Bleacher Report’s Mike Hodges reports:While the UFC is in negotiations with Spike TV to discuss a new television deal, UFC president Dana White said he expects the new deal to be wrapped up in the near future. “We’re in negotiations right…
Bleacher Report’s Mike Hodges reports:
While the UFC is in negotiations with Spike TV to discuss a new television deal, UFC president Dana White said he expects the new deal to be wrapped up in the near future.
“We’re in negotiations right now, so we’re still talking,” White said during the UFC 130 post-fight press conference this past Saturday.
“Should be wrapped up in the next six months,” he added.
The UFC has developed a huge audience with Spike TV, and the hit reality show “The Ultimate Fighter” has brought the company to new heights in terms of popularity and television ratings. While Spike TV has been the home of the UFC since 2005, White said they need to explore all their options before finalizing a deal.
“We want to be with somebody we can grow with like we have with Spike. We’ve had a great relationship with Spike and done great things there, so hopefully we can figure things out,” he said.
And it looks like White is not just wasting his breath. The UFC boss said they are looking to expand their horizons, even if that means they land a deal with a major television network like NBC or CBS.
While the UFC is in negotiations with Spike TV to discuss a new television deal, UFC president Dana White said he expects the new deal to be wrapped up in the near future.
“We’re in negotiations right now, so we’re still tal…
While the UFC is in negotiations with Spike TV to discuss a new television deal, UFC president Dana White said he expects the new deal to be wrapped up in the near future.
“We’re in negotiations right now, so we’re still talking,” White said during the UFC 130 post-fight press conference this past Saturday.
“Should be wrapped up in the next six months,” he added.
The UFC has developed a huge audience with Spike TV, and the hit reality show “The Ultimate Fighter” has brought the company to new heights in terms of popularity and television ratings. While Spike TV has been the home of the UFC since 2005, White said they need to explore all their options before finalizing a deal.
“We want to be with somebody we can grow with like we have with Spike. We’ve had a great relationship with Spike and done great things there, so hopefully we can figure things out,” he said.
And it looks like White is not just wasting his breath. The UFC boss said they are looking to expand their horizons, even if that means they land a deal with a major television network like NBC or CBS.
The UFC had the opportunity to land a deal with HBO in the past, but control issues ultimately ruined any chance of it happening. White said getting the opportunity to be featured on network television was always in his plans, but the right deal never came along.
“Our deal has always been we could do fights on network television, we’ve just never come to a deal with network television,” he said.
And it appears that NBC could be the potential destination for the UFC, as the network owns the rights to the Versus network, who, along with Spike TV, airs UFC programming.
But according to White, his objective is to land the best deal possible, in order to gain exposure and growth as a sport. And in his mind, every network is on his list.
Bleacher Report’s MMA News Recap for Tuesday, May 31:Dana White to meet with Roy Nelson.Brock Lesnar undergoes surgery.Rampage Jackson claims Jon Jones has his belt.Anderson Silva says Okami trained with a “loser.”UFC 130 Fighter Salaries.Lyoto Machida…
Bleacher Report’s MMA News Recap for Tuesday, May 31:
Dana White to meet with Roy Nelson.
Brock Lesnar undergoes surgery.
Rampage Jackson claims Jon Jones has his belt.
Anderson Silva says Okami trained with a “loser.”
UFC 130 Fighter Salaries.
Lyoto Machida claims he would be ready to fight Jon Jones.
Bruce Lee action figures sneak peek.
Tito Ortiz sounds off on Matt Mitrione.
Dana White hopeful for bouts between Strikeforce and UFC Fighters.
While the UFC is in negotiations with Spike TV to discuss a new television deal, UFC president Dana White said he expects the new deal to be wrapped up in the near future.“We’re in negotiations right now, so we’re still talking,” Whit…
While the UFC is in negotiations with Spike TV to discuss a new television deal, UFC president Dana White said he expects the new deal to be wrapped up in the near future.
“We’re in negotiations right now, so we’re still talking,” White said during the UFC 130 post-fight press conference this past Saturday.
“Should be wrapped up in the next six months,” he added.
The UFC has developed a huge audience with Spike TV, and the hit reality show “The Ultimate Fighter” has brought the company to new heights in terms of popularity and television ratings. While Spike TV has been the home of the UFC since 2005, White said they need to explore all their options before finalizing a deal.
“We want to be with somebody we can grow with like we have with Spike. We’ve had a great relationship with Spike and done great things there, so hopefully we can figure things out,” he said.
And it looks like White is not just wasting his breath. The UFC boss said they are looking to expand their horizons, even if that means they land a deal with a major television network like NBC or CBS.
The UFC had the opportunity to land a deal with HBO in the past, but control issues ultimately ruined any chance of it happening. White said getting the opportunity to be featured on network television was always in his plans, but the right deal never came along.
“Our deal has always been we could do fights on network television, we’ve just never come to a deal with network television,” he said.
And it appears that NBC could be the potential destination for the UFC, as the network owns the rights to the Versus network, who, along with Spike TV, airs UFC programming.
But according to White, his objective is to land the best deal possible, in order to gain exposure and growth as a sport. And in his mind, every network is on his list.
Since the heavily rumored bout between Georges St-Pierre and Nick Diaz was announced, most fans would expect other crossover fights between the two promotions to eventually occur, but nothing has materialized. Even with the hype and build-up betwe…
Since the heavily rumored bout between Georges St-Pierre and Nick Diaz was announced, most fans would expect other crossover fights between the two promotions to eventually occur, but nothing has materialized.
Even with the hype and build-up between the two welterweight champions, UFC president Dana White has turned down the idea and assured that negotiations between both camps are all but confirmed.
Since Zuffa’s acquisition of Strikeforce, White held back on the idea of promoting superfights between the two organizations and would honour Strikeforce’s current contract obligations with Showtime. But the recent changes over the last month have most critics and fans believing that it is only a matter of time before the UFC becomes the premier organization in all of mixed martial arts.
In regards to superfights between the two organizations, White said the purpose of his job is to offer the fans the best fights possible, and he is hopeful that those fights that fans are requesting, will be eventually contested between Strikeforce and UFC.
It is a goal of his that he intends to focus on, despite the minor setbacks.
“As soon as possible,” White replied, when asked about a timeline regarding cross-promotional fights.
While one can imagine the numerous amount of matchups to feature between the two organization’s top stars, St-Pierre vs. Diaz is one dream fight that could be the first that becomes a reality for most fans.
However it is up to Zuffa and the UFC to do the necessary work in order to see if and when these bouts will come to fruition.
This Saturday another season of The Ultimate Fighter will come to a close. The show was started as a way for the UFC to market its product by showcasing what it is like for a fighter to train and to let people get to know fighters on a personal level.A…
This Saturday another season of The Ultimate Fighter will come to a close. The show was started as a way for the UFC to market its product by showcasing what it is like for a fighter to train and to let people get to know fighters on a personal level.
At the same time there was also a house with plenty of drama, the result of having 16 guys trapped in a house with no contact with the outside world and tons of free alcohol.
The first season was very memorable mainly because of an exciting finale and also how well the fighters fared in the UFC, but even without that it was an exciting season to watch.
Let’s look at the pros and cons of this season, starting with the cons.
First, there were no elimination fights. This led to fighters not having to earn their spot in the house, because it was expected that these fighters knew what was required of them. Keon Caldwell, however, was not prepared to spend that much time away from his family and chose to leave the show without even fighting.
Next, there were the injuries. Myles Jury, who came to the show sporting a 9-0 record, was considered one of the better prospects, but he injured his knee in evaluations and was forced to withdraw from the competition. Also, Justin Edwards put on an amazing first fight, but could not get a wild-card slot due to suffering a concussion resulting in a medical suspension.
The final con is all the build up the show is creating for a fight between the coaches, which is no longer happening. As with past seasons it makes the trash talk anti-climatic when there is no longer a fight at the end of the season to settle things.
Now onto the pros. The first has to be Brock Lesnar. For someone who is known for being extremely private, spending six weeks on the show with cameras on him had to be rough. Also, he admitted that he took an interest in his fighters and sometimes seemed very genuine when talking about his experiences fighting.
The second pro is that most of the fights have been above average. There have been a couple duds but many were exciting and kept viewers glued to the television.
One aspect that falls in the middle is the personalities of the fighters. Some do an excellent job of displaying the type of people most want identified with MMA. Others embody the street brawler image that many try to distance the sport from by talking about how castmates would be killed on the streets they are from.
Overall, the fights and Brock Lesnar make this season watchable television, but not must-see TV. The weaknesses create a series of what ifs and a feeling that this season is lacking compared to other seasons.
