Comments on: 5 Oz. Exclusive: Part II of interview with ProElite Chairman Chuck Champion

By: Andrew Chitko

Andrew Chitko — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:30:09 +0000

Champion knows that the key to any business is gaining loyalty. He knows how to do that by surrounding himself with the best people possible that have all the knowledge in the areas he does not. Did you guys read the article? This guy is going to give it to you straight AND NOT make something up in order to make himself look better. He also knows how to stretch the dollar and will tighten the belt in big ways if necessary.

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By: Andrew Chitko

Andrew Chitko — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:27:54 +0000

I know nothing about MMA. I am not a fan. I ended up at this site to read the interview with Chuck Champion because I worked for him when he was the CEO at Youbet.com. This was several years ago so he was the new CEO. The new CEO that knew absolutely nothing about horse racing. The new CEO that knew nothing about the Internet or Internet wagering. The new CEO that didn’t blow smoke up your ass when he didn’t know all the answers.

Do some research and see what Champion did to turn Youbet around and you might get some confidence. Then look what he did before that in the newspaper business.

You may want to bet against this organization or have some criticisms about their chances, but all I can say is whether Champion has the passion or the knowledge of the sport or not, HE IS A TURNAROUND SPECIALIST. He’s gained a reputation of taking the reins at companies that are not dominating the market share, and making them contenders and in some case market leaders. Newspaper subscriptions, Youbet.com subscriptions, and now MMA.

Champion knows that the key to any business is gaining loyalty. He knows how to do that by surrounding himself with the best people possible that have all the knowledge in the areas he does not. Did you guys read the article? This guy is going to give it to you straight or make something up in order to make himself look better. He also knows how to stretch the dollar and will tighten the belt in big ways if necessary.

This company is in excellent hands.

Also….as I said I’m not a fan…not at all. The only fighters I know are Chuck Lidell and KIMBO SLICE. Kimbo Slice might not be a tremendous MMA fighter, but he’s a star and there’s no question about him being a draw.

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By: Mike Wolfe

Mike Wolfe — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 17:45:04 +0000

Joe the Lawyer:
Maybe Champion wouldn’t have answered the question, but it should have been asked. Sometimes an evasive non-answer tells you something, too.

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By: William W.

William W. — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 15:05:58 +0000

Great stuff. Thanks for that Sam. Any chance you could ever interview EliteXC’s matchmakers? That would be an interesting view into that area of the MMA world.

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By: Joe Lawyer

Joe Lawyer — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 20:37:12 +0000

to Mike Wolfe–you ask the right question (rhetorically) –how much money do they have for new talent and future fights but you don’t want to give Mr. Champion an opportunity to provide an answer. That’s his job as top management–to raise the necessary funding.

If you thought he’d give you specifics in this (terrific) interview, you don’t understand the process. Whatever his plans are in that regard, he’s not going to spell them out in a public interview. We’ll just have to wait and watch.

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By: Cathedron

Cathedron — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 18:29:17 +0000

To Wolfe: Kimbo’s not a star? Seems to me that everyone was watching his last fight and he’s got about as many casual fans as the biggest fighters in the UFC. He may not be much of a fighter, but he does have drawing power. Hell, even us hardcores want to watch him fight (if only to see him lose). As for Gina Carrano, she might be overhyped, but lots of casual fans know who she is and she’s a decent enough fighter that EXC won’t have to keep throwing dead bodies at her to pad her record (unlike Kimbo).

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By: stevefiji

stevefiji — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 08:51:21 +0000

A wise man once told me, if you run a business against a monopoly you will ALWAYS get at least 10% market share even if your product sucks just because the other guys has pissed off some people, some maybe fairly, some maybe irrationally.

This is Elite’s only chance. stay small and humble, keep costs down, take it to a different level… have a few truly different rules that work (like the old ABA with the red, white and blue ball, the 3 pointer,etc) and just ride it out until you get a cult following. If they try to go PPV with their superstars, that will be the first and last PPV they will ever do.

Mr Champion better have more up he sleeve than what he has suggested or his on a fast track to the IFL Zone. CBS will NOT show deep pockets on this… all they need to do is see how much Elite has put in and lost and they will say to themselves… this is obviously not a road map to success and we have no one who has the skill set to run this… they’ll then wish good luck to the UFC and tell them “call us if you wanna expand to a major network”

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By: mike wolfe

mike wolfe — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 05:34:02 +0000

This guy did nothing but blow sunshine up your skirt, Sam. Who does he perceive to be the “superstars” or “stars” in his org.? I don’t mean to disrespect anybody, but there’s no way they have a “superstar” in their org. How much money do they have for new talent and future fights? How much are they willing to lose before they shut it down? 30 mill? 40 mill? Do they think they can spend less than UFC did in the start up phase and still be competitive? Do they have to hit specific numbers to keep their network deal? How long before the network cuts them off? What is the plan, specifically, for competing with UFC and WEC? Lotsa glib bs and no specifics.

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By: Cathedron

Cathedron — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 05:12:48 +0000

I’m not buying it when he says that CBS is just a “partnership”. It might be for now, but CBS is positioned to get more and more of the company with every show they put on TV. However, I don’t think that’s a bad thing. UFC wouldn’t have survived without Zuffa’s deep pockets. CBS gives EliteXC a similar advantage (to a degree) which allows them to do things like getting big name fighters. EliteXC needs someone with more experience than Kimbo. There’s only so many cans you can throw at a newbie like Kimbo before the mistique wears off. Most of the casual fans that I know (ya know, the ones who believe Kimbo could beat Liddell and Fedor at the same time) were disappointed by his last fight.

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By: Panama

Panama — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 05:02:09 +0000

I actually enjoyed the interview and I’ll be rooting for EliteXC. I wish Sam Caplan would have asked about the partnership between EliteXC and DREAM and how is that going to unfold. I think that EliteXC can use DREAM to enter the Japanese market and vice versa.

Is Champion going to be the new front man face of EliteXC since Gary resigned?

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