Irrational Exuberance and Harsh Realities

by Kid Nate on Oct 8, 2007 11:24 AM EDT in News

411 Mania has a piece by Leland Roling purporting to analyze the UFC's expansion prospects into new TV channels and the Asian market. There is a lot of speculation in the piece but frankly it smacks to me of wishful thinking. Call me when the deals are done, not when Dana starts talking smack about them.

A possible deal with ESPN may be in the works that would help the UFC gain advertising dollars and some of the MMA companies sponsoring fighters will receive more exposure as well. That would essentially make the MMA community richer. Add in the possibility of a HBO deal getting done later and some truth to the rumor that the UFC may be moving into Japan, we could see Zuffa become a huge international presence in the MMA world in the coming year.

Meanwhile, here's a harsh bit of reality from the cancelled Cage Fury Fighting Championships that cost us the long-awaited Kimbo vs Tank match. They had an investor flake on them at the last minute. Ouch! I've said it before, I'll say it again, pimping ain't easy!

He had pledged approximately $800,000 while Cage Fury had invested approximately $2.2 million.

"According to the promoter (Martinez), the investor did not make the required deposit on Monday and played with (Martinez and his company) until Thursday," Lembo said Friday. "Eventually, it got to the point where Felix and his wife (Amy, who is vice-president of Cage Fury) couldn't afford to risk it."

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Re: Irrational Exuberance and Harsh Realities

It's definitely a speculative piece. It's more analytical of the rumors and possibilities that the UFC have right now than actual facts. Most of us have been hearing the rumors, I thought it'd be nice to do a little analysis on that.

by Leland Roling on Oct 8, 2007 12:26 PM EDT 0 recs

Re: Irrational Exuberance and Harsh Realities

Didn't mean to trash your piece, just feeling critical of Dana's moves lately. He's done an amazing job at bringing the UFC to its current amazing success but he's definitely stalled in trying to reach that nes' level.

by Kid Nate on Oct 8, 2007 2:07 PM EDT up 0 recs

Re: Irrational Exuberance and Harsh Realities

No worries, my pieces easily get mistaken as factual as well as speculative. Fact is, the rumors are more interesting than what may actually happen in the Japanese market. I think the article is wishful thinking, but from what I've heard out of Japan, they have some type of huge deal in the works. Whether or not it will actually pan out is a completely different point.

From the sound of it, Fedor will be signing with M-1 as Josh Gross also confirmed that a new organization has the money to go global and use Fedor as a springboard. With that said, White's comments about how Fedor was going to be inevitably in the UFC are seemingly beginning to wear thin with the MMA fans. It makes me wonder about other promises he's stated. I haven't heard anything directly from Dana about the Japanese market, but Fertitta has talked about the WOWOW deal being redone, etc. It's all speculation and rumor, but I guess we'll see if Zuffa has the resources to get a deal done. It'll be interesting to see what happens with their marketing, advertising, and vision of an organization there, especially when the culture loves spectacle over practical matchups.

by Leland Roling on Oct 8, 2007 2:34 PM EDT 0 recs