Behind most great fighters are great managers, but who are the best in the business today?
That question opened up a recent online spat between two of the biggest names in the professional world of MMA and pro wrestling, as super-agents Malki Kawa and Paul Heyman went after each other online via Twitter this Thursday.
Kawa started things off with a single shot at Heyman, leading the former ECW (Extreme Championship Wrestling) owner to respond in kind:
Malki Kawa > Paul heyman — malki kawa (@malkikawa) May 30, 2013
Today I RT’d @malkikawa because when @jonnybones and @thefrankmir‘s agent compares himself to me, I find the #Douchebaggery comical. — Paul Heyman (@HeymanHustle) May 30, 2013
From there, both managers went into a multi-hour argument, directly targeting each other over their respective career achievements, along with their stable of clients:
I rep more champs and his best one only had the belt for 465 days. Not in my league “@jeremybotter: You see … m.tmi.me/XcNnb — malki kawa (@malkikawa) May 30, 2013
Truth be told, I had to Google @malkikawa once the esteemed @jeremybotter pointed out that someone was be douchey on Twitter today. — Paul Heyman (@HeymanHustle) May 30, 2013
That’s a direct referral to former WWE champion CM Punk, one of Heyman’s most notable clients (both in storyline and real life), who recently lost his WWE title to The Rock (Dwayne Johnson) at the 2013 Royal Rumble.
By contrast, Kawa’s company, First Round Management, represents several MMA champions such as Miesha Tate, Benson Henderson, Carlos Condit, Frank Mir and, most famously, UFC light heavyweight titan Jon Jones.
Arguably, the comparison is apples to oranges.
Not only do Kawa and Heyman work in entirely different industries, but Jones’ record-seeking title reign over the UFC light heavyweight division—over 800 days and counting—completely dwarfs CM Punk’s 434-day run with the WWE Championship.
(Note: Anderson Silva currently holds the record for longest UFC title reign at over 2,400 days.)
That didn’t stop Kawa and Heyman from continuing to dig at each other, with Kawa even claiming he and Jones could beat Heyman and Lesnar in a WWE match:
So thanks to @malkikawa for making my day. Have 1 of your clients on the Hustle. Or send @mieshatate my way when she dumps her BF. — Paul Heyman (@HeymanHustle) May 30, 2013
We would win. How’s that even fair? “@danielmmafan: @heymanhustle vs @malkikawa steelcage match w/Brock,and Bones in each corner.” — malki kawa (@malkikawa) May 30, 2013
But things suddenly took a turn for the nasty when the topic of sponsorship money came into play, with Heyman suggesting that Lesnar currently makes more money as a WWE star than Jon Jones does as a UFC champion:
.@heymanhustle @jonnybones @thefrankmir Malki got Jon more money than you got Brock from WWE. Where’s Brock’s blue chip sponsors? — FrontRowBrian (@FrontRowBrian) May 30, 2013
OK, time for some people to smarten the F up. @frontrowbrian (1) I doubt ANYONE in @ufc makes more than @brocklesnar does in @wwe. — Paul Heyman (@HeymanHustle) May 30, 2013
Notably, Lesnar’s massive crossover appeal with WWE and MMA fans made him one of the best pay-per-view draws in UFC history, drawing over an estimated one million buys on three separate occasions as a UFC headliner (via MMA Payout).
But the question remains whether or not Lesnar makes more money in pro wrestling than he did with the UFC, although Heyman suggests there’s no comparison.
(2) @frontrowbrian If you knew what Brock DOES make from his sponsors, you would never make that asinine statement. — Paul Heyman (@HeymanHustle) May 30, 2013
(4) @frontrowbrian You’re comparing a legit sports agent to a PERFORMER? WTF is wrong with you? Does ur credibility mean nothing to you? — Paul Heyman (@HeymanHustle) May 30, 2013
Regardless of social media posturing, the simple fact remains that Lesnar still ranks amongst the highest-paid pay-per-view headliners in either MMA or pro wrestling.
And although Jon Jones is expected to eventually move into the heavyweight division before the end of his career, don’t hold your breath expecting him to jump into a ring against Brock Lesnar (even if the PPV rate would be amazing).
Not only would the UFC never take the risk of Jones getting injured during a pro wrestling event, but the company also doesn’t co-promote with anyone—especially not a substantial corporate rival like World Wrestling Entertainment.
McKinley Noble is an MMA conspiracy theorist. His work has appeared in NVision, PC World, Macworld, GamePro, 1UP, MMA Mania and The L.A. Times.
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