on Jul 24, 2009 1:03 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
They covered Liddell-Rampage II just as much. Then the deal fell through. It will be interesting to see how they work through UFC’s traditional control issues. ESPN is not likely to have UFC’s house team of producers and talent dictate their coverage.
by Jonathan Snowden on Jul 24, 2009 11:32 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I doubt Zuffa will cave to anything at this point. They are doing just fine right now.
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
by iiowyn on Jul 24, 2009 12:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
abc has that “WIPEOUT” show (a rip-off of similar japanese sports-entertainment shows) and it’s done well in the ratings, so i seriously doubt brocks antics were a deal breaker. as a matter of fact, brock’s “antics” were what was most discussed and were WAY overated as "bad for the sport ",imo.
by bdw on Jul 24, 2009 2:42 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
What does Wipeout have to do with Brock Lesnar’s antics?
by Grappo on Jul 24, 2009 7:45 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
someone asked what skipper thought of brocks antics. like i said, disney owns abc which in turn owns espn. so yes ZANYNESS or a few over the top antics by brock mare not going to be that big a deal. jmho.
by bdw on Jul 24, 2009 1:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
They all seem to whine and moan whenever TO, AI, or Ron Artest do something crazy, but they still cover it.
by Phildo on Jul 24, 2009 8:15 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Disney gave up on being moral a long time ago
This has serious potential.
When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are in a confederacy against him. - Jonathan Swift
by subo on Jul 24, 2009 1:08 AM EDT reply actions 2 recs
i see tim allen in movies all the time. wild hogs was pretty cool, best movie he’s made in awhile.. i guess that was your point.:)
by bdw on Jul 24, 2009 1:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I hope you're really on to a major deal here Rome.
Keep us updated when you get more details. :)
by Anton Tabuena on Jul 24, 2009 1:38 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Interesting stuff. Thanks for the heads up.
"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito Ortiz on Vitor Belfort at Affliction:DOR
by Rundownloser on Jul 24, 2009 1:50 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Any deal on ABC...
…would only be like two-to-four shows a year, for the mainstream exposure. UFC gets waaaay more money from an average PPV than ABC could hope to offer them per show. But the exposure would be invaluable and help boost their PPV sales, while growing both the UFC and the sport as a whole.
by Chromium on Jul 24, 2009 3:23 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
It would very likely be Fight Nights on ABC, not the equivalent of the ppv shows.
by MMARich on Jul 24, 2009 1:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
This interest alone shows that the UFC (MMA) is on the cusp of being mainstream. I say after the Rampage-Evans fight, ABC (ESPN) will sign a deal. I hope I’m right.:)
by thesource on Jul 24, 2009 3:42 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Hope this means more fight cards and a bigger fighter roster for UFC.
Holy snapping duck shit...
by ABS363 on Jul 24, 2009 5:11 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
And more pay for the lower end fighters!
'He built his whole reputation as a waffle house chef. They’ve been serving him up ham and eggs with a side of canned tomatoes' - Don Frye on Fedor Emelianenko
by Well Read Idiot on Jul 24, 2009 5:14 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Do the fighters have a union?
That came to mind as soon as I read that.
by MetsGod on Jul 24, 2009 1:35 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
The new UK ESPN channel that starts up in August appears to be the front-runner to get UFC coverage over here, so it could be to do with that.
by An0nymous on Jul 24, 2009 8:05 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
God I hope it's not JUST for the UK....'cause frankly, what would be the point then?
the U.S. is where all the bulk of the interest is…..
by MetsGod on Jul 24, 2009 1:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
This hits home at the problem that mainstream media outlets have a plethora of people working for them that absolutely hate MMA. MMA Live would obviously move into a role of a regular show on one of the channels because I know some of the personalities on some of the shows like Around the Horn and PTI definitely don’t like MMA, although PTI has been better about it.
Hopefully, if MMA does move to ESPN, they have people who actually like the sport analyze it.
Follow me on Twitter @lelandroling
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
by Leland Roling on Jul 24, 2009 9:03 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
You think there aren't people at Spike..
..who hate MMA?
Haters are all over. I’d bet there are people in the UFC head office who don’t watch the stuff.
But not liking it and refusing to take its coin are two very different things.
If you see Mark Coleman in person, drop $5 on the floor and watch the fun as he tries in vain to bend down and pick it up.
by Ozzz on Jul 25, 2009 12:22 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I’ve thought for a long time that all the European cards should be on network or premium channels. Fight Nights are obviously going to stay on Spike and putting on special events just for the network show could run at a loss (see EliteXC) and spread the UFC to thin. Since the UFC probably barely breaks even on the Europe cards PPV it would make sense to switch it to a free broadcast where they would benefit from the exposure. Heck, they could even run it live during the afternoon and then add fights to the evening broadcast as time allows.
by Reciprocity on Jul 24, 2009 9:59 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
And now the UFC is a big part of an ESPN 24-hour radiothon to raise money to combat cancer. Interesting.
"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito Ortiz on Vitor Belfort at Affliction:DOR
by Rundownloser on Jul 24, 2009 3:29 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I wouldn’t read too much into that. ESPN radio stations are all pretty much separate, and that’s Cofield’s station. Him and Dana are pretty tight, they do a bunch of stuff together all the time.
by Phildo on Jul 24, 2009 6:44 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I freelanced at Spin when Skipper ran the show.
And I can say I never got a better pay rate/less editorial interference anywhere.
Dude knows how to run a shop.
If you see Mark Coleman in person, drop $5 on the floor and watch the fun as he tries in vain to bend down and pick it up.
by Ozzz on Jul 25, 2009 12:26 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
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