Filed under: UFC, News, Sports Business and Media, UFC on FOXFOX’s first foray into mixed martial arts earned generally positive reviews from mainstream news media around North America. The one-hour UFC event saw an average of 5.7 million viewers tune …
FOX’s first foray into mixed martial arts earned generally positive reviews from mainstream news media around North America. The one-hour UFC event saw an average of 5.7 million viewers tune in to watch Junior dos Santos knock out Cain Velasquez and capture the heavyweight championship in just 64 seconds.
While the fight wasn’t the lengthy showcase of technique and skill many had hoped for, it at least presented the sport as a major event and spotlighted the human side of two of its best fighters, two things that should help future events as the UFC and FOX officially begin their deal in 2012.
In case you’re wondering what the rest of the world is saying about UFC on FOX, here are some excerpts from mainstream media sources from the last two days.
Fox’s UFC Broadcast a Hit with Viewers – The New York Times
“One reason Fox acquired the rights to the U.F.C. on broadcast and cable (FX) was to attract the often elusive demographic of young viewers, especially men 18 to 34. According to Nielsen figures, the U.F.C. broadcast generated a 4.3 rating among men 18 to 34, more than any college football telecast this season (through Nov. 5) except for the Louisiana State-Alabama game on Nov. 5.”
A Few Thoughts about Tonight’s UFC Fight – The San Francisco Chronicle
“Beyond the forgettable fight, most of the first UFC on Fox was well done. The broadcast team did a good job of keeping things simple for new fans, and then airing two mini-documentaries that revealed Dos Santos and Velasquez as introspective, humble and intelligent people. My UFC-averse wife was riveted, and ended up watching the fight with me. Velasquez’ apology to fans after the fight also showed class. Even if the fight was a letdown, the broadcast did its job in breaking some false stereotypes about mixed martial arts.”
UFC on FOX: What the Media is Saying – The Hollywood Reporter “Reaction to the broadcast ranged from the humorous to the general consensus that Fox has a winner with the franchise.”
Fight Night in America – Esquire
“Cain Velasquez walked into the cage, petrified, and they stared at each other and they kicked some little kicks and then, a minute into the kicking and the staring, Dos Santos sent a loopy and rather laughably slow right hook to Velasquez’s left ear. Velasquez dropped to the canvas and then Dos Santos went and hit the s— out of him eleven times. The referee took his sweet time to stop it. It was over. There was no blood. It wasn’t very exciting.”
Notes And Thoughts About UFC On Fox – Broadcasting and Cable
“Seriously, I read a lot of people on Twitter and elsewhere saying the 64-second KO was a nightmare for Fox. You couldn’t be more wrong. People don’t tune into UFC to see a ballet, especially the heavyweights. They tune into see someone get punched or kicked in the face and go to sleep. Sorry to say it out loud, but it’s true. Believe me, I love the technical aspects of a beautiful ground game as much as anyone, but when heavyweights bang, the fans want a KO, and they got a big one.”
Dos Santos Claims Velasquez’s Belt in FOX Show – Associated Press
“Any newcomers to the sport who tuned in got a taste of MMA‘s violence, but not much else — particularly if they returned late from a commercial break. Or even if they blinked.”
UFC Proves It’s Here to Stay – The (Toronto) Globe and Mail
“Resistance is futile. UFC is here to stay. Or, as our mother used to say, until somebody loses an eye.”
UFC Was Never Meant for Mainstream – The International Business Times
“It’s not the management of the UFC that will prohibit the sport from moving forward. The UFC will continue to expand its brand name recognition, and people will continue to tune in and watch the big fights. Mixed-martial arts isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, and, therefore, UFC won’t be going anywhere either. But as for UFC being part of a dinner conversation in most American homes, that will never, ever happen. The sport is too volatile on too many levels.”
UFC Makes History with first Primetime Event on FOX – York Daily Record
“I’m not sure it gave new fans a full taste of what the sport’s about – but hey, Mike Tyson fights used to end like that too. MMA fans, I think, are satisfied as long as they are entertained. And for a minute and four seconds, it was just that.”
Filed under: UFC, News, Sports Business and Media, UFC on FOXSaturday night’s UFC on FOX debut drew in an average of 5.7 million viewers during the one-hour show in adjusted ratings released Sunday afternoon by Nielsen Media Research through FOX.
Saturday night’s UFC on FOX debut drew in an average of 5.7 million viewers during the one-hour show in adjusted ratings released Sunday afternoon by Nielsen Media Research through FOX.
Preliminary overnights initially suggested an average of 4.6 million viewers for the event, which saw Junior dos Santos knock out Cain Velasquez in the first round, but those estimates were expected to change as more information became available. The final number suggests an audience that was around 20 percent larger than originally thought.
According to FOX, it was the most watched professional fight since boxing heavyweights Lennox Lewis and Vladimir Klitschko drew 7 million viewers to their HBO fight in 2003. The network also says it projects the hour to win its key demographics, including the coveted 18-to-34-year old age group.
While the event was the first time ever for the UFC on broadcast television, it wasn’t the first time for MMA on a network platform. In 2008, an EliteXC event was the first to pull off the feat, airing an event featuring Kimbo Slice vs. James Thompson that drew an average of 4.3 million viewers. That event, which lasted more than two hours, peaked with over 6.5 million viewers to watch Slice knock out Thompson. The match went into the third round, likely helping the broadcast draw viewers as it went along. That’s a stark contrast to dos Santos-Velasquez, which lasted just 64 seconds.
The one-hour special was extremely strong among the male 18-34 demographic, as it out-rated every college football game this year with the exception of November 5’s LSU vs. Alabama game, a matchup that featured No. 1 vs. No. 2 in the national rankings.
Among local markets, Las Vegas led the nation in ratings. Dallas, Phoenix, San Antonio, Texas and Tulsa, Oklahoma rounded out the top five.
Filed under: UFC, News, Sports Business and MediaLAS VEGAS — The UFC has finally, officially signed a deal to produce its first international edition of The Ultimate Fighter.
And despite UFC president Dana White’s past statements that it would probab…
LAS VEGAS — The UFC has finally, officially signed a deal to produce its first international edition of The Ultimate Fighter.
And despite UFC president Dana White’s past statements that it would probably take place in either Canada or The Philippines, it will instead take place in Brazil.
“It’s a done deal,” White said on Thursday afternoon.
White said the UFC had signed a deal to produce and air the series in Brazil, though he did not yet know exactly where it would take place. But the series is also likely to air in the U.S. Under the promotion’s new FOX deal, White said there are ongoing discussions, and that the show is likely to air on FUEL.
“Let me tell you what, if you’re a UFC fan, you want FUEL,” he said. “FUEL’s going to be loaded with all kinds of UFC programming including live fights, and live fights from other countries.”
The UFC just recently visited Brazil for the first time during the Zuffa era, in a massively successful show. Given MMA‘s roots in the country, the market has grown quickly and become a hot target for the UFC, which is seriously exploring a return within the next few months. The TUF deal shows how serious they are about continuing to grow the sport in Brazil.
But if you’re in The Philippines or Canada, have no fear. TUF is likely coming to those markets and others, in due time.
“We’re doing all those, too,” he said. “This one just happened really fast.”
Filed under: Fighting, MMA Media Watch, UFC, Bellator, News, Sports Business and MediaLost in the shuffle of a big event weekend, we may have gotten our answer about whether or not Bellator would move from MTV2 to Spike in 2012. And suffice it to say, …
Lost in the shuffle of a big event weekend, we may have gotten our answer about whether or not Bellator would move from MTV2 to Spike in 2012. And suffice it to say, it’s not looking good.
During a Wednesday interview with MMA Fighting, UFC president Dana White briefly spoke about what should be the dying days of the UFC-Spike relationship. While their deal for new programming expires at the end of 2011, Spike retains use of the UFC library for an additional year. That one-year spillover clause also precludes the cable network from televising a competing MMA product. For that to happen and for both sides to be free and clear of each other, the UFC would have to buy out the remaining 2012 rights. But according to White, that’s not going to happen.
“UFC programming will be on Spike in 2012,” White said. “It will continue there.”
As long as those rights stay in place, the UFC will have no concerns about a competing promotion quickly replacing it on Spike.
But those rights can also work as a double-edged sword. Once UFC’s live programming is exclusive to FOX-owned networks, Spike could attempt to counterprogram new UFC content with shows from its own UFC library.
That exact scenario isn’t unprecedented. Just a few months ago in June as negotiations between the two sides stalled out and Comcast seemed to be the frontrunner for future UFC television rights, Spike scheduled a Nate Marquardt marathon on the same night the UFC scheduled a live Versus card highlighted by a Marquardt vs. Rick Story main event. As it turned out, Marquardt was a late scratch due to the sudden “Nategate” hormone replacement therapy issue that popped up, and Story fought Charlie Brenneman instead.
Surprisingly, a 9 pm Spike rebroadcast of UFC Fight Night 22: Marquardt vs. Palhares (an event that had occurred nine months earlier) out-rated the live event, drawing 793,000 viewers compared to 744,000 for the Versus show.
Those numbers show that potential confusion among casual MMA viewers is a real concern. While White seemed adamant that the UFC would not buy back the ’12 library rights, it is still possible that FOX will insist upon a deal to ensure they are the exclusive home of UFC content. The two sides recently inked a 7-year deal worth around $700 million, and FOX may not be willing to risk confusion while establishing their channels as UFC headquarters for TV viewers.
Meanwhile, Spike continues to expand its relationship with Bellator, recently announcing it will stream live undercard fights throughout the 12-week Bellator season that began on September 10.
That development seemed to irk White, who called it “not honorable.”
“If you really look at what I call the spirit of the deal, it’s the wrong thing to do,” he said.
So the waiting game continues. With three months left in the year, there is no urgency on either side to negotiate, and there is still time for UFC executives to change their minds and buy back library rights, thereby ending their obligation but also opening up the Spike airwaves to Bellator. Or, they can let the deal run its course, and make them wait. In that case, Bellator will stay on MTV2 one more year and likely move to Spike in 2013.
The best kinds of movies, like the best kinds of journalism, are not about a subject, but about people. For this reason, describing “Warrior” as an “MMA movie” is not quite accurate. Because Warrior is the best kind of movie, a complex film about family, set against a backdrop of sports.
The story unfolds in time, confidently led by director Gavin O’Connor, a name perhaps familiar to MMA fans for his stewardship of “The Smashing Machine,” a 2002 documentary of Mark Kerr. Despite its singular title, the film is essentially the story of a family that has been torn apart by a long history of tragedy. To call the family divided doesn’t quite do them justice; there doesn’t seem to be a prayer of reconciliation for them.
O’Connor’s deft touch unfolds from the opening frames, telling the parallel stories of estranged brothers Tommy and Brendan Conlon, and their father Paddy, a recovering alcoholic. The family is Pennsylvania born and bred, and that background shades their characterizations. Like many of the men from that region, they are blue-collar grinders who don’t always have a lot to say, but rather hint at difficulties beneath their troubled eyes.
At the outset, it appears Tommy (played by Tom Hardy) and Brendan (played by Joel Edgerton) could not have turned out more differently. While life for Tommy was so bad he literally ran off to war to escape his everyday existence, Brendan has settled into a suburban life complete with a teaching job, a marriage and children.
We quickly learn, however, that the brothers are indeed rather similar. Fourteen years after last seeing his brother and father, Tommy returns home to Pittsburgh with barely a word, but a request. He wants his father Paddy — played brilliantly by Nick Nolte — to coach him for an upcoming, $5 million MMA tournament called “Sparta.” As the story goes on, we learn that Tommy was at one time a high school wrestling standout, and Paddy was his coach, and Tommy soon makes clear that this is a business arrangement and nothing else.
Hardy’s riveting intensity and brooding silence tell a story that is always simmering below the surface. In due time, we learn more about his mysterious past, his selfless motivations to win Sparta, and the depth of feeling that led to his detachment from his family. None of it is revealed by Hardy, who excels at the hardest job an actor can have: acting without speaking.
There is a lot of that in Warrior. Despite a 2-hour, 20-minute run time, there are many pockets of silence, but none wasted. Unspoken communication is an ongoing theme in the movie. There is the implied family-altering history, there is a coach who uses music as a learning tool, and there is fighting as a solution to problems.
While Tommy and Paddy’s damaged relationship dangles in the balance, Brendan — who we learn is a former UFC fighter — is faced with financial difficulties of his own. For him, fighting is simply a way to make money, a selfless act of surrendering his body to provide for his wife and kids, even as they object.
Of course, Tommy and Brendan never quite know they are on a potential collision course until it’s too late.
Less than half of the movie is actually devoted to the tournament. MMA fans will see some familiar faces, like Nate Marquardt, Anthony Johnson, and referee Josh Rosenthal. The in-cage action is fairly close to reality, though there are a few moments that will cause fleeting cringes if you’re not one to voluntarily suspend disbelief. Most audiences, however, will have no problem looking past those small issues.
Nearly every key member of the cast shines in his role, particularly Nolte as a father desperate to mend the destroyed relationships between himself and his boys. Despite his time as a recovering alcoholic, Nolte’s character Paddy does not yet have the clarity of mind or perhaps the will to summon a real solution. He tries and repeatedly fails, even when Tommy is living under his roof again. Both sons have pieces of their father in the personalities. Tommy bottles everything up tight, and given his military background, you feel like he wouldn’t give up his feelings under the threat of waterboarding. Brendan at least tries, but like dad, he also hides things, not informing his wife of his plans to fight again until his mind is already made up.
Because of superficial similarities in genre, there have been comparisons between “Warrior” and “The Fighter,” the 2010 film based on the life of boxer Micky Ward. A comparison to a film that earned seven Academy Award nominations is quite complimentary, yet the films and performances within each are quite different. Hardy and Edgerton, for example, are nowhere near as well known as Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale, who played the two leads in The Fighter. One film is a biopic, the other is completely fictional. The Fighter finds its emotional balance in the love story between Ward and Charlene; Warrior is anchored solely in the roots of family. Finally, I would boldy add, Warrior is the better of the two films.
It is filled with layered performances, confidently directed and powerful. While most films have formulaic protagonist/antagonist relationships, it says plenty about Warrior that by the film’s climax, you’re not quite sure what to hope for or who to root for. Life’s conclusions aren’t always clear and clean, and this film leaves us the same way. Everything isn’t tied up nicely with a bow; it’s no Hollywood ending. It’s more challenging that that. There has been some early Oscar buzz for Warrior and its cast. For fans who have been subject to a series of MMA-related movie duds, that may come as a shock, but it is truly an excellent piece of moviemaking.
Warrior is also important for the place it will undoubtedly find in pop culture. Movements don’t take place in a day; they happen over time, in spurts, until a few waves of momentum become a tsunami. This is a film that’s good for the sport, not for technique or action, but for the humanization of its athletes, fictional though they may be. Tommy and Brendan may be troubled, but at least they’re fighting for something. For the remaining few who still see MMA’s athletes as brainless barbarians, it’s an opportunity to see fighters as real people, with real problems.
Much like MMA itself, “Warrior” has more at play than what we see at surface level. Tommy’s plotline has geopolitical overtones, Brendan’s shadows the current economic landscape in the U.S., and Paddy’s tells the universal tale of parental regret. The ultimate conclusion for the trio may not be ultimately conclusive, but it’s a step forward, and in their complex world, that’s just as welcome as a happy ending.
The best kinds of movies, like the best kinds of journalism, are not about a subject, but about people. For this reason, describing “Warrior” as an “MMA movie” is not quite accurate. Because Warrior is the best kind of movie, a complex film about family, set against a backdrop of sports.
The story unfolds in time, confidently led by director Gavin O’Connor, a name perhaps familiar to MMA fans for his stewardship of “The Smashing Machine,” a 2002 documentary of Mark Kerr. Despite its singular title, the film is essentially the story of a family that has been torn apart by a long history of tragedy. To call the family divided doesn’t quite do them justice; there doesn’t seem to be a prayer of reconciliation for them.
O’Connor’s deft touch unfolds from the opening frames, telling the parallel stories of estranged brothers Tommy and Brendan Conlon, and their father Paddy, a recovering alcoholic. The family is Pennsylvania born and bred, and that background shades their characterizations. Like many of the men from that region, they are blue-collar grinders who don’t always have a lot to say, but rather hint at difficulties beneath their troubled eyes.
At the outset, it appears Tommy (played by Tom Hardy) and Brendan (played by Joel Edgerton) could not have turned out more differently. While life for Tommy was so bad he literally ran off to war to escape his everyday existence, Brendan has settled into a suburban life complete with a teaching job, a marriage and children.
We quickly learn, however, that the brothers are indeed rather similar. Fourteen years after last seeing his brother and father, Tommy returns home to Pittsburgh with barely a word, but a request. He wants his father Paddy — played brilliantly by Nick Nolte — to coach him for an upcoming, $5 million MMA tournament called “Sparta.” As the story goes on, we learn that Tommy was at one time a high school wrestling standout, and Paddy was his coach, and Tommy soon makes clear that this is a business arrangement and nothing else.
Hardy’s riveting intensity and brooding silence tell a story that is always simmering below the surface. In due time, we learn more about his mysterious past, his selfless motivations to win Sparta, and the depth of feeling that led to his detachment from his family. None of it is revealed by Hardy, who excels at the hardest job an actor can have: acting without speaking.
There is a lot of that in Warrior. Despite a 2-hour, 20-minute run time, there are many pockets of silence, but none wasted. Unspoken communication is an ongoing theme in the movie. There is the implied family-altering history, there is a coach who uses music as a learning tool, and there is fighting as a solution to problems.
While Tommy and Paddy’s damaged relationship dangles in the balance, Brendan — who we learn is a former UFC fighter — is faced with financial difficulties of his own. For him, fighting is simply a way to make money, a selfless act of surrendering his body to provide for his wife and kids, even as they object.
Of course, Tommy and Brendan never quite know they are on a potential collision course until it’s too late.
Less than half of the movie is actually devoted to the tournament. MMA fans will see some familiar faces, like Nate Marquardt, Anthony Johnson, and referee Josh Rosenthal. The in-cage action is fairly close to reality, though there are a few moments that will cause fleeting cringes if you’re not one to voluntarily suspend disbelief. Most audiences, however, will have no problem looking past those small issues.
Nearly every key member of the cast shines in his role, particularly Nolte as a father desperate to mend the destroyed relationships between himself and his boys. Despite his time as a recovering alcoholic, Nolte’s character Paddy does not yet have the clarity of mind or perhaps the will to summon a real solution. He tries and repeatedly fails, even when Tommy is living under his roof again. Both sons have pieces of their father in the personalities. Tommy bottles everything up tight, and given his military background, you feel like he wouldn’t give up his feelings under the threat of waterboarding. Brendan at least tries, but like dad, he also hides things, not informing his wife of his plans to fight again until his mind is already made up.
Because of superficial similarities in genre, there have been comparisons between “Warrior” and “The Fighter,” the 2010 film based on the life of boxer Micky Ward. A comparison to a film that earned seven Academy Award nominations is quite complimentary, yet the films and performances within each are quite different. Hardy and Edgerton, for example, are nowhere near as well known as Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale, who played the two leads in The Fighter. One film is a biopic, the other is completely fictional. The Fighter finds its emotional balance in the love story between Ward and Charlene; Warrior is anchored solely in the roots of family. Finally, I would boldy add, Warrior is the better of the two films.
It is filled with layered performances, confidently directed and powerful. While most films have formulaic protagonist/antagonist relationships, it says plenty about Warrior that by the film’s climax, you’re not quite sure what to hope for or who to root for. Life’s conclusions aren’t always clear and clean, and this film leaves us the same way. Everything isn’t tied up nicely with a bow; it’s no Hollywood ending. It’s more challenging that that. There has been some early Oscar buzz for Warrior and its cast. For fans who have been subject to a series of MMA-related movie duds, that may come as a shock, but it is truly an excellent piece of moviemaking.
Warrior is also important for the place it will undoubtedly find in pop culture. Movements don’t take place in a day; they happen over time, in spurts, until a few waves of momentum become a tsunami. This is a film that’s good for the sport, not for technique or action, but for the humanization of its athletes, fictional though they may be. Tommy and Brendan may be troubled, but at least they’re fighting for something. For the remaining few who still see MMA’s athletes as brainless barbarians, it’s an opportunity to see fighters as real people, with real problems.
Much like MMA itself, “Warrior” has more at play than what we see at surface level. Tommy’s plotline has geopolitical overtones, Brendan’s shadows the current economic landscape in the U.S., and Paddy’s tells the universal tale of parental regret. The ultimate conclusion for the trio may not be ultimately conclusive, but it’s a step forward, and in their complex world, that’s just as welcome as a happy ending.
Filed under: UFC, News, Sports Business and MediaThe first domino fell just two weeks ago, when the UFC and FOX announced a landmark, seven-year deal that would put the world’s biggest MMA promotion on network television for the first time.
The first domino fell just two weeks ago, when the UFC and FOX announced a landmark, seven-year deal that would put the world’s biggest MMA promotion on network television for the first time.
Now, the second has fallen, after the UFC announced on Friday that its FOX debut, set for Nov. 12 in Anaheim, California, would host a heavyweight championship bout between Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos.
The blockbuster matchup officially signals the arrival of UFC on the worldwide sporting landscape, and FOX executives say they will utilize all the resources at their disposal to ensure a massive audience turns out for network’s premiere MMA offering.
And in fact, it may feel like a Hollywood premiere, all the way down to the pre-fight presentation.
“One thing we will be doing is launching the UFC on FOX with a Super Bowl-style red carpet and tailgate party with every star in Hollywood and every dignitary that we need to get out there to launch this thing,” FOX Sports media group co-president and COO Eric Shanks said. “It will be a la Super Bowl tailgate and Super Bowl red carpet with a huge party outside before the event.”
Promotion for the event will begin immediately on FOX television properties. UFC president Dana White said he’s already been blown away with the network’s proactive approach through the early days of their deal, noting that they were already promoting the UFC on FOX partnership with in-program advertising just hours after their original announcement was made on August 18.
“We’ve never been treated like this,” White said. “We’ve never been happier.”
Shanks said that beginning with Saturday afternoon’s college football and Major League Baseball programming, promotions would air for the Velasquez-dos Santos clash.
“We’re jumping on this thing and we’re making it as big a deal as we can,” Shanks told MMA Fighting. “Guaranteed we’ll be promoting it across all of our sports and entertainment properties as well.”
Though the broadcast is only scheduled for one-hour, FOX is expecting to have a “mini pre-game show” and then head straight into the fight. Depending on the actual length of the scheduled five-rounder, the network will either pump in a taped fight or show highlights of the entire card during the broadcast. That decision, however, is yet to be made.
FOX executives declined to set a ratings expectation, though White said he is expecting to blow the old MMA ratings records out of the water, and FOX Sports chairman David Hill agreed. A match held on EliteXC’s CBS May 2008 show holds the all-time record for viewers, with 6.51 million fans watching Kimbo Slice defeat James Thompson via TKO. UFC’s highest-rated all-time fight came in September 2009, when 6.1 million tuned into Spike to watch Roy Nelson defeat Slice via TKO.
With a major championship fight to promote, both the promotion and network know the job in front of them: making sure as many eyes as possible are on what may be the most important fight in UFC history.
“We knew these guys were going to deliver,” Shanks said. “And we’re going to deliver for them to bring a huge audience to it that night as well.”
FOX’s first foray into mixed martial arts earned generally positive reviews from mainstream news media around North America. The one-hour UFC event saw an average of 5.7 million viewers tune in to watch Junior dos Santos knock out Cain Velasquez and capture the heavyweight championship in just 64 seconds.
Saturday night’s 
LAS VEGAS — The 
Lost in the shuffle of a big event weekend, we may have gotten our answer about whether or not 
The best kinds of movies, like the best kinds of journalism, are not about a subject, but about people. For this reason, describing “Warrior” as an “
The first domino fell just two weeks ago, when the