Tag: Dana White

For Anthony Pettis, Clay Guida, Win More Important Than Bonus

Filed under: UFCLAS VEGAS – Over the last couple years, unless they’re fighting against them, fighters sharing a card with Clay Guida or Anthony Pettis have been able to pretty much assume their post-fight bonus chances will be cut by one-third.

Guid…

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LAS VEGAS – Over the last couple years, unless they’re fighting against them, fighters sharing a card with Clay Guida or Anthony Pettis have been able to pretty much assume their post-fight bonus chances will be cut by one-third.

Guida has won four UFC bonuses in his last six fights – two Submission of the Night wins and a pair of Fight of the Night checks. Pettis, while in the WEC, won three bonuses in his last four appearances. Add them together, and Dana White is writing checks for them at a 70 percent clip – not too shabby.

So when their fight against each other was announced earlier this year for Saturday’s live Season 13 finale of “The Ultimate Fighter,” it wasn’t hard to make an early prediction for Fight of the Night, or even Fight of the Year. (Guida has a pair of those to his credit in the last four years, as well.)

Pettis on Thursday told MMA Fighting on a media call that when it comes to putting on a show, it seems to come naturally to him, just like it does for Guida.

“I don’t feel any pressure at all to go out there and try to one-up myself or win Fight of the Night,” Pettis said. “We always bring exciting fights, and putting two guys like us in the cage together is going to be a great fight. The fans can expect an awesome fight, but the biggest thing is getting your hand raised at the end. We’re both looking to win and I think we’re going to put on a good show doing it.”

Pettis has been waiting a while to put on his next show. After he beat Ben Henderson in December to become the last WEC lightweight champ in history, he watched his immediate UFC title shot hopes go out the window when Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard fought to a draw at UFC 125. Rather than waiting, Pettis decided to stay busy – and got the red-hot Guida, who submitted Takanori Gomi on the same UFC 125 card.

Pettis said after some aggravation over not getting the title shot he was promised, he came to grips with it.

“At first I was a little mad, but I understand it,” Pettis said. “I want there to be a clear champion and I want to show people that I earned being the No. 1 contender. So I don’t mind going out there and fighting a couple guys before I get my title shot. That’s just going to make me a more well-prepared Anthony Pettis.”

With three straight wins – and three straight submissions – to his credit, Guida knows a win could put him right where he wants to be, and that’s title contention, perhaps in line to meet the winner of the rematch between Edgar and Maynard, who were scheduled to fight last week, but both went on the shelf with injuries.

“I think a dominating victory will definitely look better in the eyes of Dana White, Joe Silva and the UFC,” Guida said. “I think there’s a couple of guys up there – Jim Miller is on a tear, but he’s fighting one of Anthony’s former opponents in Ben Henderson. It’s an interesting little debacle in the lightweight division right now. There’s a lot of stuff going on, and unfortunately it’s going to be a little delayed with the injuries to Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard. But the most Anthony and I can do is go out and put on a great show, which I know is exactly what we’re going to do.”

Guida has twice fought at The Pearl at The Palms on TUF Finale cards, and twice he last come away empty handed. In 2007, Roger Huerta submitted him in the third round at the TUF 6 Finale. At TUF 9, his slugfest bloodbath against Diego Sanchez ended in a close split decision loss – and sent Sanchez on to a title fight against BJ Penn.

Guida told Ariel Helwani on Tuesday’s edition of “The MMA Hour” he believes the bout will be an instant Fight of the Year candidate. On Thursday, he told MMA Fighting the win is the most important thing, and if the bonus comes, it comes. “To me, the most important bonus check is my win bonus,” Guida said.

But somehow, no one, least of all White when he writes the check, likely will be surprised if Guida or Pettis – or both – add yet another bonus to their resumes.

Guida and Pettis fight on the main card of the TUF 13 Finale on Saturday, which airs live on Spike TV at 9 p.m. Eastern. Also on the main card, Season 13 finalists Ramsey Nijem and Tony Ferguson meet to decide the next TUF champion.

 

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Jose Aldo Plans September or October Return

UFC Featherweight Champion Looks for Fall Return to the OctagonBleacher Report’s Sean Smith reports:Recently, UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo was forced to withdraw from his scheduled title defense against Chad Mendes at UFC 133. Since the annou…

UFC Featherweight Champion Looks for Fall Return to the Octagon

Bleacher Report’s Sean Smith reports:

Recently, UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo was forced to withdraw from his scheduled title defense against Chad Mendes at UFC 133.

Since the announcement, Sherdog has released new details on Aldo’s injury situation.

The day after Aldo’s most recent fight against Mark Hominick at UFC 129, the featherweight champion began to experience numbness in his arm.

“I had a problem with my cervical vertebrae in December that was making my arm numb,” Aldo said. “I contacted a doctor and he diagnosed it a nerve entrapment, and recommended for me not to fight and to do physical therapy. I did that and got much better. I had this during the camp for the [Mark] Hominick fight, but with less intensity.”

Aldo later sought out the opinion of a second doctor in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, the diagnosis remained the same.

“The doctor recommended I go through physical therapy for six weeks before training again, and that’s what I’m doing now,” Aldo said. “That’s why I won’t fight in August.”

UFC: Does the Future of the Sport Depend on the UFC’s Image Not "Growing Up"?

The dust after UFC 130 could not settle due to the harsh winds of controversy. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson—former UFC and Pride champion as well as the night’s main event winner—was at the source of the issue.In a post-fight interview with MM…

The dust after UFC 130 could not settle due to the harsh winds of controversy. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson—former UFC and Pride champion as well as the night’s main event winner—was at the source of the issue.

In a post-fight interview with MMAHeat.com’s Karyn Bryant, Rampage acted in a way many would deem inappropriate, saying he wanted to “motorboat” Bryant while doing the motions and getting close enough to her to make it uncomfortable (although it is worthy to note that Bryant wasn’t bothered).

Rampage, having done questionable things to female reporters in the past (see here and here), is no stranger to such actions.

Needless to say, Rampage’s antics have created controversy amongst the MMA community…controversy about how there is no controversy!

Rampage’s behavior was criticized by Cagewriter.com’s Maggie Hendricks who concluded that Rampage’s act was “old and tired” and that by giving him publicity the MMA media was making a mistake.

Her thoughts on Rampage’s behavior made it to the infamous Underground forums where they were lambasted by rabid keyboard warriors and even UFC commentator and comedian Joe Rogan who said:

“I think Rampage occasionally gets out of line, and I think some of what he does in interviews in unfortunate. I also think that’s a part of his charm. He’s not a fucking dentist, he’s a cage fighter, and he’s one with a very unique personality. I don’t think he should be given a free pass for some of the questionable things he does, but I do think that this woman in question is all kinds of cunty.”

Joe Rogan too has gone “off the handle” at times in the past. Rogan’s words have turned legions of MMA fans against Hendricks and in doing so have caused even more controversy.

Cage Potato’s Ben Goldstein was not at all amused by Rampage’s actions nor by Rogan’s commentary on the situation. He expressed his angst at the lack of attention the whole incident was getting. He rightly summed up the reaction of the MMA community when he wrote:

“[T]he majority of sports fans don’t give a rat’s ass. It’s just not part of their conversation. Nine out of 10 UFC fans will side with Quinton Jackson and Joe Rogan every time, because Rampage and Joe are awesome, and motorboating is hilarious, and who the fuck is Maggie Hendricks anyway?”

In his last paragraph, Goldstein provided a warning: That the employees (be it athletes or commentators) of other sports organizations couldn’t act in such a manner and that a time will come when those belonging to the UFC can’t either so Rogan and Rampage better get their acts together soon.

Goldstein’s ideas can be reiterated in one sentence: If the UFC wants to be considered a first-rate sports organization, its employees should act like they’re part of one.

While no one can or would say that Rampage violating a reporter is commendable (and this article is in no way trying to endorse his actions or dismiss them), this particular situation highlights an issue of great importance that if often ignored in MMA, the issue of the UFC’s image.

UFC President Dana White is heavily criticized by pundit and keyboard warrior alike for his brash personality and propensity for foul language (“Count the F-bombs” could be a drinking game when listening to White’s interviews). Like-minded people criticize Rogan for similar reasons.

The argument is that the UFC can’t ascend to the highest pinnacle of sports along with the NFL and other such sports organizations unless people like White and Rogan are kept quiet and replaced with more conservative figures that will “play the game” and act like a proper CEO or commentator.

However, this notion may not be true. The truth may actually be that the UFC can’t ascend to the highest pinnacle of sports WITHOUT people like Dana White and Joe Rogan and the attitude and style they represent the company with.

The fact of the matter is this: The primary demographic for the UFC is males ages 18-34.

The lower half of that demographic is extremely receptive to the UFC in large part because the President of the UFC dresses like them (Dana White can often be seen sporting shirts that wouldn’t be out of place in a college campus or a frat party) and talks like them.

To put it into perspective, if Dana White were so bad would he really have been invited to the prestigious Oxford Union Society?

Having Joe Rogan as commentator is also part of this appeal. He is a popular comedian for that age group and is also a well known marijuana advocate (which increases his stock with parts of the demographic considerably), not to mention his stint on Fear Factor.

Part of the reason that the UFC is so popular is that White and Rogan help to give it an edge that the NFL, nor the NBA, nor any major sports organizations have. The fans relate to the UFC because they see people more like themselves at the press conference and behind the commentator booth, not like their parents or grandparents.

This has lead to success in the past and is leading to success now. But can it lead to success in the future? Is Goldstein right when he says that the UFC will have to change its ways to be taken seriously?

The answer is a complicated one and may not be settled for a generation.

First, the UFC is swiftly becoming—if it hasn’t already—a truly international sports organization and will therefore not be as subject to the whims of prude American society as it extends its reach over the globe.

Second, it is possible that the current generation of younger (lets say 18-24) UFC fans will become parents that don’t mind behavior the likes of which can be seen by White and Rogan. If this is the case, the UFC’s demographic will expand to the older parents as well as their children, since their parent’s will have no qualms with the UFC unlike many of the older people do today.

If this is the case, the UFC will have almost all of society captivated. They will have the parents since they used to be fans. They will have the kids since the kids will be raised on the sport. And they will have the teens since the sport of fighting naturally appeals to testosterone laden youths.

Third, it is possible that the opposite happens and the fans of today become parents that are put off by the UFC’s antics. If this happens, the UFC has two options. They can either maintain their image and stay with their traditional demographic. The other option is streamline their image and in doing so capture the current fans attention as they become true adults.

If this happens, the sport can still become popular since the NFL is popular with all male demographics and it doesn’t have the “edge” the UFC has.

So, “at the end of the day, what is the answer” you ask? The short term future of the sport depends on the UFC’s current image that appeals so strongly to the zeitgeist of the modern (American) male. It has fueled the companies growth and will continue to do so in the coming years. But in the long term, the answer remains to be seen and will not be known until the bulk of the current UFC fans start having babies.

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MMA News: UFC President Dana White Discusses Discretionary Bonuses

Shortly after every UFC event, many mixed martial arts (MMA) outlets release announced salaries and win bonuses for every fighter on the card. However, most are aware that many fighters receive extra pay on top of their standard fight salary and win bo…

Shortly after every UFC event, many mixed martial arts (MMA) outlets release announced salaries and win bonuses for every fighter on the card. However, most are aware that many fighters receive extra pay on top of their standard fight salary and win bonus.

In addition to endorsement deals with sponsors, several fighters also receive discretionary, unannounced bonuses from the UFC. Fighters Only Magazine recently reported on an explanation from UFC President Dana White on these mysterious bonuses.

“First of all, sometimes an event becomes bigger than we anticipated it to be. Sometimes there’s more money involved than we budgeted or thought could happen. What do we do? We share with them. We’re not going to go, ‘Hey, listen. That’s your deal, buddy. You signed that deal. I don’t care how big this event was,’ even though that’s our right to do so,” White said.

“The other reason a guy might get a bonus is because me and Lorenzo are sick, insane fight fans, and we might be sitting there in our chairs, and when we jump up out of our seat and start screaming, ‘Holy s–t!’ we’re writing that dude a check, no matter what. There have been many cases where the show didn’t do what we thought they were going to do, but we felt that he deserved that extra money.”

Despite the best efforts of the media, these discretionary bonuses have been kept secret for the most part. White explained that the media can ask him all they want, but it is the fighters who don’t want that information released.

“[The fighters] don’t want you to know, and they don’t want anyone else to know, either,” White said. “We’ve become accustomed to it with professional athletes because in all of the other big sports, it’s out there. You think they want it out there? It drives them nuts. But that’s the way these guys like it, and I don’t blame them one bit. But man, it kills the media. They want to know [about] that money so bad.”

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As TV Deal Winds Down, UFC Will Choose Between Spike or New Home

Filed under: UFC, FanHouse Exclusive, News, Sports Business and MediaWednesday night marked the season finale of the UFC’s major programming vehicle, The Ultimate Fighter. It also marked the unofficial beginning of a countdown to the zero hour when the…

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Wednesday night marked the season finale of the UFC’s major programming vehicle, The Ultimate Fighter. It also marked the unofficial beginning of a countdown to the zero hour when the promotion will be faced with a major decision about the fate of its key show. Its current deal with longtime home Spike expires at the end of 2011, following the 14th season of TUF.

According to most observers within the industry, selling the television rights package is the single most important priority for the UFC, and as of now, it remains open for negotiation, a showpiece with bidders circling but no deal yet reached.

While the UFC and Spike remain the main players and talks between the two remain ongoing, the two sides aren’t the only ones involved. In a drama that has played out over recent months and is expected to drag on into the near future in executive boardrooms, other suitors will continue to try to convince the UFC to abandon its longtime home.

Chief among the possible new landing spots is Versus, which is soon to be re-branded as “NBC Sports Channel,” or some similar variation, and with which the UFC already has a solid relationship. In 2007, UFC parent company Zuffa struck a deal to broadcast its WEC brand on Versus, and in Dec. 2009, the two sides increased their investment in each other, with Versus beginning to air UFC events as well. The UFC’s current deal with Versus allows them to broadcast four live events in 2011.

While TV ratings on Spike have generally been higher than those on Versus, it’s not so simple as ratings or money, according to those in the know. The UFC is also hopeful of a partner that will allow them to leverage other assets past the airtime of an event. That would seem to favor Comcast, which can boast the assets of NBC at its disposal, including the possibility of multiple cable channels, morning shows and late-night programming.

Yet within the UFC, there is still an appreciation for Spike’s willingness to air its product when no one else would. There is also a certain ease to their relationship that only comes with time.

“Yeah, absolutely, our preference is to stay with them,” UFC president Dana White said in a recent exclusive interview with MMA Fighting. “Obviously we’ve been with them forever. We have a great relationship. There’s a little comfort being there.”

Still, there have been at least some signs of tension over the last few months. For one, Spike changed TUF’s start time from its customary 10 pm slot to 9 pm this season, a shift that White said was partially responsible for the lower-than-expected ratings. And while Spike declined to comment on ongoing negotiations, a company source questioned some of the booking choices the UFC has made for its Fight Night events.

As an example, he wondered how large an audience would have been drawn to Randy Couture’s last fight had it been the main event of a Spike show rather than airing on pay-per-view.

“I’m not saying they’re not giving us good fights, but there’s a difference between good fights and marquee names,” the source said. “The good fights pull in UFC fans, but the marquee names are the ones that pull in sports fans. That’s how you get those monster ratings.”

Privately, Spike executives are hopeful of retaining a sports property that helped their cable network build an identity, but it’s clear it’s no sure thing. A source with knowledge of the situation told MMA Fighting that Spike has had production executives in attendance at some Bellator events, perhaps keeping an eye on a potential replacement should UFC bolt.

Still, Spike believes its history of working closely with the UFC will win out, noting how many hours the channel devotes to the UFC, and wondering if anyone else could offer the same. While the UFC is a major property for Spike, that might not necessarily be the case at another cabler. It’s also worth noting that Spike is available in 99.4 million homes, about 20 million more than Versus, its most likely rival.

White bluntly says that the promotion is talking to “everybody,” weighing their options as they take their prime platform into free agency. It’s a deal that may not have long to finalize. While White gave a six-month timeframe for completion, it’s likely that both the UFC and Spike will know the fate of a new deal much earlier than that. If the UFC leaves, it will need at least a few months to get the news out and promote its new TV home. Likewise, Spike would require some time to adjust its schedule and advertise a new Wednesday night lineup.

One source said it is likely we will know the answer to TUF’s 2012 home before TUF 14 starts broadcasting in September. That leaves just about three months in which to strike a deal.

“We’re talking to everybody, and when I say we’re talking to everybody, we’re talking to everybody,” White said. “That’s what you do when your deal is up. With Spike, it’s normal s—. What’s going on right now is normal. There is nothing abnormal about what’s going on.”

Where the UFC ends up is anyone’s guess. UFC and Spike officials talk regularly, according to White, and both sides say the relationship is hardly strained despite the uncertainty of the future.

If you want to read into the tea leaves, recent signs have been more positive. Just days ago, the UFC and Spike announced that Jason “Mayhem” Miller would be one of the coaches on TUF, lending his “Bully Beatdown” reality show fame to the franchise. In addition, both White and a Spike source said it’s quite likely that TUF will be back on at 10 pm next season, putting the show back into its historic slot.

Spike and the UFC helped make each other, and the relationship remains in good working order, even with a looming deadline. That, of course, will change if another cable channel wedges their way in between them. Time for negotiations is running short, and very soon, a decision will have to be made about the UFC’s future home. It may not be the revenue driver that pay-per-view is, but the TV rights deal is a potentially huge step forward as the UFC continues its plan to expand its reach worldwide. Six years into its run on Spike, the UFC’s television future is alternatively full of uncertainty and full of promise.

“Where could we end up? Anything is possible,” White said. “Nothing is impossible.”

 

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Shaq Retires: How Long Before His UFC Debut?

With news that Shaquille O’Neal has announced his retirement on the social media tool Tout, there are many questions being asked, and much to discuss.Where does Shaq fit into the pantheon of basketball greats?Why did Shaq have to announce his retiremen…

With news that Shaquille O’Neal has announced his retirement on the social media tool Tout, there are many questions being asked, and much to discuss.

Where does Shaq fit into the pantheon of basketball greats?

Why did Shaq have to announce his retirement right before the NBA Finals?

Why are some sites saying Shaq tweeted his retirement while others are saying he retired via Tout?

What the heck is Tout?

All these questions and more will get their fair share of play over the next few days.

As an only casual basketball fan, my concern is more toward the future: When is Shaq going to fight in the UFC?

Shaq has long been a UFC fan, and friend of UFC president Dana White.

More than just a fan, Shaq has been training striking and grappling for years and has in the past joked about fighting the likes of Chuck Liddell, Hong Man Choi and even recent UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar.

He’s even an unlockable character in the video game UFC: Undisputed.

Although O’Neil is retiring from basketball at least partially due to lingering injuries, it seems likely to me that Shaq takes at least one MMA fight.

The most likely candidate for O’Neal would be Korean kickboxer Hong Man Choi, a 7’2″ giant best known for beating up a sad looking Jose Canseco and getting arm-barred by Fedor Emelianenko.

While a fight between Shaq and Choi would be nothing more than a freak show, it’s hard to ignore the appeal of it being a HUGE freak show.

Although Dana White has said that he doesn’t like putting on freak show matches, James Toney’s fight against Randy Couture should tell us otherwise.

It seems to me like only a matter of time before Dana White and Shaquille O’Neal have a meeting to schedule The Diesel’s UFC debut.

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