Comments on: 5 Oz. Feature: Breaking down the post-weekend MMA television landscape

By: mike wolfe

mike wolfe — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 17:12:27 +0000

#22

Yep. Didn’t see the press conference, so I didn’t hear the comments or the context in which they were made. Still doesn’t prove White was biased against Shogun, imo. White has a habit of answering questions in a straightforward and impolitic way, and he could make such a statement without having any dislike for Shogun.

By: Terrence Johnson

Terrence Johnson — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 07:42:15 +0000

“That was a pretty exciting fight, and Forrest’s win was perceived as an upset. Maybe they were caught up in the moment rather than showing bias against Shogun. Frankly, if two guys who spend their lives in MMA didn’t show some enthusiasm, I’d wonder more about that than the cheering.”

Did you miss the post-show comments from Dana about how overrated Pride fighters are?

By: Steve Barry

Steve Barry — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 04:19:37 +0000

Sam,

With Donald Trump’s stake in Affliction, what do you think about a deal with Affliction and NBC?

Donald obviously has solid ties with them from The Apprentice. I would think he would be using his influence with them to try and strike a deal. I assume NBC would want to see the quality of Affliction’s first show before doing anything with them, but if the show goes well, I think Affliction backed by Trump would be appealing to NBC.

Plus, Trump has a giant track record of success in nearly everything he does and has already produced a successful show on their network, so I would think NBC would feel more confident in him than perhaps someone they haven’t worked with before.

Affliction obviously has to get on TV somewhere to survive, and Trump doesn’t strike me as the kind of guy to settle for anything less than the biggest stage.

Sure, NBC may move forward with Strikeforce, but who’s to say they can’t feature more than one promotion on their network.

Great article, btw.

By: Kogepan

Kogepan — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 03:45:15 +0000

Yeh, I don’t understand why Dana is so down on the EliteXC show, he should be EXCITED that the circus atmosphere and MMA-neophyte in Kimbo Slice could somehow garner 6.51 million. He should be able to easily sell the UFC brand + more well known fighters such as BJ/GSP etc to another network for a MUCH higher price because of what EliteXC did last weekend.

As for CBS/EliteXC, I really liked the show they put on from an entertainment prespective. The first 20 minutes and especially the Shamrock MMA instructional video were really good. GUS Johnson = REALLy Good, he’s easily a step above the Goldberg/ranallo types. The second show they put on will be even more important to see if they can maintain or increase the 6.51.

By: Trsigley

Trsigley — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 23:05:04 +0000

To me Gary Shaw is a straight up Promoter, like a Don King. I see Dana (Even though he irratates the crap out of me) as more of a commisioner like Goddell or Fehr. Let the UFC nuthugger comments commence.

By: Mike Wolfe

Mike Wolfe — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 20:36:17 +0000

#17

That was a pretty exciting fight, and Forrest’s win was perceived as an upset. Maybe they were caught up in the moment rather than showing bias against Shogun. Frankly, if two guys who spend their lives in MMA didn’t show some enthusiasm, I’d wonder more about that than the cheering.

By: Terrence Johnson

Terrence Johnson — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 20:15:25 +0000

Dana and Joe Silva were jumping up and down and celebrating like little schoolgirls at ringisde where everyone could see them after Forrest beat Shogun. They are far from objective in their public appearances.

By: Ross

Ross — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 18:49:05 +0000

WOW! one of your best articles.

“My prediction is that a year from now that ProElite will be out of the MMA business and SHOWTIME and CBS will be the primary owners of EliteXC”

I love your integrity- I believe you are also employed/sub contracted by pro elite, so that is a bold prediction. Hope you get no backlash. I love how you dont bow down to any promotion unlike some other journalist. (Im talking to you Kevin, you know who you are.)

By: Mike Wolfe

Mike Wolfe — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 18:10:19 +0000

A network deal would help UFC, obviously, but it shouldn’t relinquish control. Sam’s article alludes to one of the problems with networks: they take a successful show and try to copy it again and again. The knock-offs are usually unsuccessful and inferior, and the audience tires of them and the original because they are perceived as formulaic and cliche. Elite’s flashiness and theatrics aren’t a substitute for quality fights, and UFC knows it. Uninitiated networks executives don’t, and may assume that all they need is a light show, some dancers, a few burly buys, and some over amplified music. If that becomes the formula for network MMA, die-hard fans will be angry and new fans may lose interest.

By: jaydog

jaydog — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 18:00:57 +0000

Ruined it? Ruined what? I’m really curious what it is that hardcore fans are seeking to preserve. Is it the integrity of the sport or is it some kind of special fan status as a first, pre-TUF/pre-Kimbo/pre-Pride acquisition. There are so many places to draw the line. Where does it end? Who is allowed into the club? When did you let go of the Gracies as the model of fighting perfection? There is no perfect possessor of the appreciation of the sport. People are drawn to different aspects of combat sports for different reasons and those tastes have a pretty quick learning curve. I’m excited to see people learning about the sport. If they’re really interested, they’ll get more educated about it through repeated exposure. I think that most of us have something important in common with all of the new MMA fans. We like free fight cards.