yers and agreed to more favorable contracts with other mixed martial arts companies, the popularity of fighters competing in organizations other than the UFC has increased, and discussions between mixed martial arts corporations and mainstream television networks regarding future commitments have occurred, all of which are examples of the recent positive effects this deal has had on the sport.On March 28th the former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia (pictured on the right) and former International Fight League heavyweight contender Ben Rothwell elected to leave their previous employers (the UFC and IFL) and sign contracts with Adrenaline MMA. Adrenaline MMA is a unique organization that allows its fighters to compete in events promoted by other groups, presenting marquis fighters with the opportunities to experience financial success and compete against the best fighters in the world. These two advantages brought forth by Adrenaline MMA would entice many fighters to join and, as a result, the fighters are gaining some negotiation leverage with mixed martial arts companies, especially the UFC, when discussing future contracts. Because two popular fighters have decided to fight for different associations in 2008 all employers are forced to listen to the demands of the fighters in order to prevent them from joining their competitors, resulting in propitious contracts, higher salaries, and improved fighter treatment and accommodations.
Since February 28th the popularity of fighters that do not compete in the UFC has grown and been recognized by many fans and followers of mixed martial arts. On March 29th Frank Shamrock, mixed martial arts pioneer and legend, fought Cung Le in San Jose, California for the StrikeForce (owned by ProElite, Inc.) middleweight championship. At the conclusion of the epic night Shamrock lost his title as StikeForce champion to Le as the underdog was able to score a technical knock out over the favored champion after the three captivating rounds, but more surprising were the numbers processed after all the fans and fighters had returned to their homes. When all was said and done the event made ProElite, Inc. over $1.1 million in ticket sales from the 16,326 fans that were in attendance, numbers that provide a valuable representation of the growth in popularity the EliteXC and StrikeForce companies and their fighters are undergoing. Those that watched the event were also able to see a center cage interview of the emerging mixed martial arts superstar Kevin Fergusen (pictured on the left), better known as "Kimbo Slice", who will be featured in the free EliteXC event on May 31st. Slice was made famous by his paid, winner take all street fights (found
on youtube) and is known for his vicious knock out power and strong chin (meaning it is difficult to knock him out), but the street fighting legend chose to try his hand in mixed martial arts, with the help of coach Bas Rutten, in hope of gaining popularity, competing against the best fighters in the world, and increasing his profits. The decision has led to personal success for Slice (he earned $175,000 for his last fight), but the addition of a household name to the EliteXC heavyweight division to go along with the stellar fights with intriguing background stories like Shamrock vs. Le has developed a great interest in the both ProElite, Inc. companies. The popularity of these fighters, the entertaining and exciting events, and the growing interest in EliteXC and StrikeForce could result in tremendous ratings for the CBS events, which would solidify the organization as a legitimate contender to the UFC.Perhaps the greatest repercussion of the deal made between CBS and ProElie, Inc. would be the discussions occurring between mixed martial arts companies and major broadcast television networks concerning deals that will bring the sport to mainstream television. It was rumored that National Broadcasting Company (NBC) and StrikeForce were discussing an agreement that involved airing mixed martial arts events in 2007 and early 2008. The rumors were put to rest on March 27th when both companies announced that, beginning on April 12th, NBC will air a weekly 30 minute show from 2:00-2:30 A.M. E.T. on Saturday nights featuring previously recorded fights and fighter profiles. Though these fights will not be live, the exposure the sport will receive and the recognition the SrikeForce fighters will experience will no doubt be positive and aid StrikeForce as an organization and mixed martial arts as a sport, because the more popular and familiar fans become with StrikeForce and its fighters, the more the mixed martial arts will grow as a sport and as a business.
1 comments:
First off I would like to applaud you for this very interesting post on the up and coming sport of mix martial arts. As a person that is interested in the sport but does not get the chance to watch it as much as I would like, it would definitely be a lot easy for me to catch the fights if they are on mainstream television networks. It is interesting how you stated that other companies are beginning to compete with the monopoly of UFC, because as far as I could tell they have controlled the sport almost completely. I think it is good for the sport that this is happening and the fact that fighters are joining companies that will allow them to diversify and have the chance to make more money. As you said the strickeforce championship which showed one of the greatest fighters of all time being Ken Shamrock generated over a million dollars in ticket revenues. This obviously points out the trend that is changing and along with the fact of movement of fighters between leagues and companies. I know you are a fighter and do you think that one day mix martial arts could compete with the 3 mainstream sports of America being: baseball, football, and basketball? Furthermore do you think that this will increase the fan base ten fold that has already started to expand over the last 2 years? The only thing I would suggest is to maybe give your perspective as a fighter about how UFC is going to address this issue of losing some top fighters to other leagues and the growth of the other leagues. Besides that you have a very insightful and interesting post.
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