(I AM INVICIBL-OH SHIT!)
The UFC’s ongoing war against dirty, no-good, PPV-stealing scoundrels wages on, Nation. Following a promise by Zuffa Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer Kirk Hendrick to “pursue the people who don’t want to pay for the goods and services they receive” earlier this year, the UFC has taken action against it’s first major target. His name is Steven A. Messina, a 27-year-old man who lives with his mom and dad in Great Kills, NY, and the UFC’s lawsuit against him is seeking a cool…32 MILLION DOLLARS. (My reaction)
While that figure is absolutely batsh*t bonkers crazypants, just wait until you hear how Messina got caught (via the NY Times):
UFC officials took note of Messina after he became increasingly cocky about his growing online status and referred to himself as the “Provider of Best MMA & Boxing rips online!,” the suit states.
He asked viewers to “Help Me Cap PPV!” through his PayPal account, called “MMA Capping Fund!,” according to the court papers, which allege he was trying to become the king of PPV pirates online.
He and his cohorts “are intent on becoming the most well known pirates and infringers on the internet by making their mark on the major torrent websites available on the internet,” the suit states.
In total, Messina uploaded 141 UFC pay-per-views through various pirating sites, and at around $320,000 a pop ($150,000 for each act of infringement, up to $110,000 for each illegal use of UFC content, up to $60,000 for intercepting UFC content), it looks like someone is about to be passed around the federal penitentiary ’till a brother can’t tell his fart from a yawn, if you know what I’m saying. But hey, at least he’ll be out of his parents house!
The lesson here is the same one we learned in the case of Homer Moore: If you get away with something illegal, maybe keep it to yourself for a while. Or forever. Seems simple, right?