The Best of Affliction
by Michael Rome on Jul 25, 2009 10:26 AM EDT
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Affliction is dead as an MMA promoter, and while many enjoy pissing on the promotion's grave, I am not celebrating. History tells me that the UFC won't be able to sign Fedor, and if they can't, I don't see any upside at all to this news for MMA fans.
Affliction doomed itself to failure from the start by creating a payscale based on the assumption that the debut show would do over 300,000 buys. This was never possible, and their surprising success on PPV was still not enough to make up for this tragic assumption
Affliction only gave us two shows, but it contributed a lot to the MMA world. It brought Fedor Emelianenko to the United States on a full time basis, and helped him establish his name here. He still isn't a huge superstar, but he's further along that road than he was when Pride collapsed. Fedor scored two first round victories over tough opponents, men that many predicted would beat him in the weeks before his fights, only to now claim they weren't really tough opponents. No serious fan believes this, Tim and Andre were borderline top 5 heavyweights and Fedor crushed them.
Affliction also gave new life to the careers of Vitor Belfort and Josh Barnett. Barnett squandered it, but Vitor Belfort is poised to go back to the UFC and fight top fighters at middleweight. If not for Affliction, we'd probably still be discussing his career in disappointed terms. I predict we will again soon, but Affliction gave guys like Vitor a new lease on life.
Finally, Affliction overpaid fighters and provided a number of guys with more financial security in two cards than they are likely to earn in the next five years. Over the course of four fights (two Affliction, two Strikeforce) Andrei Arlovski made in the neighborhood of $4 million in fight purses. For the sake of comparison, Arlovski made $170,000 for his final UFC fight. Guys like Vitor Belfort, Matt Lindland, and Babalu made hundreds of thousands of dollars, amounts that will help them train and feed their families for years. You can mock Affliction's business sense all day long, and lord knows they were never in this for charity, but a number of fighters really benefitted from their short run as the UFC's rival.
In the end, Affliction gave fans one good show and one great show, and paid fighters a lot of money. Their legacy is not negative, only unfortunate.
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I never understood why some people might consider this a good thing. I liked the idea of an org that just did big-name fights, and they gave us quite a few. Fedor further cemented his reputation as a legend, Vitor might very well be “back”, AA/Rothwell was awesome, and they knew what the hardcore fans wanted to see. It’s a shame their expenses were as outrageous as their goals. Thanks for the memories, Affliction. You will be missed [sniff]
Shameless self-promotion! http://twitter.com/scb0212
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on Jul 25, 2009 3:30 AM EDT reply actions
All of these undercard fights can now happen in Strikeforce – a decent promotion that doesn’t delay cards all the time – and the two or three awesome fighters (Mousasi, Belfort) that the UFC wants are now available.
We can’t be squeamish about choking off every organization with both the will and the capacity to pay Fedor and his opponent millions to stay out of the Octagon. It’s the only way.
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 Derek Suboticki on Jul 25, 2009 3:49 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
lord knows they were never in this for charity
It is precisely this that must be emphasized. It’s not like Dana bought the children’s hospital and turned it into a McDonald’s. He took a place that made shittier, more expensive burgers.
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 Derek Suboticki on Jul 25, 2009 3:51 AM EDT up reply actions
I don’t really think the problem is Affliction’s product?
Twitter: @Mike_Fagan_13
http://www.sackmikegoldberg.com
The problem is wasn’t their product, he was how much they paid for it and how much they got for it.
It’s like they were buying the most expensive meat in the world, and then turning it into tacos, and then not selling it properly.
If we’re still going to use the weird restaurant analogy…
It’s like they overpaid for mid-level meat (and some prime cuts), had no clue how to market it, and hence couldn’t sell their quality product.
But why are we trying to simplify all this into weird food comparisons?
Twitter: @Mike_Fagan_13
http://www.sackmikegoldberg.com
Was that a question?
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 25, 2009 1:06 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Yeah, I don’t get why people bashed Affliction so hard, I only went so far as to poke fun at Tom Atencio, but he shut me up with all that heart he showed in his fight. Mostly people just hating on anything that isn’t UFC. For what Affliction was, it did it’s job.
"You guys are jerking eachother off with some pseudo deep bullshit." - Kid Nate
I think everyone saw this coming as soon as the payouts were announced for the first show. Not really the way that it happened but their business model just didn’t make any sense what so ever.
That being said I was lucky enough to attend both events live and had an absolute blast at each of them. I’ll never forget the sound of the crowd as Fedor put his hooks in. On the subject of Fedor, I don’t see him coming over to the UFC until this man is shot….
Dana can just hire this guy to take care of that....
Im sure he could use the money.
by SouthAlaBamaRampage on Jul 25, 2009 4:33 AM EDT up reply actions
Hell if someone can point me in Vadim’s direction I’d gladly run him over with a rented U-Haul truck, for the greater good of MMA of course.
Are you serious?
Every crossed account about Finkie has come from the ill informed, made up scenario’s from the comment sections. Before you run this villain over with a truck know 100% of these commentors have never met Vadim or met anyone who has dealt with Vadim. The 1st actual news story by someone doing real journalism that produces evidence that Vadim is scheming Fedor will be the 1st.
This whole perception of Finkie is as retarded as Dana White being the dark, evil sith lord of the MMA world.
by bignerd on Jul 25, 2009 8:47 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Kinda hard to hire a guy who is in prison.
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 25, 2009 11:08 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions 1 recs
There are suggestions that people shit and are shitting on Affliction, but it’s not nearly so black and white. Nevermind the fact that fighters have been held hostage by their incapability to actually put on the cards that they promote. If they actually had the means to put on these cards quarterly, I would love for them to live forever. But they didn’t and don’t. And while they cut some fat checks for some very deserving parties, it was an elaborate ruse in the scheme of things, with ramifications that could be mild to severe for some of the talent that camped under their banner. For the fighters that did get hung up on their watch, it’s no one’s fault but their own for signing the deal. But the impression that there are people lining up with roman candles and others walking single file with red roses is a bit much. The last 24 hours have been a tale of two extremes..
"The reason a rabbit outruns a fox is because the rabbit is running for his life and the fox is running for his dinner."
I was always skeptical that Affliction could carry on with their business model, but I do lament the fact that there is one less competitor in the MMA market today. Competition breeds innovation, and when it comes to MMA, I really do think promotions like Affliction and even EliteXC pushed the UFC to put on some fantastic shows. At the same time I think it also helped the UFC be more cut-throat than before.
I’m glad for AA and the handful of others that benefited financially from Affliction’s folly, but I would have preferred a smarter business plan with realistic pay scales that could have provided for a long term alternative to the UFC, so more than a handful of fighters could benefit from it. I always felt that Affliction was flying by the seat of their pants. It’s kind of like the time my buddies and I decided to start a company after a night of drinking: just not well thought out, and doomed to fail.
I love me some Sexyama!
For the sake of comparison, Arlovski made $170,000 for his final UFC fight.
I think the disclosed salary was actually $160,000. Regardless though, for the top fighters especially, the payouts the UFC discloses are never the real amounts the fighters get paid. It’s been said so many times in the past but people keep bringing this up. I wouldn’t be surprised if Arlovski was making at least double the disclosed figure while in the UFC, though admittedly yes, Affliction paid him more – which is why he went there.
Truth
Even Lesnar’s listed salary at 100 was 400k. Mere hours after the program it was reported that he made in excess of 3 million dollars.
"The reason a rabbit outruns a fox is because the rabbit is running for his life and the fox is running for his dinner."
Entirely besides the point
It’s a matter of listed/alledged, so forth… That’s a whole other argument, but he got paid initially based on his draw. I’m saying, as a polarity between what is public and what is real (with Zuffa being a supremely private enterprise), the UFC pays their fighters quite well, and it’s sustainable.
"The reason a rabbit outruns a fox is because the rabbit is running for his life and the fox is running for his dinner."
Agreed. People can talk up the Affliction payouts all they want, but that’s the reason they’re buried in the ground right now. The UFC is retaining and signing the bulk of the top fighters in the world, holding regular events, and are growing the sport. They’re doing something right.
On the specifics, the reason the UFC releases the low payout figures is two-fold. 1) It’s an attempt to keep the fighter salaries under control, and 2) some fighters don’t want what they’re making to be made public – I’m sure that’d draw all sorts of long lost relatives out of the woodwork.
i miss affliction already.
"I’m not going to stop yelling because that would mean, I lost the fight!"-Kenny Powers
shooter/cutter for AllElbows.com
and they gave us Megadeath.
"I’m not going to stop yelling because that would mean, I lost the fight!"-Kenny Powers
shooter/cutter for AllElbows.com
Megadeth?
"The reason a rabbit outruns a fox is because the rabbit is running for his life and the fox is running for his dinner."
"I don't see any upside at all to this news for MMA fans."
Vitor is free to sign with the UFC now.
That’s upside right there, if you ask me.
Anderson needs fresh opponents to defend his belt against.
1. The best fighters will be in one organization.
2. The UFC and by extension will be free to expand around the world with the knowledge that they are the NFL of MMA.
3. Payday will steadily increase as MMA get bigger and better.
4. MMA organizations learn a very valuable lesson on how to run a business: revenue – expensive = profit. Affliction was revenue – expensive = massive loss.
Most of top fighters will end up in the UFC that is a fact. Without Affliction, the best fighters would already be in (1) Strikeforce or (2) UFC. These are two orgs that can run a business. Was EliteXC good for MMA? I don’t think so. Neither was Affliction. MMA fans were held hostage to an org that would fold eventually. What was the upside to that? It threw MMA and the fighters into disorganization for two years. Fedor and his management think they are important in the grand scheme of things.
Now they know how feeble their worth is. I don’t see how that’s not upside. I will dredge up this article in a year when M-1 Global folds and Fedor signs with the UFC. StrikeForce will NOT sign Fedor. You know why? They are smart business men and they know that you don’t pay someone big money if they do not bring in equal or more money to you. That’s just smart business. Fedor is a cancer to any organization that doesn’t have the capability to build him, package him, and sell him to the fans. What are wins if it doesn’t translate to eyeballs and sales?
The UFC and by extension MMA will be free to expand around the world with the knowledge that they are the NFL of MMA.
by cyph on Jul 25, 2009 9:32 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Yeah totally, I always thought the only thing holding back the development of MMA worldwide was the lack of knowledge of what was the ultimate fighting promotion.
wat
It ends in an armbar or a strangle regardless.
Not sure what it’s like in other countries, but in Australia a Google news search for UFC will return almost nothing but articles on video game sites for Undisputed. Whenever the sport is mentioned in the media it’s always done in a negative light and referred to as “cage fighting,” usually with the implication that the fighters are locked into the cage with no escape. Despite this, Zuffa’s research has apparently determined that Australia is still the best country for them to expand into next.
Did you know that 10 years ago, this was the UFC in the United States? 5 years ago, this was the UFC in the UK?
Yeah, and six months ago they went through the same ordeal in Germany.
It’s frustrating to see countries so sheltered about this sport in an era where it’s so easy to research it.
Many of these countries are engrained with boxing. And it’s a combination of fans ignorance and the boxing people trying to add fuel to the fire.
by AlwaysRelaxing on Jul 25, 2009 10:23 AM EDT up reply actions
The UFC has been the only organization actively growing the sport and trying to aggressively expand into new territory.
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
LOL
It’s the only MMA promotion on that scale growing successfully. Just about everyone tied into the MMA business is pushing for growth and territory expansion. A fighter opening an MMA gym in his hometown just grew the sport and expanded into a new territory.
My apologies
What I ought to have asked was by what method do you envision the UFC taking a larger role in growing the sport, as there are several interesting possibilities. Currently, of course, the UFC exists as both a goal for the fighters and an example for regional promoters. The UFC runs a card in Germany for example, and it drives interest in the UFC and by extension MMA.
I wonder, however, if they will ever take a more direct role in international promotion and truly attempt to “be the sport” in a manner such as Shooto envisions. I think there are some merits to the concept of the UFC were to establish (international) regional promotions though which to funnel talent, ultimately bringing the best into the “main” UFC. Such as concept could certainly help establish consistent rules, fighting environments, pay scales, benefits, et al. Furthermore, it could ease the transition between the “big show” and lower level promotions—in both directions.
I don’t know that Affliction folding necessarily helps the process of growing the sport, but I wouldn’t argue that it hurts it either.
It ends in an armbar or a strangle regardless.
I believe the unified rules will be the de facto rules for all of MMA. The UFC follow the unified rules and they will bring that everywhere.
The reason I believe Affliction folding is good for the sport is the same reason I believe EliteXC folding is good for the sport. We need organizations that run themselves as businesses first and keep longevity a priority. Competition is only good when they stay around like Strikeforce. Otherwise, it only serves to divide the talent. The problem with Affliction was that they boost the payscale to an artificial unsupportable level. Guys like Sylvia got paid 800k for one fight and then are thrown to the curbs. His career is all but shot. Is that good for MMA? Is it good for the fighter? I think Affliction did far more bad than good in its short existence.
The division of talent is the # 1 reason I’m glad that Affliction is kaput.
They absolutely overpaid for fighters, and the root of that was in their complete miscalculation of how many PPV’s they could sell without the name value of the UFC (a problem compounded by their inability to market the PPV’s effectively, or indeed, even to stage their cards as planned). However, the fighters that accepted higher pay will simply have to accept lower pay again, if they want to keep fighting. Unfortunately one doesn’t always make more and more money indefinitely, and I think most of the fighters will be able to accept that fact. (Crazy Russians excepted, and even he should end up in the UFC eventually, orthodox god willing)
I think that promoting the unified rules is a very positive thing, but it is not a particularly striking way of growing the sport. Of course, the UFC is only obligated to grow itself, not the whole esoteric concept of a global combat sport, but I remain interested to see how the next stage of development proceeds.
It ends in an armbar or a strangle regardless.
Bringing up AA is the worst way to make a point for the supposed good that Affliction did, this guy pretty much ruined his mma career because he was chasing fool’s gold. I guess all that money is going to keep him warm at night when he’s going from b league or to b league or looking for a check the next couple of years.
The guy went from being a famous and popular UFC fighter to now being a punchline and the example of what happens when guys get sidetracked with bullshit instead of focusing on being the best fighter they could be.
Affliction deserves to be pissed on, they tried to bite the hand that fed them and have left a trail of dead bodies in their wake. From now on let their corpse be the example as to why you just can’t wake up one day and decide to run an mma org regardless of how much money you have.
by Raker on Jul 25, 2009 6:07 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Affliction isn't to blame for any of that.
so I do think it’s still a good example of what they can do for a fighter financially..
Arlovski only has himself to blame for beating KO’ed twice and as you said, reduced to being a “punchline”.. Not affliction. They gave him the opportunity to be the best in the world, and paid him handsomely in the process.. If that’s not good for AA, i don’t know what is..
by Anton Tabuena on Jul 25, 2009 6:44 AM EDT up reply actions
Did you know that Arlovski and Sylvia claim to fame was beating the crap out of each other? It’s true! They became champs because they beat each other for the belt. AA won the belt by beating Sylvia. Sylvia won the belt back by beating AA. Circular logic and the smoke and mirrors that were the UFC HW championship back in the days. You know who else AA beat during his “reign of terror?” Ian Freeman, Matuyshenko, Eilers, and Buentello.
Who did AA really beat in the UFC to become champ? No one during an era of feebleness.
Arlovski beat Sylvia, Buentello, & Eilers. Not exactly a memorable title run…. It’s kind of like making a big deal out of Pat Miletich being a former UFC Champion. That guy had some easy fights and then once the competition got better he started to lose (not to mention he was losing outside the UFC while champion).
by AlwaysRelaxing on Jul 25, 2009 10:26 AM EDT up reply actions
That is what UFC had!
Bash it all you want but that is all UFC had to give him. Mir was the only other noteworthy opponent and he was basically AWOL after the accident. Guess what, Mir is still UFC 3rd best HW so things aren’t even that much better today.
It will all come out… when it does everyone will see that at the end Fedor didnt even see 30% of the money paid primarily for his services.
Finkie takes a million dollars as a “consulting fee” every time Fedor fights.
These “journalists” you speak of say well since Fedor is a shareholder of M1 then its not so bad…
What fool is willing to place most of their money in one of the worst business ventures of the decade?
Even if M1 for some impossible reason does great… still doesnt mean shit.
I can give you 49% of a company that is currently doing around 6 million net net per annum of which I own 51% and if I wanted you wouldnt see a dime of it. There are a million ways to siphon that money out If i control the majority share.
This is highway robbery at its worst and these “journalists” you speak dont have a clue.
They are too busy worrying about Zuffa’s sponsorship policies which are the most lenient in major sports.
These wannabe “journalists” are too busy crying about Ken Pavia not getting credentials to go back stage.
by mmalogic on Jul 25, 2009 9:20 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Come on
I like you logic, you always make good arguments.
Still this Finkie thing is bullshit and future innuendo that prays upon people’s ignorance in knowing his dealings Fedor. You are equating (or confusing) Vadim’s position with Fedor with an intent to scam Fedor.
You are right, minority ownership interest comes with a hazard. However, I could very well speculate the same end scenario for Dana White and it doesn’t make it more true, likely or believable just a chance it’s plausible. Dana only owns 10% of the UFC. The Ferritas could kick his ass to the curb tomorrow with absolutely no parachute or compensation. I could also go on and on how Dana is getting fucked while he runs around the world building this organization. Meanwhile, the Ferritas collect the lion share of the profit for offering a bit of capitol and part time work. They use UFC’s notoriety to help themselves to their own Las Vegas dealings and take the money to pay for the massive Stations casino debt, which is a horrible business venture.
Also, this is what, the up-tenth time Zuffa has insinuated manager crookedness to the media when contract negotiations has stalled with a fighter? If only Tito and Randy didn’t represent themselves. It’s the same play over and over again. Through public channels try to force a wedge between the fighter and his manager in order for UFC to push the contract stipulations they want. You want me to bite on this line again?
They use UFC’s notoriety to help themselves to their own Las Vegas dealings and take the money to pay for the massive Stations casino debt, which is a horrible business venture.
This is just being dense and using different things to try and make an analogy that doesn’t work out.
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
and how does that come in to my argument?
the main point was Affliction paid guys like AA very well. Your opinion on him being a bad fighter or not doesn’t really relate to anything.
by Anton Tabuena on Jul 25, 2009 1:54 PM EDT up reply actions
I wasn’t trying to contradict you. I just thought I’d bring up the fact that Sylvia and Arlovski aren’t the best fighters in the world at heavyweight.
They were top ranked HW’s at the time they fought Fedor.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Jul 25, 2009 3:18 PM EDT up reply actions
Top ranked and best are really two different things. Michael’s article surprised me when he said there were people who thought Sylvia would beat Fedor because I don’t recall any.
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 25, 2009 3:42 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
There were a lot of people who thought Sylvia’s size would give Fedor problems. They were wrong.
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 25, 2009 5:41 PM EDT up reply actions
This is correct. Most of the fanboys were saying that Fedor was ducking Sylvia, the UFC HW champ at the time, and is the reason why he didn’t want to come over and fight in the UFC. Funny that this is all starting again, and no one recalls. =)
by MMASuPreMaCy on Jul 25, 2009 10:24 PM EDT up reply actions
You’re totally missing the point. He’s saying that if you look back on their track records, they haven’t fought and beat the best competition, so maybe they’re not who we thought they were. Not that they deteriorated before Fedor got to them. In fact, he didn’t mention Fedor at all.
"The reason a rabbit outruns a fox is because the rabbit is running for his life and the fox is running for his dinner."
I think Tim Silvia’s the bigger punchline. He’s pretty much ruined. At least Arlovski got 4 paydays out of it.
Again, that can’t be put on Affliction. His hubris with the Roy Mercer thing is what killed him.
Twitter: @Mike_Fagan_13
http://www.sackmikegoldberg.com
If by “hubris” you mean ginormous belly.
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 25, 2009 11:15 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Agreed. He left the UFC in the hopes that he’d be fighting more often while he was in his athletic prime. Hopes that his management fed him but haven’t been able to deliver on.
Who would have thought that Tim would last longer against Fedor than against Ray Mercer?
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 25, 2009 12:16 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions 1 recs
If he had lost to a good fighter and a raw fighter in the UFC in the same manner as he did outside of it, he would have far less money, and equally crappy reputation, and a pretty good chance of getting cut. The UFC doesn’t support every losing fighter.
It ends in an armbar or a strangle regardless.
yea, but had he been in the UFC...
he wouldn’t have been running around acting like a Boxer (getting KO’d by mixed martial artists), and the match making would have made far more sense… He would have been much more salvageable had he been in the UFC…
Rogers not so much...
He was SUPPOSED to win.. the fight was made so that Affliction was off the hook contractually… In effect, they stopped caring about Andrei when he lost to Fedor, and unloaded him onto Strikeforce…
That's the biggest Revisionist history piece of crap logic I've read
I’m convinced after reading this post there is never going to be any reason to read any of your comments ever again.
Affliction killed Arlovski’s career? Did you just type something up that you wanted to read because there is nothing remotely factual, true or thought worthy in your post. I suppose featuring him in bigger fights against Rothwell, Nelson, Fedor and Rogers compared to Werdum, Cruz and O’Brien while paying him 4 times more is career suicide.
Arlovski’s career isn’t even ruined. He’s forced to take a step back because of the Roger’s loss and that’s got nothing to do with Affliction or any promotion who would have put that fight together. If he had won that fight he’d be a hotter free agent but still in line for a major pay cut and likely trip back to Zuffa.
Also, Arlovski is the main reason he didn’t win that Rogers fight. He was so consumed with boxing that he took the Roger’s fight on a 10 day notice and stepped in the cage with Rogers knowing he was just going to use his Fedor game plan. Affliction did not put him up to it, he could have passed. Also, too much is being made of the Roger’s loss, it’s not fucking Ray Mercer. Everyone will quickly forget after his next win and Roger’s is so terrible he was everyone’s favorite to fight Fedor after Barnett.
I’m a big AA fan and follow his website. If anything that Roger’s loss might have saved the remainder of his career. He’s talked about taking his fighting style in a different direction and becoming a full time MMA fighter again. In the least, his Affliction experience gained him the most exposure and money during the prime of his career.
You can’t even blame Affliction for Tim, that’s all Tim (330lb lazy ass) and his trust for Monte Cox.
Part of the reason AA’s going back to MMA full time may have something to do with the fact that getting knocked out by Rogers fucked his pro debut up.
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 Derek Suboticki on Jul 26, 2009 1:29 AM EDT up reply actions
+1, I agree with everything posted in this article.
I can’t believe that Afflliction hung it up so quickly, throwing in the towel as a promoter and signing up to sponsor the UFC.
I like UFC fights, not so much a fan of their management. I was hoping that Affliction would be a fighter-friendly alternative.
Oh well, maybe we’ll finally see Fedor in the UFC. What I wouldn’t give to see that guy roll Lesnar.
I don’t know why people are coming up with this fighter friendly stuff.
They canceled the same amount of shows they had. At their first card they had to cancel a fight due to timing issues, screwing both fighters out of the opportunity for a win bonus, and leaving them to have to deal with their sponsors. At the second card they didn’t air a fight that was supposed to be aired on HDNet live, leaving Heiron and High to go deal with their sponsors.
They may have said they were going to be fighter friendly, but the reality is that they weren’t.
They may have said they were going to be fighter friendly, but the reality is that they weren’t.
How is that different from anything that the UFC did? At least Affliction actually had the balls to air undercard fights live, which is something the UFC will never do. Affliction did more for fighters than you’ll ever realize. Hell, they paid two fighters money for not even fighting. What other promotion has done that? Not the UFC. You have to realize that Affliction helped more fighters than it hurt. The UFC, while great, hasn’t helped more fighters than it has hurt. Some fighters actually will miss Affliction due to the different avenue it provided for them. Vitor Belfort made $340,000 during his run with Affliction. Tell me that didn’t revive his career. Tell me he won’t miss that.
For as much as people ragged on Affliction, it did more good than bad. People need to realize that.
D
Why is paying people who didn’t fight a good thing?
They didn’t get a chance to earn their win bonus. Then, afterwords, they had to go and explain to their sponsors why they took their money and then weren’t able to fight (if they even got the money from the sponsors before the fight).
They helped some people, it wasn’t all bad, but let’s not act like this is some great tragedy. They seemed very good in theory and talked an ok game, but reality was not anything near what people are picturing. I bet a lot of the lower/midcard fighters would have been better off if they just signed with UFC/WEC/or Strikeforce from the get go.
That’s just speculation. Why don’t you tell us how many of the lower/midcard fighters turned down UFC to go to Affliction?
We don’t know how many, but it’s pretty obvious that they would have been better off in Strikeforce or fighting on other smaller cards instead of getting jerked around for the entire year.
Everyone was excited to go to Affliction because they were going to “treat the fighters right” and have “non-exclusive contracts.” Meanwhile, in the real world, there’s a group of fighters who have had 2 fights canceled in 1 year.
What the hell are you talking about?
bq.The UFC, while great, hasn’t helped more fighters than it has hurt.
What short-sightedness. Where would the sport be without the UFC investing so heavily into it? They’re the ones building the sport. If the UFC didn’t exist, the fighters wouldn’t have this platform to compete in, let alone the opportunity to score these sort of paydays for their efforts.
Hell, they paid two fighters money for not even fighting. What other promotion has done that? Not the UFC.
Sorry, but this is a bit rich.
The UFC has never had to pay two fighters who didn’t fight because they haven’t messed up the timing of their card so badly that the fight can’t take place. I’m also almost certain that the UFC still pays fighters if their opponents pull out on such short notice that they can’t arrange a new opponent.
this goes back to what affliction tried to do airing the undercard. I love watching undercard fights, dont get me wrong, but leaving them unaired gives the UFC room to push a few of the early fights onto the broadcast if they have 2-3 quick finishes. Also, they can afford to put on a few clunker fights with untested guys…
And paying Little Nog $150,000 to fight on an undercard was ridiculous.
It’s a stupid point that was poorly researched by FlyByKnight. Yes the UFC would of paid the fighters in that situation too, hell they have before (even if it wasn’t their fault the fight was cancelled).
The scheduled preliminary bout between Tim Credeur and Cale Yarbrough was cancelled after Credeur tested positive for Adderall in a pre-fight drug test. Because Credeur alerted the NSAC of his use of the prescription drug no disciplinary action was taken and both fighters received their $8,000 base pay.This was when Credeur screwed up and didn’t stop taking his prescription in time for it to clear his system before the fight, not only did they both get paid they also had the match rescheduled so they got to fight soon after that. Not only did they UFC go beyond what Affliction did it wasn’t even the UFC’s fault that that fight was cancelled to start with. Affliction didn’t do anything special in paying guys that got pulled from the card last minute they just paid the guys as they were required to by the athletic commission.
by who me on Jul 25, 2009 11:18 AM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Fairly certain the UFC paid Yoshida’s salary after Karo dropped out the day before UFC 94.
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
That wasn’t 94, Karo fought Stun Gun at 94.
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 25, 2009 12:19 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
But, for the record, he did fuck up the fight at 94.
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 25, 2009 1:09 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Your organizational bias is showing.
At least Affliction actually had the balls to air undercard fights live, which is something the UFC will never doAffliction sold the broadcast rights to some of the undercard fights to a network to up their own finacial stream and to help promote the main card. It wasn’t some kind of wonderful thing they did for the fans it was a way to try to get a bit more money out of it. Undercard fights are there to fill out a card if it runs short on PPV, they exist so people who pay for the fights don’t get a short PPV if the card runs too fast. The UFC won’t show them for free because that could screw them if a PPV runs short (which is the reason there is a undercard to start with).
Hell, they paid two fighters money for not even fighting. What other promotion has done that? Not the UFC.Actually yes all promotions have to do that if they cancel a fight last minute, the UFC has done it before too. Not sure why you are giving Affliction credit for something they are required to do by the Athletic Commissions?
You have to realize that Affliction helped more fighters than it hurt. The UFC, while great, hasn’t helped more fighters than it has hurtAffliction only had 22 fighters on their roster and only a handful of those guys were the overpaid superstars. Affiction was only around for one year and cancelled 2 events that left lots of fighters in the lurch, they cancelled as many fights as they actually held. Yes they really paid silly money to guys like Arlovski but Jay Heiron was under contract with them for close to a year, fought once and had two fights cancelled out from under him.
Some fighters actually will miss Affliction due to the different avenue it provided for them. Vitor Belfort made $340,000 during his run with Affliction. Tell me that didn’t revive his career. Tell me he won’t miss that.Yes some fighters made some good pay (and some made some seriously crazy pay), of course guys like Vitor are going to get fights regardless because of his name. It’s the little guys that were depending on Affliction for fights that got screwed here. Lets not act like they were some glorious saviour for the sport because they weren’t they were just another promotion giving the sport a shot. Their affect on the sport and the fighters was a mixed bag.
by who me on Jul 25, 2009 11:41 AM EDT up reply actions 6 recs
This
Isn’t true. The UFC has in some cases paid fighters if last minute cancellations occur. UFC 58, Diego Sanchez pulled out of a fight with John Alessio. UFC still paid John Alessio his fight purse.
And how does Affliction do more good than bad for the fighers if they cancel two shows in which many fighters were looking to get paid?
by filipinomix2oo0 on Jul 25, 2009 1:37 PM EDT up reply actions
absolutely the truth...
Someone else said something I agree with: while Affliction was paying a few fighters way too much, the UFC was getting sanctioning done across the world, Giving new fighters from across the world opportunities to fight in the UFC and build their name recognition, as well as creating up and coming stars, that we will see fight CONSISTENTLY…. (not to mention the video game, the free programming, etc)
Affliction cancelled as many fights as they put on, with VERY little impact in regards to actual rankings (outside of their exaggerated impact on the HW division). Also with also this grandiose talk of co-promotion and the like what HUGE matches did we get? Sylvia vs. Fedor happened cuz the UFC let Tim leave (instead of holding him up like they did AA) after he had already lost to Randy, looked boring against AA and Vera, and then lost to Nog… Let’s also not forget Tim Sylvia’s perception as an overrated “UFC” HW until, of course, he’s fighting Fedor…. smh. Affliction has done so little to actually help the sport legitimately, that I’m almost bewildered at this crap people are saying… I mean in the grand scheme what did they do?
No serious fan believes this...
Wow. I love the, “if you don’t agree with me then you’re not a real fan” statement.
I'm the kind of girl who loves to watch a GOOD fight!
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by funnytiger on Jul 25, 2009 9:12 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
It’s disgusting how often that shit gets thrown around.
"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 25, 2009 10:43 AM EDT up reply actions
Good article, except it misses one major point:
Affliction screwed with fighters on two occassions by postponing or cancelling a show. This directly hurt their wallets. And that is about the worst thing a promoter can do to a fighter. For that reason, it is nice to see Affliction go.
I won’t go as far as saying it’s good that their gone, but I agree that leaving the fighters out in the cold twice is really bad. Hopefully they can work on rescheduling some of these undercard fights for other promotions this month and offer to make it up with sponsorships or or still pay most/all of their purse.
It won’t badly impact some of the fighters who were being paid way above market value, but it’s hard to believe that fighters like Hieron and Hominick weren’t counting on this paycheck and exposure.
One semi-nice thing that Affliction did is that they aren’t dragging this business out like EliteXc.
Keep firing Assholes!
Thanks to Bisping's reenactment of the Battle of Cowpens, walla walla walla I'm an idiot.
That’s jumping the gun. We have yet to see how this unravels.
"The reason a rabbit outruns a fox is because the rabbit is running for his life and the fox is running for his dinner."
by Blackout612 on Jul 25, 2009 12:22 PM EDT up reply actions
LOL
I honestly thought for 2 seconds when I saw the poster that they had brought back Tim Sylvia to fight Fedor and save the card. All these thoughts were spinning in my head during that 2 seconds like “Really? That’s the best they could do?” But at the same time, I was thinking that it was worth having that embarassing main event just to save the rest of the card. Oh well!
I must disagree.
I usually agree 100% with Michael “Jim” Rome but on this one i think he may be missing a key point. The fact is their is not a market for fighters whom the general public has never heard of to make the kind of money Affliction was paying them. Their is no debate that the Affliction payscale was a great thing for the likes of those fighters receiving the huge inflated paychecks, but ultimately it was unsustainable. Andre cashed in and i am happy for him but the idea that he “deserved” or earned that type of money is ludacris. As for the renewed interest in fighters, that is a double edged sword, for every Vitor their is a Lindland so in the end i would say that is a wash. I always here ultimate fighting fans rail against the UFC for the amount they pay their lesser known fighters but in the end they are being paid what the market(not Affliction) will bare.
Bloody Elbow Pound-for-Pound the Best in Ultimate Fighting (UFC) Commentary, News and Community
Yea...
I mean I have no problem with the guys taking the money, but to act as if Affliction improved anything in the grand scheme of things for the fighters, I disagree…
They improved things for a very small handful of fighters, for everyone else they did nothing of any consequence.
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 25, 2009 2:20 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
They did this to themselves
Really only the hardcore MMA fans know who Fedor is…. And you can’t run a fight promotion based on one person… Even if he is the best in the World…..
I was a HUGE Pride fan…. But they screwed themselves too…..
I agree with an earlier post, we have Strike Force and Bellator which are better run organizations….
This thing was DOOMED from the moment it was created….. Spilled milk IMO…. Maybe I am just crabby I haven’t had my coffee… But I am numb on this
Affliction vs Large American Company
Fighters getting over paid is the same as the board members raping a companies war chest. So by most of the logic posted here: good for the business men who got $150 million to help run a business into the ground. The companies who went broke helped the businessmen, their families.
All parties involved share the blame for the death of Affliction. If the fighter (Silvia,AA, etc) all put on incredible shows, Affliction might still be around. If Timmeh had gone 3-4 rounds in a war they (Affliction) would have a product to sell. Same with Arlovski.
Look at the fighters who showed and produced (Fedor, Belfort, even Barnett before getting busted) all were coveted by the UFC. The were carrying the PPV water for Affliction. If Tom had started with salaries about 50% and tied the rest to PPV buys he would still be around.
Let’s also remember that about 75% of the fighters who got big paydays from Affliction got them because they had built their name IN THE UFC.
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 25, 2009 11:36 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
It seems that there is just as many people trying to overglorify what Affliction accomplished as there are people bashing them. Lets face facts their impact on the sport was definatly a mixed bag. Their accomplishments should be recognized but things shouldn’t be cherry coated either. They never were some saviour of MMA they were just an org that was only able to present two shows in a year of existance and then failed.
Any organization that pays Tim Sylvia almost $1 Million for a fight
deserves to be shot, raped, and buried.
So long Affliction!
Yesterday was a great day in MMA.
In that order?
I'm the kind of girl who loves to watch a GOOD fight!
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by funnytiger on Jul 25, 2009 12:52 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Sylvia shot them, Barnett raped them and Dana buried them.
"The reason a rabbit outruns a fox is because the rabbit is running for his life and the fox is running for his dinner."
by Blackout612 on Jul 25, 2009 1:41 PM EDT up reply actions 4 recs
^this
LOL
I'm the kind of girl who loves to watch a GOOD fight!
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Join the DC Area UFC Meetup Group
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I’ll miss the ring, which I like a little bit better than the cage. There’s less clinching and less room to circle away. Kalib couldn’t have run the way he did in a ring, he’d have had to have fought.
I’m grateful for affliction and I wish they didn’t go under. I was looking forward to 4-6 shows a year from them. Ultimately they started out too quickly with too large a payroll. The UFC’s slow gradual growth is the key difference.
I completely disagree
with the ring over a cage, if anything I think it hinders a fight. Example, how many times have we witnessed a fighter basically get pinned under a rope while someone feeds them shots. So a fighter now has to fight a person and an inanimate object at the same time. Before you respond, I have watched fights that the ref didn’t stop and pull them out from that position. I’ve seen fights ended this way, which is total bullshit in my opinion.
Did you see how fucking big that ring was? Kalib would still be running if the fight had been in there.
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 25, 2009 3:46 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
The only MMA promotion I was happy to see go away was Elite XC. I love MMA and I want as many opportunities to experience it as possible. I don’t care if it is in a ring or a cage. I rarely agree with Mr. Rome but this time I am in total agreement with him.
"Stop smiling you are about to be punched in the face !"
Strikeforce, MFC, DEEP, Shooto, UFC, Sengoku, WEC, DREAM, local shows, etc… There is no shortage of MMA on your TV, in your gyms/venues, on the internet and in the world, and the idea that a promotion that cancelled two of their four shows (ultimately only holding holding two cards) is robbing us of precious MMA programming is inverse. These fighters can now go and fight four times a year. That means more MMA— not less.
"The reason a rabbit outruns a fox is because the rabbit is running for his life and the fox is running for his dinner."
I wouldnt be so bearish on the Fedor signing…
Fedor as a free agent there are no suitors currently in the industry that can afford him and in this economy there aren’t too many shleps willing to risk millions with his track record.
Now there’s one more thing that makes the situation alot more interesting: FEDOR ISNT A FREE AGENT.
Affliction has Fedor on a WORLDWIDE EXCLUSIVE CONTRACT with 1 remaining fight… Pride didnt even have this when Zuffa took control.
Fedor aint doing shit for a while unless Zuffa says so.
by mmalogic on Jul 25, 2009 4:42 PM EDT reply actions 3 recs
Add to this the fact that Finkie bankrolls M-1 global by stealing from Fedor and you have a recipe to put the ruskie on his knees.
Finkie was expecting some payments in the coming weeks LOL.
Not only will he not be getting those payments but he also cant Job Fedor out to make for it… unless he spends 6 months to a year plus in court. CHECK FUCKIN MATE.
by mmalogic on Jul 25, 2009 4:51 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
Well well well Mister Fedro, you wanna be a f*cken’ fighter?
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
by iiowyn on Jul 25, 2009 5:03 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
LOL….
The entire dymanic of the situation would of have been very different of Affliction would have put on the third show…
Affliction would have still went out of the promoting business – but the dynamic of Zuffa’s negotiations with the fighters would be entirely different.
by mmalogic on Jul 25, 2009 5:07 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
Which might be the only reason Zuffa did this. I doubt Dana actually wanted to see Affliction clothing back in the octagon.
Some people might say that winning a fight makes you a better fighter but I don’t agree with that.- BlueberryMuffin
Now ever time he sees it he thinks back and goes:
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
Well, he must not really hate them THAT much
Some people might say that winning a fight makes you a better fighter but I don’t agree with that.- BlueberryMuffin
Dana White's Limbo Party!
How long can Fedor sit out?
Some people might say that winning a fight makes you a better fighter but I don’t agree with that.- BlueberryMuffin
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