CBS Sports Writer blasts UFC and Dana over 151 debacle

[Liquidrob]

http://www.cbssports.com/columns/st...151-proves-that-ufcs-competitors-need-a-union

lol @ the pic

 

[Liquidrob]

White's mishandling of UFC 151 proves that UFC's competitors need a union
By Gregg Doyel | National Columnist
Aug. 27, 2012 8:59 AM ET

UFC fighters are some of the toughest athletes on the planet, but they're scared of Dana White. (US Presswire)

They're suckers, these UFC fighters. They've been brainwashed by Dana White and are too naïve to know it, and it pains me to say that because I love this sport and the fighters who do it. Professional athletes don't come more accessible or honest.

But they don't come more brainwashed, either. That's my conclusion from the fiasco of UFC 151, which was scheduled for Saturday in Las Vegas but canceled late last week because the UFC tried to milk a pay-per-view card out of one marketable fight, and when that fight fell through eight days ahead of time -- and fights fall through all the time -- the flimsy card fell apart.



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White blasts Jones after cancellation of UFC 151
Doyel: Blame White, not Jones


This was the UFC's fault. This was UFC president Dana White's fault.

But he said it was light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones' fault -- and other UFC fighters believed him.

This is why they need a union. That's the takeaway from this UFC 151 fiasco -- not that Jon Jones is a chicken or Chael Sonnen is a gangster. The takeaway is that UFC fighters need unity. They need strength in numbers. What they need is someone to look out for their interests, because Lord knows these guys can't do it themselves.

The back-story: Jones' opponent for UFC 151, Dan Henderson, withdrew last week because of a knee injury. White found a replacement in Sonnen, a fascinating talker who has zero business fighting for the 205-pound title. Sonnen has had two title fights in his past four appearances and lost them both -- at 185 pounds. Somehow a 185-pound fighter coming off a lopsided loss, a guy who doesn't deserve to fight for the 185-pound title, probably ever again, talked his way into a title fight in a heavier weight class.

Bully for Chael Sonnen, but what was Jon Jones supposed to do? Take a no-win fight, a fight that does nothing for him if he wins but sets his career back a year or more -- and the shelf life of a fighter is measured in years, not decades -- if he loses?

And Jones could lose to Sonnen -- not because Sonnen is all of a sudden the most dangerous fighter ever, two paragraphs after I said he's unworthy of this title shot. No, Sonnen could win because anyone can win in this sport, at this level. The gloves are so small, the techniques so violent, the action so unpredictable. Chael Sonnen could do like Matt Serra did to Georges St. Pierre at UFC 69 or like Gabriel Gonzaga did to Mirko Cro Cop at UFC 70 and land a lucky blow and win the damn thing.

Point being, Jones would have been risking everything -- his belt, his reputation, his short-term career -- to take a no-upside fight on eight days notice. So Jones said no.

And the meatheads revolted.

The revolt was led by King Meathead himself, Dana White, who I like very much when he's not embarrassing his sport with a profane or misogynistic rant on camera or Twitter or wherever he goes to lose his mind. White lost his damn mind Thursday when UFC 151 fell through, putting the blame -- all of it -- on Jon Jones.

Never mind that there wasn't one fight on the card worthy of elevating to the main event once Jones-Henderson fell through. Even with Jones-Henderson, UFC 151 was being panned as one of the worst PPV cards in UFC history. Anything can happen once the cage door shuts, but on paper this card was a rip-off at $24.95 -- and the UFC was charging $54.95. Dana White and his partners have grown transparently greedy, putting on cards at an increasing pace, and the results are weak, watered-down shows unable to survive if the wrong fight falls through.

This is not Jon Jones' fault.

None of this is the fault of Jones or his coach, Greg Jackson, who already has been criticized for devising cautious game plans for his fighters -- including St. Pierre -- to lessen the chance of another Matt Serra miracle. Dana White has ranted about that before because he wants thrilling fights while Greg Jackson wants victorious fights. And Jackson, smart man that he is, knew Sonnen would be a no-win opponent for Jones. And Jones, smart man that he is, took Jackson's advice.

And UFC fighters, lemmings that they are, lashed out.

They did exactly what Dana White wanted them to do, directing the blame for the card's demise away from White ... and onto Jones. Some fighters from the undercard even sent Jones self-pitying tweets saying they would struggle to pay their rent and feed their families because of him.

Think about that, UFC fans and fighters alike: Full-time professional athletes in the biggest company in MMA -- some of the best fighters in the world, in a billion-dollar industry -- are so underpaid, so vulnerable, that a single show falling through leaves them in financial straits.

Jon Jones didn't create this system -- Dana White did -- which is why these guys need a union, though they're too unsophisticated to know it.

Fighters inside and outside the UFC are grateful to Dana White, and with reason. MMA was dying when he convinced Las Vegas casino owners Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta to buy the UFC in 2001 for $2 million. Thanks to White's persuasion and business savvy, the UFC is now worth $2 billion and smaller MMA companies are succeeding -- and fighters are appreciative.

But they're clueless, too. They fail to see there's an "us" and "them" in the UFC, and fighters aren't "us." You guys are "them." Lose a fight or two, and you're fired. Other than the biggest stars, the purses are so small that fighters scramble to make rent if something doesn't break the right way, as was the case with UFC 151.

Fighters fight who -- and when -- the UFC tells them, and they earn what the UFC says they will earn. It's a take-it-or-leave-it proposition for the competitors in a sport that crushes bodies and brains, even in training. The lucky ones win enough to stay on Uncle Dana's payroll, though as the UFC 151 card shows, that doesn't guarantee a living wage.

It's a brutal, Darwinian existence, and the UFC controls the gene pool. Fighters, grateful to be in the organization at the lower end or thrilled to be paid so well at the upper levels, are too intimidated or too content to unionize. They think -- no, they know -- Dana White would fire them all and replace them with fighters who would do his bidding.

So they take what the UFC gives, and they respond "how high" when Dana White says "jump," and when one of them refuses to do as he's told -- when Jon Jones refuses to take a no-win fight on eight days' notice -- they eat their own. They tear into Jon Jones so viciously that Jones eventually caves in and offers a wounded apology of his own. Somewhere in his mansion in Las Vegas, or maybe his ocean-front vacation home in Laguna Beach, Dana White stops pulling the strings long enough to smile.

Hey, UFC fighters? You need a union, you meatheads.

And you need to apologize to Jon Jones.

 

[Liquidrob]

I like the cut of this guys jib

 

[Saluki]

I always felt like White was trying to be too much like Vince McMahon

 

[FirstTimer]

Awesome read.

 

[NAHSTE]

Dana is a fucking clown, hope more people call him on his shit.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

The fail of 151 was a long time coming.

The key going forward, is will Zuffa admit the mistake of expanding too quickly with too many shows by cutting back the 2013 schedule, or will they stubbornly forge ahead, trying to serve multiple masters? If they stay the current course, you will see another cancelled show, mark my words. Many of these weak shows are one torn ACL away from the same fate as 151.

Zuffa decided they wanted to be in the TV business when they inked the FOX deal. The FOX deal is very lucrative, but will go up in smoke if they don't start producing numbers. They can talk about increasing FUEL ratings by 1000% all they want, and that's nice, but that's the third tier of the deal. If the FOX ratings don't improve, the deal will die and it will take YEARS to find another one. Networks are a fickle bunch.

People won't watch a network sporting event just because it's "free". Sports at that level has to be quality. Playing the "hey, its free!" card worked for Spike, works for FX & FUEL. Trying to serve the PPV & FOX masters is a delicate balance that they have tried to manipulate, but it has failed. They have to stack the FOX cards, and as a result, they have to cut back on PPV. Running 8 strong PPV's will likely work out equal to running 2 strong PPV's and 12 mediocre/bad ones anyway.

In summary, Dana White sucks. They need to rethink this vision and slow their roll.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

Nobody watches MMA just because its on TV anymore. That novelty wore off long ago. This was a self fulfilled prophecy (trademark FedEx) by putting so much on TV to begin with. They burned out the viewer, and now the viewer will not flock to what they see as substandard shows. The bar is raised, Zuffa fucked themselves here, they need 100% best foot forward for every FOX show, which will cut the nose off the PPV face.

 

[EmpireWF]

Someone say union?

 

[Steel Mamba]

Best UFC article I've read in a long time and definitely nice to see someone from the media with the balls to call Dana out on his BS.

The revolt was led by King Meathead himself, Dana White

lol. I wonder how Dana is going to respond. Probably his typical F-bomb tirade and how no one, other than himself, knows shit about anything

 

[Liquidrob]

 

[Liquidrob]

Someone say union?

I knew the shill would show up...

 

[s@ppisgod]

The fail of 151 was a long time coming.

The key going forward, is will Zuffa admit the mistake of expanding too quickly with too many shows by cutting back the 2013 schedule, or will they stubbornly forge ahead, trying to serve multiple masters? If they stay the current course, you will see another cancelled show, mark my words. Many of these weak shows are one torn ACL away from the same fate as 151.

Zuffa decided they wanted to be in the TV business when they inked the FOX deal. The FOX deal is very lucrative, but will go up in smoke if they don't start producing numbers. They can talk about increasing FUEL ratings by 1000% all they want, and that's nice, but that's the third tier of the deal. If the FOX ratings don't improve, the deal will die and it will take YEARS to find another one. Networks are a fickle bunch.

People won't watch a network sporting event just because it's "free". Sports at that level has to be quality. Playing the "hey, its free!" card worked for Spike, works for FX & FUEL. Trying to serve the PPV & FOX masters is a delicate balance that they have tried to manipulate, but it has failed. They have to stack the FOX cards, and as a result, they have to cut back on PPV. Running 8 strong PPV's will likely work out equal to running 2 strong PPV's and 12 mediocre/bad ones anyway.

In summary, Dana White sucks. They need to rethink this vision and slow their roll.

It's funny that both WWE and UFC are seeing decline in PPV buys, but are reluctant to cut down on them because they think it might be a step backwards and show weakness. So they'll continue to do poor numbers on crap shows. Which makes them seem weaker, because it's concrete crappy buyrates vs. perception of weakness.

I also think it's ironic that if the Fox deal goes south, one of the most logical destinations for them is NBC Sports. Maybe they'll have cards headed by Sonnen, Pettis, Aldo, and Cerrone just for shits and giggles......

 

[EmpireWF]

Just like WWE, the only way UFC cuts down on PPVs is if it's cost prohibitive to run their normal amount. As lobg as they're making money, no cutting.

Thanks a lot Eric Bischoff...

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

Just like WWE, the only way UFC cuts down on PPVs is if it's cost prohibitive to run their normal amount. As lobg as they're making money, no cutting.

Thanks a lot Eric Bischoff...

The argument myself and others have been making is that by running less PPV's, the shows will be better, and do bigger buyrates, making up the difference of doing a bunch of stinkers headlined by your Frankie Edgar's that do 150k.

It would also beef up the FOX lineups, which is paying UFC significantly more than what WWE gets from TV, and is really the golden parachute for what is a slowly declining PPV world. PPV as we know it will be a dead model in a decade.

I would argue against WWE cutting PPV's, because its still the meat & potatoes of the business, and they continue to exploit foreign markets despite domestic numbers declining. If I were Zuffa, i'd run eight to ten PPV's next year.

 

[Steel Mamba]

It's funny that both WWE and UFC are seeing decline in PPV buys, but are reluctant to cut down on them because they think it might be a step backwards and show weakness. So they'll continue to do poor numbers on crap shows. Which makes them seem weaker, because it's concrete crappy buyrates vs. perception of weakness.

I also think it's ironic that if the Fox deal goes south, one of the most logical destinations for them is NBC Sports. Maybe they'll have cards headed by Sonnen, Pettis, Aldo, and Cerrone just for shits and giggles......

I'm sure they're still making more money overall than they would by cutting down on shows. Anyone have stats on total buys for the year vs 2 or 3 years ago?

 

[Steel Mamba]

The argument myself and others have been making is that by running less PPV's, the shows will be better, and do bigger buyrates, making up the difference of doing a bunch of stinkers headlined by your Frankie Edgar's that do 150k.

It would also beef up the FOX lineups, which is paying UFC significantly more than what WWE gets from TV, and is really the golden parachute for what is a slowly declining PPV world. PPV as we know it will be a dead model in a decade.

I would argue against WWE cutting PPV's, because its still the meat & potatoes of the business, and they continue to exploit foreign markets despite domestic numbers declining. If I were Zuffa, i'd run eight to ten PPV's next year.

PPV model will never go away for fight sports, there's just too much money in it. If anything, tons of steps are being made to make it even more accessible than it currently is, so in ten years I see PPV growth in this industry.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

PPV model will never go away for fight sports, there's just too much money in it. If anything, tons of steps are being made to make it even more accessible than it currently is, so in ten years I see PPV growth in this industry.

PPV as we know it will never survive long term, especially at current price points, and especially as consumers become more savvy in illegal streaming.

My prediction is PPV with a middle man disappears, and the big players like HBO Boxing, UFC, & WWE host shows directly to the consumer via their own networks or websites. This will allow them to avoid the 40/60 splits they pay to cab/sat companies, cut the price point to something far cheaper, and keep the entire rake. Everybody wins, and the hope would be that instead of relying on illegal streams, that people will purchase the shows legally at the lower price.

Whoever does this first, the others will follow. UFC has dipped their toes in the water, and WWE is toying with the idea of showing their PPV's for free on their proposed pay network. The model will change, we just don't know exactly how.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

I'm sure they're still making more money overall than they would by cutting down on shows. Anyone have stats on total buys for the year vs 2 or 3 years ago?

I think they were down in 2011 for the first time since 2005. They will be up again this year. That's total buys. Averages are down. They will run the most shows they have ever run this year.

HBO is totally dependent on you know who, or they aren't even a factor.

WWE is down domestically, and dropping steadily every year, but continue to make up the difference internationally with aggressive overseas marketing and expansion.

 

[Liquidrob]

Bellator/spike is setting itself up nicely to be the combat sports network, what's funny is it is all ufc fans

Bellators reality show kicks off next year, the tournaments are going to be stacked, they haven't and will not over spend, plus they have something the others did not have, a huge library of footage to promote with, none of the other shows had that

Throw in K1, a rumor is boxing also and your TNA stuff

Bellator in 2013!