MEDIA & BUSINESS: Picking a future star from every UFC division
Alright, this is the part of the column where I go on a long diatribe explaining how the UFC is currently devoid of major stars, and why this is a problem for all of 2017. […]
SPECIALISTS
MEDIA & BUSINESS: Streaming customers are the real losers in Mayweather-McGregor super fight
After the dust settled, Floyd Mayweather was crowned the undisputed 50-0 king of boxing. Conor McGregor put up an admirable showing and all parties apparently came away from the Mayweather-McGregor extravaganza winners. Well, actually there […]
MEDIA & BUSINESS: Predicting the remainder of UFC’s PPV business in 2017
On August 27, the dust will be cleared from Floyd Mayweather boxing Conor McGregor, and the UFC world will once again focus on promoting…MMA. In so many ways Mayweather vs. McGregor has consumed the combat […]
MEDIA & BUSINESS: The State of the UFC “Money Fight” – what options are out there and how likely is each
If 2016 was the year that the UFC cashed-in on the “Money Fight,” 2017 is the year that UFC has chased the “Money Fight.” Thus far the UFC has been unsuccessful in their attempt to recreate […]
MEDIA & BUSINESS: Why the UFC promoting boxing would be a terrible idea
What a glorious time we live in. The best pound-for-pound UFC fighter is challenging the WWE Universal Champion, while the greatest boxer of this era is coming out of retirement to face the biggest draw […]
MEDIA & BUSINESS: The Pros and Cons of Jon Jones being the Face of the UFC
With one kick to the side of Daniel Cormier’s head, Jon Jones was rechristened the king of MMA, and order was restored at UFC 214. Despite his recent struggles outside of the Octagon, Jon Jones […]
MEDIA & BUSINESS: McGregor letting down the UFC under the bright lights, but is the setback for MMA’s image the big story
Mercifully, Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather are done touring the world to promote their upcoming boxing bout. Unfortunately, the talking points from the tour are focused on the racist, misogynistic, and homophobic comments made by […]
MEDIA & BUSINESS: Dana White undermining his business with his stream of public comments
UFC president Dana White is understandably frustrated with Women’s Bantamweight Champion Amanda Nunes, but his emotional outburst toward her does nothing to help grow his business in a time when star power is a diminishing […]
PRIDE WITH FRESH EYES – PRIDE 2: Marco Ruas vs. Gary Goodridge, Vernon White vs. Kazushi Sakuraba
Well after a bit of a layoff, I am back to reviewing Pride FC chronically for the first time. For a full explanation of why I am doing this, check out the inaugural column. After […]
MEDIA & BUSINESS: Fox shortchanges UFC fans with new video content strategy after laying off writing staff
Imagine a strange world where ESPN, Fox Sports, NBC, and CBS provided no substantive NFL news on their respective websites, while simultaneously broadcasting NFL games on a weekly basis. Well, UFC fans do not need […]
MEDIA & BUSINESS: Did Bellator 180 waste time? How did major media outlets cover Bellator in NYC?
If one word can be ascribed to Bellator MMA’s Madison Square Garden debut, it would be: Unpredictable. While the bizarre fight finishes and outcomes for touted prospects were among the most surprising and newsworthy items […]
MEDIA & BUSNESS: Segment by segment breakdown of debate shows “First Take” & “Skip and Shannon” in the wake of the Mayweather-McGregor announcement
The blockbuster announcement of Floyd Mayweather taking on Conor McGregor in a boxing match has everybody talking, but what are those who are paid to give their “Hot Takes” on cable television saying about the […]
PRIDE WITH FRESH EYES – PRIDE 1: Rickson Gracie vs. Nobihiko Takada, Dan Severn vs. Kimo, Taktarov vs. Goodrich
Pride With Fresh Eyes: Pride 1 What is this? While I realize that it might be dangerous admitting this, but I am completely unfamiliar with Pride FC. As someone who regularly writes about MMA, this […]
MEDIA & BUSINESS: Four ideas to revitalize UFC as a television product including reintroducing a sense of independent journalism, better pacing
The UFC on TV has gotten old. This assertion refers not only to regular UFC programming, but to those who are viewing the product. A recent study conducted by the Sports Business Daily Journal indicated […]
WHAT IF? What if Michael Bisping had beaten Chael Sonnen? How would careers have changed and which fights would have happened?
During 2011, Michael Bisping was on a three fight win streak and coaching the 14th season of The Ultimate Fighter against Jason “Mayhem” Miller. Bisping won the coaches fight and increased his win streak to […]
MEDIA & BUSINESS: Mark Hunt’s lawsuit inexplicably under the radar
At UFC Fight Night 110 the UFC will present a card with one of its headliners embroiled in a potentially damming lawsuit against the UFC. The headliner/plaintiff in question, Mark Hunt, recently struck a major […]
MEDIA & BUSINESS: Comparing the UFC live event business of 2016 and 2017
At the risk of sounding redundant, it must be declared that the UFC is having a down year. However, when most make such a proclamation, they generally refer to the ho-hum fight announcements, underwhelming fights, […]
WHAT IF… Fedor Emelianenko came to the UFC in his prime?
In 2009, Fedor Emelianenko had fought in numerous organizations and was widely recognized as the best heavyweight fighter in the world. Fedor had fought in Rings, BodogFight, M-1 Global, and Affliction, but had his best […]
MEDIA & BUSINESS: An angle for promoting Demetrious Johnson, the most interesting man in MMA
Over the course of a month, UFC Flyweight Champion Demetrious Johnson has gone from the most unheralded UFC champion, to the most interesting man in MMA. The normally nondescript Johnson has been rather outspoken lately, […]
MEDIA & BUSINESS: Did UFC 211 Create New Stars? Evaluating the post-PPV bump for Miocic, Jedrzejczyk, Demian Maia, Frankie Edgar
Simultaneously, UFC 211 was the most anticipated and most newsworthy fight card of 2017. The prelims had fantastic finishes (along with some confusing controversy), the undercard featured two results that likely have UFC brass gritting […]
MEDIA & BUSINESS: UFC 211 being sold on old model, will it work and could it create a new star? Plus reaction to Nate Diaz’s interview
With UFC 211 on the horizon, MMA fans have a pay-per-view to be excited about for the first time in 2017. On paper, UFC 2011 is stacked with potential great fights. If the card sells […]
MEDIA & BUSINESS: Some Suggestions for a UFC-Twitter partnership
Who would have thought that one line in a BuzzFeed News article would have got the attention of so many UFC observers? That is exactly what happened when Twitter COO and CFO Anthony Noto commented […]
BUSINESS & MEDIA: Why YouTube restrictions are bad for all of MMA
The UFC is not advertiser friendly. That is not a statement from a television executive in the mid-1990s, but from the world’s largest video sharing platform, YouTube. While the UFC is a company that primarily […]
MEDIA & BUSINESS: Takeaways from “The 2017 MMA Journalism Report” including how journalists feel about their field, salaries, objectiveness
If you read this column regularly, hopefully you feel informed and entertained and presumably you have an interest in MMA matters beyond what goes on inside of a cage. A large part of that equation […]
MEDIA & BUSINESS: Dana White’s dysfunctional dig for truth coming out of UFC 210 weekend
The day prior to UFC 210 was unbelievable, but according to UFC president Dana White he is the only one to be believed in matters concerning the promotion. This premise would be valid if his […]