Bloody Elbow: An SB Nation Community

Navigation: Jump to content areas:



Sports blogs for fans, by fans.
Around SBN: NHL Free Agency Coverage: NHL Rumors, NHL Signings & Trades


Josh Barnett Offers Advice to Would-Be MMA Promoters

Sounds like spot-on analysis to me:

Affliction is a new organization coming up, and World Victory Road is a relatively new organization. Should new organizations even think about competing with the UFC?

No, they shouldn't. They can't operate within a vacuum, because what every promotion does, even to a small extent, is going to affect them, but they can't worry about competing with UFC.

They have to try and make sure that:

a) They can put together a great product, in a fashion that is going to draw people to watch it and is available for people to watch it.

b) All their i's are dotted and all their t's are crossed, and everything is laid out and set up, so that someone like UFC couldn't come along and try and find some way to throw a wrench into it, hijack it, challenge it by running programming against it or just simply going behind the scenes to whoever and making a few handshakes, and (say), "Hey, make sure this thing doesn't go off."

You've worked with many promoters in your career. Why is it so hard for new organizations to get traction?

They don't secure the viewership first and basically they just spend way too much right off the bat.

Of course, you're going to lose money when you start, but some of these guys, I think they come in not with the understanding of how long it's going to take them to recoup that investment, and they don't have a nest egg that's large enough to hang in there, especially at the level they're trying to do it at.

0 recs | Comment 2 comments

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

Display:

Re: Josh Barnett Offers Advice to Would-Be MMA Pro
"They don't secure the viewership first and basically they just spend way too much right off the bat."

Isn't that sort of what Affliction is doing with a reported 6 million dollar purse?  Sounds kind of steep for rookies in the fight promotion business.

by pud333 on May 13, 2008 1:16 PM EDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Comments For This Post Are Closed


User Tools

"All men are frauds. The only difference between them is that some admit it. I myself deny it." -- H.L. Mencken
Start posting on Bloody Elbow »

Join SB Nation and dive into communities focused on all your favorite teams.

FanPosts

Community blog posts and discussion.

Recommended FanPosts

Stpierre_472917a_small
The Official UFC 100 Bloody Elbow Meet-up Thread
Chainlink_small
Quiet Before the Storm: St. Pierre-Alves
Tapout-girl_small
Unofficial BE Welterweight Grand Prix (Updated) Second Round
Bob_sapp__potato_head_small
Tito Ortiz Is Full Of S--t
Ebola_small
Brand Loyalty?

Recent FanPosts

Weo_animation2_small
Mixed Martial Artwork: Bruce Buffer
Nielson_small
Rampage vs. Rashad Evans to Headline UFC 107; UFC 108 Scheduled for January 2nd in Las Vegas
Rampage_eyesfront_small
The Nod - who from BE is heading to UFC 100 & the Fan Expo?
S33103564_30985519_9332_small
Will we see the "Buffer 360" at UFC 100?
U-faber_small
UFC Makes CroCop "Offer He Can't Refuse"?
Small
Spencer Fisher Headed to the WEC?
Weo_animation2_small
BloodyElbow FunnyBone Contest VIII: Yoshihiro Akiyama Results
Small
My UFC 100 Betting picks

Post_icon New FanPost All FanPosts Carrot-mini

MMA Rankings

USA Today / SB Nation Consensus MMA Rankings