The Fightin’ Stance News 08.01.08: Break It Down
Posted by on 08.01.2008
WEC has a big show on Sunday with three title fights and we've got your full preview. EliteXC delivered their second primetime special, and plenty has happened in the days that followed. Affliction has another show coming up in October, but who's fighting on it? One UFC star has some things to say about his employer, and it's not exactly positive. All of these stories and more, in this week's packed edition of The Fightin' Stance News!
It's Friday, which means it's time once again for The Fightin' Stance News! As always I'm your host Adam Tool, and unlike some people around here *cough*Lambert*cough* I am pretty excited for this weekend's WEC card. I'll have a full preview of the show later, but first…
El Matador Messes With The Bull
In the last year we've seen big name fighters like Randy Couture and Tito Ortiz part ways with the UFC over issues with fighter salaries. Just when Dana White and Co. figured things couldn't get any worse, now one of their young up-and-comers is speaking out as well.
In the latest issue of FIGHT! Magazine, rising lightweight contender Roger Huerta gives a candid interview where he voices his displeasure at the UFC's treatment of their fighters. While Huerta's situation is very different from veteran fighters like Couture and Ortiz, he does have some similar complaints. Here's an excerpt from the issue, which is on newsstands now:
Huerta is one of a growing number of Zuffa-contracted fighter who feel that there is a disconnection between the company's success and the way fighters are compensated. Huerta's disillusionment with the UFC began when he did press tours for his employer in Miami, Houston, Los Angeles, and London and received a $50 per diem for his troubles. It sounds like a good deal until you factor in time away from training, friends, and family, days often stretch twelve hours or more, and an exchange rate of one UK pound for two American dollars. "Why do you think I don't do PR for the UFC any more?" he asks.
He's also unhappy with the terms of his current contract, but to Huerta, the press tours underscore a larger point: by and the large, Zuffa does not treat its contracted fighters with sufficient loyalty or respect. He argues that many UFC fighters barely make enough to cover their training expenses. He brings up teammate Keith Jardine repeatedly, incensed that a main event fighter is working for ten and ten- $10k to show and 10k to win - while his opponent regularly makes ten times as much.
"The truth is, I don't really care if I fight in the UFC or somewhere else," Huerta says. The fighter says he understands that Zuffa has to keep an eye on the bottom line, but he wants to work, "For a company that is as loyal to me as I am to them."
Essentially what it boils down to is that the UFC and MMA has exploded in popularity in the last few years, and the company is making money hand over fist. Yet that success is not yet trickling down to the guys that are the most essential part of the business.
The Jardine example is a good one, especially considering that when Jardine fought Chuck Liddell in the main event at UFC 76, Jardine earned a total of $20,000 for his win while Liddell made 25 times as much ($500,000). Obviously those two are on different levels within the company, but it still shows the huge gap within the fighter contracts. There's also the usual talk that fighters are taken care of beyond their reported salaries, but that's all speculation and hearsay.
Back to Huerta, it's surprising to see someone that has basically been labeled the new UFC "golden boy" lashing out against the company. According to the article, Huerta has two more fights remaining on his contract. He'll be meeting Kenny Florian next weekend and by all accounts the winner of that fight will be the #1 contender for the lightweight belt. However with current champ BJ Penn looking to move up to welterweight to fight Georges St. Pierre later this year, the next lightweight title fight may not happen until early Spring 2009. Should Huerta win next weekend, it's likely that we won't see him fight for at least another six months. It's also easy to assume that he won't get a title shot until he's been locked up into a long-term contract. The wait could be even longer if the UFC decides to give him the same treatment they did for Andrei Arlovski, who had to sit on the sidelines for a year before he could finish out his contract.
If you're a Roger Huerta fan make sure you order the PPV next weekend, because who knows when we'll see "El Matador" in the octagon again.
Vitor Is Ready To Fight The Law
According to a recent interview, Vitor Belfort has an opponent lined up for the next Affliction show, currently scheduled for October 11th. Belfort stated that he would be fighting Matt Lindland, and the bout would be for a 185 lbs. title. He did not specify whether it would be Affliction's middleweight belt, or one created by WAMMA.
Belfort did suffer a broken hand in his fight with Terry Martin at Affliction's debut show, but he believes that won't be a problem. He said he may have a shorter training camp, but he plans to be at the show on October 11th.
Affliction representatives have yet to confirm the bout so right now nothing is set. Affliction officials have also not yet confirmed the headlining fight between Fedor Emelianenko and Andrei Arlovski.
There are also rumors that Renato "Babalu" Sobral could face Tito Ortiz, but as Ortiz still has a few days left on his no-compete clause with the UFC, this is purely speculation right now. Sobral has requested the fight, but Ortiz would certainly come with a high price tag. Affliction VP Tom Atencio has stated that some changes will have to be made from the first show, and I would think that decreasing the amount of money they spend on fighters would have to be a top priority.
Ortiz's contract expires on August 5th, and by some sort of crazy coincidence Affliction has scheduled a press conference for the following day. Expect more on this story next week.
Ups and Downs in EliteXC
The good news for EliteXC is that their second show on CBS was much better than the first.
The bad news is that not nearly as many people saw it.
Ratings for this past Saturday's live broadcast averaged at a 1.9, which translates to roughly 4.3 million viewers. This is a huge drop compared to the May 31st show, which peaked at a 6.5 rating for the Slice/Thompson fight Executives within EliteXC and CBS expected a drop-off for the second broadcast, but the bad news doesn't end there.
"Saturday Night Fights" ran head-to-head against a replay of UFC 84 on Spike. While the overall rating was higher for EliteXC, the UFC and Spike won the night in the most coveted demographic of males 18-34. Spike totaled 433,000 viewers in that demo, while CBS had 341,000. Obviously the UFC is the bigger brand within mixed-martial arts, and it looks like their counter-programming measure was a successful one. This is especially true when you consider that EliteXC ran a live event that cost lots of money to produce, while the UFC ran a show that was already done and therefore they did not incur any additional costs.
But that's not all. EliteXC printed 8,541 tickets for the Stockton Arena in Stockton, California. Only 3,701 tickets were sold, while 2,871 tickets were given away and 2,023 seats went unused. What this means is that roughly 44% of the crowd paid to be there, translating to a disappointing live gate of $268,715. This is especially bad considering the company paid out $533,501 in fighter salaries.
There are some comparisons that can be made between the "Unfinished Business" show and the debut card for Affliction. Both shows were a huge success in terms of fight quality and fan response. However each show was also a financial failure, although it would appear that Affliction took a much bigger dip into the red. It will be interesting to see what happens in October, when Affliction runs their second event and EliteXC returns to CBS for the third time.
There's one more thing that needs to be stated here: love him or hate him, Kimbo Slice brings in the viewers. MMA fans love to dog on Kimbo for his one-dimensional fighting style and his instantaneous jump to the main event. However, as the old saying goes, the numbers don't lie. Ratings were high for the first CBS show, because people wanted to see Kimbo fight. When he wasn't on the card many of those same people stayed away. It's a similar situation to what's going on in the UFC with Brock Lesnar. Obviously they're two very different types of fighters, but both have entered the MMA game commanding a big salary and a high profile. In terms of ratings and buyrates, you can't argue that they've earned every penny.
Some Big Shoes To Fill (And No, That's Not A Fat Joke)
We've got more news to cover on the ProElite front, as it was announced earlier this week that Chief Strategy Officer Doug DeLuca and Live Events President Gary Shaw have both resigned from their positions within the company. Shaw and DeLuca also have stepped down from the Board of Directors, and will now merely serve as consultants. This leaves two big holes in the front office of EliteXC, which has to be especially difficult at a time when the company is getting ready to ramp up their schedule. Currently they have ShoXC events scheduled for this month and next month, as well as another live EliteXC event on Showtime in September. In addition the company will have their third event on CBS in October.
Gary Shaw was easily one of the most unpopular figures within the MMA community. Most fans had strong opinions of him that stem from comments he allegedly made back when he was solely promoting boxing. In addition he has taken some flack for his treatment of Kimbo Slice, and the perceived favoritism towards the company's marquee fighter. However it had been known for several weeks now that Shaw's role within the organization was being scaled back, so the announcement comes as no real surprise.
What was surprising was the resignation of DeLuca, who had originally served as ProElite's CEO and who seemed to be taking a much more prominent role within EliteXC's promotion once Shaw began to step back.
Both men joined ProElite upon its formation in late 2006, and Shaw in particular was instrumental in the rapid growth of the company. Currently ProElite is the parent company of not only EliteXC, but ICON Sport, King Of The Cage, and Cage Rage. They also operate ProElite.com, which is a community-based website of fighters and fans.
Clearly there some big changes underway at ProElite, and hopefully the company is able to quickly find some capable new employees to fill these voids. In addition somebody will need to step up and become the new public face of the company, especially as the brand continues to grow through their various network deals.
One other suggestion I would make is that it's time to start closing shop on these smaller organizations. Obviously ICON and Cage Rage have big followings in their regions, but if ProElite really wants EliteXC to be the next big thing in MMA, they need to put all their effort (as well as their best fighters) into making it so.
WEC 35 PREVIEWICATION
The UFC's little brother is back in action this Sunday, as World Extreme Cagefighting presents another big night of fights live on Versus starting at 9 pm ET. One of the great things about the WEC events is that there's usually at least one title fight. In this case we've got three, as Brian Stann, Jamie Varner, and Carlos Condit will all be putting their belts on the line. There's also a couple of match-ups that could determine future contenders for the lighter weight classes as well.
The Facts:
-This will be Condit's third defense of the welterweight title.
-Condit is on a seven fight win streak. Five of those wins were by submission.
-Miura has never been submitted.
-411mania currently has Condit ranked as the #6 welterweight in the world.
The Pick: If Urijah Faber is the WEC's biggest star, Carlos Condit isn't too far behind him. When a guy can come into the company and steamroll through all of his competition it's pretty easy for him to start getting a good chunk of the spotlight. All four of Condit's opponents in the WEC have been finished with a submission, but people often forget that he's pretty dangerous when standing up as well. Miura is a tough fighter, but at this time he's just not on the same level as the champion so I'm taking Condit by submission in round 1.
The Facts:
-This is Stann's first defense of the light heavyweight title.
-Stann is undefeated in eight professional fights. All eight wins were by TKO in the first round.
-Cantwell is on a two fight win streak.
-These two met before at WEC 26, where Stann handed Cantwell his only career loss in less than a minute.
The Pick: There's a bit of backlash against Brian Stann right now. It's likely due to the fact that the WEC has forced his patriotic story down our throats for the last few years. Of course it could also be due to the fact that he's so dominant in the cage that there's not much of a reason to tune into his fights. Does anybody really want to see him beat down Steve Cantwell again? I hope so, because that's what we're going to get. Remember: if you don't root for Brian Stann, the terrorists win. Stann by TKO in round 1.
The Facts:
-This is Varner's first defense of the lightweight title.
-Hicks is undefeated in 10 pro fights, and has won his last three via guillotine choke.
-Varner's last loss was to Hermes Franca back at UFC 62.
The Pick: Of the three title fights on this card, this bout has the best chance for a new champion being crowned. Jamie Varner has impressed since coming to the WEC, especially since most people didn't give him much of a chance against Rob McCullough. Much like welterweight champion Carlos Condit, Varner can more than hold his own in the stand-up, but he's much more comfortable getting this fight to a horizontal position. For his first title defense he'll have his hands full with Hicks, who has been described by some as a "Mini-Marvin Eastman." Rest assured that this comparison is mostly based on their similarity in appearance, as Eastman is fairly one-dimensional while Hicks has impressive power and a very good jiu-jitsu game. I think we'll see at least one upset on this show, so I'm taking Hicks by TKO in round 2.
Brian Bowles vs. Damacio "The Angel Of Death" Page
The Facts:
-Bowles is undefeated in five professional fights.
-Page is on a two fight win streak.
The Pick: Right now about the only thing Page has going for him is his awesome nickname. Once the cage door closes though, Bowles will have just about every other advantage. Should Bowles be successful here he'll likely find himself in line for the next shot at the bantamweight belt currently being worn by Miguel Torres. I see this one ending fairly quickly, with the result being Bowles via TKO in round 1.
Micah Miller vs. Josh "The Fluke" Grispi
The Facts:
-All nine of Grispi's fights have ended in the first round.
-Miller is on a two fight win streak.
-Grispi is on a six fight win streak, with four of those wins coming by submission
The Pick: I'm calling it now: this will be the fight of the night. Grispi is an aggressive fighter with a wide array of skills. He's comfortable on the ground or on his feet. Much of the same can be said for Micah Miller. Much like his older brother Cole, Micah has some long lanky limbs that he can use very well in the clinch. I also believe that Miller will have the advantage if this fight hits the mat. There's a good chance that the winner here will find himself next in line for a shot at Urijah Faber (assuming "The California Kid" gets by Mike Brown next month), and I think it will be Miller by submission in round 2.
The Undercard: Brock Larson vs. Carlo Prater Blas Avina vs. Dave Terrel Shane Roller vs. Todd Moore Mike Budnik vs. Greg McIntyre Scott Jorgensen vs. Kenji Osawa
Note: Cub Swanson was slated to face Hiroyuki Takaya on this show, but an injury suffered during training forced Swanson to pull out. The WEC tapped IFL veteran LC Davis to replace him, but Takaya turned the fight down and now it has been pulled from the card.
The Facts:
-Both Larson and Prater last tasted defeat via submission from Carlos Condit.
-Other than Condit, Larson's only other loss was to Jon Fitch.
-While he did lose in their last meeting, Prater also holds a submission win over Condit.
-Avina is coming off a loss to the other man in the main event, Hiromitsu Miura.
-This is Terrel's first fight in 16 months. His last fight was a TKO win over Tiki Ghosn at WEC 26.
-Roller is on a three fight win streak and will be making his WEC debut.
-Moore is coming off his first career loss to John Alessio at WEC 31.
-McIntyre is on a three fight win streak.
-Budnik is undefeated in six professional fights.
-Both McIntyre and Budnik will be making their WEC debuts.
-Nine of Osawa's last ten fights have gone to decision.
-Jorgensen has also gone to the judge's scorecards in his last three fights.
-He is out…again. Reports have surfaced that Jesse Taylor has been released by the UFC for the second time this year, following his loss to CB Dollaway at Fight Night 14. There is also speculation that Taylor's comments regarding Rampage Jackson's arrest contributed to his dismissal.
-In an interview with The OC Register, Carlos Condit said that he wants to fight the best, and he looks forward to making his way to the UFC someday. Condit said, "I know that if I reach my potential, then I can beat those guys, I can beat guys like GSP, I can beat guys like Fitch. I can fight any of these guys. When I reach my prime, it's going to be a scary, scary thing for everybody in the welterweight division."
-Aleks Emelienanko gave an interview with a Russian website where he stated that the reason he was pulled from the Affliction card was due to his medical clearances being late, stating that the laws in California are very rigid. He denied the rumors that hepatitis was responsible for him not being cleared.
-Fabricio Werdum stated that he has signed a new five-fight contract with the UFC, and he is going to be competing at UFC 90. Right now it appears that his opponent will be the debuting Junior Cigano, and if Werdum wins he'll be next in line for a heavyweight title shot. Werdum also seems to be pulling for Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira to emerge victorious from his upcoming fight with Frank Mir, so that Werdum can avenge his loss to Nogueira from PRIDE.
-Officials at DREAM are looking to add Mirko Cro Cop to their next event on September 26th, in an attempt to boost sagging ratings in Japan. Alistair Overeem has already called out the Croatian Sensation twice, but there is a chance Cro Cop could instead be matched up against the country's most hated middleweight, Yoshihiro Akiyama.
-Randy Couture's autobiography Becoming The Natural debuted this week at #33 on the New York Times Bestseller List.
I Keep My Pimp Hand Strong
Sure I'm great, but why not check out some of our other fine writers?
The Jon Stewart to my Stephen Colbert, Jeremy Lambert has your Cardio Freak News.
Dustin James moonlights as an MMA investigative reporter, and he‘s got the 411 Rankings for the Heavyweights.
Now that July is over, the time has come for us to name the Fighter Of The Month.
Reuel Mante makes his picks for the Top Ten Most Exciting Fighters.
Two men enter, one man leaves. You know the law. It's 411 Fact Or Fiction.
Before he makes his first defense of the WEC light heavyweight title, get to know Brian Stann.
In this week's Verbal Submission, Chris Robinson takes a different look at what makes the best pound-for-pound fighter.
8/3 - WEC 35
Live on Versus at 9 pm ET
8/9 - UFC 87: Seek And Destroy
Live on PPV at 10 pm ET
8/15 - EliteXC presents ShoXC
Live on Showtime at 9 pm ET
9/6 - Adrenaline MMA II
Live on HDNet (time TBA)
9/6 - UFC 88: Breakthrough
Live on PPV at 10 pm ET
9/10 - WEC: Faber vs. Brown
Live on Versus 9 pm ET
9/17 - UFC Fight Night 15
Live on Spike at 8 pm ET
9/20 - EliteXC
Live on Showtime at 9 pm ET
9/26 - EliteXC Presents ShoXC
Live on Showtime at 9 pm ET
9/26 - DREAM 6: Middleweight Grand Prix Finals
Live on HDNet (time TBA)
10/4 - EliteXC Saturday Night Fights
Live on CBS at 9 pm ET
10/11 - Affliction II
Live on PPV (time TBA)
10/18 - UFC 89: Bisping vs. Leben
On Spike at 9 pm ET
10/25 - UFC 90: Silva vs. Cote
Live on PPV at 10 pm ET
Let's break it down one time
DJ Spock
This is an album that has been pretty heavy in my rotation lately
Sons & Daughters - "Gilt Complex"
So we come to the end of another Fightin' Stance News. I'd like to thank you for reading, and I hope to see you back here next week when I'll be going in-depth on UFC 87, which is easily one of the biggest cards the company has put on in a while. Until then…
"There's a bit of backlash against Brian Stann right now. It's likely due to the fact that the WEC has forced his patriotic story down our throats for the last few years. "
i don't see a backlash against stann anywhere and i'm a certifiable mma junkie...beyond that, what in the hell is wrong with patriotism? what's wrong with service to your country? has your whitebread middle class life sucked that badly that you have to hate on veterans that sacrifice to protect our borders? you really are a tool.
Posted By: romano (Guest) on August 01, 2008 at 12:40 AM
'has your whitebread middle class life sucked that badly that you have to hate on veterans that sacrifice to protect our borders? you really are a tool'
To be fair he's never had to protect your borders, just fight in some oil rich arab countries for some black liquid.
Posted By: Mick Sw (Guest) on August 01, 2008 at 04:22 AM
easy there romano thats not what he said. he was in no way critiquing stann's service to our country. he was merely pointing out that the WEC mentions it every 5 seconds and that is annoying regardless of what they're saying. i myself have felt small amounts of backlash towards stann. and before you start figuring i have some sort of misguided dislike for patriotism and our troops, one of my best friends just shipped over and 2 others recently came back. i have nothing but love for our troops and have nothing but respect and admiration for stann and what he did for our country. but regardless of that the fact of the matter is that the WEC has far overplugged his service and instead of letting it speak for itself decided to repeatedly hammer us over the head with it to the point that we start to not care.
that is the only point Adam was trying to make and to go off on him saying he hates our troops/veterans is completely out of line and a completely unfair and untrue statement.
Posted By: stronelis (Guest) on August 01, 2008 at 11:16 AM
mike sw
it would be useless having any debate with someone that opens with that kind of childish comment, but i will say this...even if oil were the only reason we were over there (which it isn't), that reason would be good enough...4 dollar a gallon oil nearly crippled poor people, imagine if it was eight bucks a gallon....and yes, our troops are protecting our borders by taking the fight to the mid east instead of them taking the fight to us, in case you have forgotten, we haven't been hit in america since 9/11 and the troops are big reason why
Posted By: romano (Guest) on August 01, 2008 at 11:50 AM
Romano what childish comment did Mike SW make? Are you referring to the childish comment you directed towards me, that he quoted?
I have no idea why you decided to come at me. The statement I made that you quoted was me expressing my feelings regarding the WEC's decision to focus on Stann's military background every single time he fights. Not a single word of my column was an attack on our armed forces. I don't know how you could possibly think I was trying to "hate on veterans."
You've completely missed the point of what I was trying to say, so in the future I'd ask that you actually READ the sentences before you fly off the handle and decide to throw out some lame personal attack.
Posted By: Adam Tool (Registered) on August 01, 2008 at 03:35 PM
Anybody who brings up Jardine's pay is a moron. Jardine himself has said that he makes more than his purse, and that "Dana takes care of us."
Everybody seems to want to speak up for Keith Jardine. Except for Keith Jardine. Maybe that should tell everybody else that he's content and they should shut their mouths.
Posted By: KSti (Registered) on August 02, 2008 at 07:44 PM
