Television ratings low for WEC 47

Despite a fight card that had highlight knockouts, quick submissions, a championship belt changing hands and lots of blood, ratings for the WEC 47 broadcast on Versus were low. According to MMA Junkie, the fights drew a 0.46 share and 373,000 viewers.

In comparison, WEC 46, which featured Urijah Faber in his first bout back since injuring both hands in a fight with Mike Brown, and a title unification bout between Ben Henderson and Jamie Varner, drew 640,000 viewers. 

In Columbus, the fight card was a success. After strong walk-up and day before sales, 8,345 people filled Nationwide Arena, the WEC's fifth largest crowd.

So what is the problem? Versus being pulled off DirecTV is partly to blame, but Versus was off DirecTV in January when WEC 46 pulled in such strong numbers.

Was it the line-up? Though Dominick Cruz and Brian Bowles, the card's headliners, are not the most well-known fighters, Jens Pulver and Miguel Torres were on the card. Regardless of the fact that they both lost, they're usually both popular enough to get people to watch.

The good news is that if you didn't tune in, you still have a chance to see Scott Jorgensen's foot-dangling submission, Cruz taking the bantamweight belt from Bowles and Torres' head getting busted open by Joseph Benavidez's elbow. WEC 47 is replaying on Versus tonight at 9 ET.

In the meantime, we want to know. Did you watch WEC 47? Why or why not? Take our poll and tell us in the comments.

Pearson interview: Momma’s boy not hanging with gold diggers

Fighting your way up the lightweight ladder in the UFC is a rough go and we're just talking about the battles in training and the Octagon. Lightweight prospect Ross Pearson learned a valuable lesson recently about his new found fame. The winner of season nine of "The Ultimate Fighter" discovered that he's much more attractive now that he's got a guaranteed deal with the UFCl.

Pearson, 25, is a low frills guy who still lives at his parent's house in Sunderlund, U.K. So when his girlfriend, around the time he won TUF 9, told him she was quitting her job so he could support her, he kicked her to the curb (5:21 mark). 

Pearson is facing veteran Dennis Siver in Charlotte on March 31. It should provide fireworks. Siver (14-6, 4-3 UFC) is a very solid striker who's already picked up two knockout of the night bonuses. Pearson's striking looked dynamite in his win over Aaron Riley. After TUF 9, Cagewriter wrote that the show produced very little to get excited about. We were wrong. It's becoming more clear that Pearson and Andre Winner simply nullified one another in the TUF 9 Finale. They have both shown good standup skills in their fights since. We'll probably find out by the end of 2010 if either one really has a shot at reaching the top 10 at 155 pounds. 

WEC 47 Ratings: 373,000 viewers

The staff at MMAJunkie are reporting that WEC 47: Bowles vs. Cruz drew an average household audience of 373,000 last Saturday on the Versus Network.

This past weekend’s WEC 47 event on Versus scored a 0.46 household rating and 373,000 viewers, MMAjunkie.com today confirmed.

 

The ratings were down sharply – 42 percent in all – compared to World Extreme Cagefighting’s prior show, WEC 46 (640,000 viewers), which took place in January and benefited from proven draw Urijah Faber and a main-event title-unification bout between Benson Henderson and Jamie Varner.

 

WEC 45, which took place this past December, drew 330,000 viewers.

Payout Perspective:

When you look closely at the situation, 373,000 seems to be in the general ballpark of what we should have expected from this card. Bowles vs. Cruz as a headline didn’t provide many of the casual fans with huge incentive to tune-in, because neither of them are well-known, nor was there any kind of story line told about either one of them. Recent title fights like Cerrone-Henderson and Brown-Aldo didn’t draw that much more; and in both cases you could argue each of those main events was more attractive than WEC 47’s.

However, I also tend to think that this WEC 47 card was over-looked by many in the MMA community, because of the WEC’s imminent PPV debut in April. The great majority of WEC talk in recent weeks has involved WEC 48’s price point, stacked line-up, possible competition from Strikeforce/UFC, etc. There really wasn’t a lot of discussion re: Bowles vs. Cruz until late in fight week.

….

The ratings are probably underwhelming to many within the MMA community, but I think that’s mostly because we’re all used to seeing the numbers the UFC has done on Spike TV in recent years.

It would be interesting to see what you’d get out of a WEC program that aired on Spike. Likewise, it will be interesting to see how the UFC fares on Versus in another couple of weeks, and what sort of impact that might have on future WEC cards.

The five best minutes in MMA: UFN 22 scrambling for fights

Cagewriter is rolling out a new feature with Yahoo! Sports' Kevin Iole several times each week. With the news of Kimbo Slice-Matt Mitrione remaining on May 8 at UFC 113, it leaves plenty of question about Ultimate Fight Night 22 on April 17. There were rumors about newly signed boxer James Toney facing Kimbo. That idea fell through and so did a proposed fight between Mike Swick and Matt Serra. Now what? 

Iole also discussed the issue of licensing an MMA fight involving Toney. Would the Nevada Sports Athletic Commission turn him down? Doesn't look like it based on the recent approval of a fight involving 47-year-old Evander Holyfield. 

Tokyo Five Continues MMA Sponsorship with Gonzaga

MMAPayout.com has received word that emerging lifestyle brand Tokyo Five will continue to increase it’s support of mixed martial arts with the sponsorship of the UFC’s Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC on Versus 1 on March 21st in Denver, Colorado. Gonzaga will wear a limited edition Tokyo Five t-shirt on his way to the Octagon to meet fellow Brazilian heavyweight contender Junior Dos Santos in the co-main event of the night.

Gonzaga now joins other notable MMA fighters like Matt Serra, Ricardo Almeida, Luis Cane, Stefan Struve, Ross Pearson, and Andre Winner as part of Team Tokyo Five.

UFC Primetime: St. Pierre-Hardy starts tonight on Spike

The UFC and Spike are revisiting their popular "Primetime" series to hype UFC 111, coming up Saturday, March 27. In the short sneak preview that was released on YouTube, we learn that Georges St. Pierre can jump really, really high.

The last time the UFC and Spike did "Primetime," it was for St. Pierre's fight with B.J. Penn at UFC 94. Will any training regimen that Hardy does be as cool as Penn running the rock underwater? Probably not, though we may get to see Hardy work on his wrestling in the required uniform. Hilarity will ensue. 

Tune in Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET on Spike. 

MMAterial Facts (03/09/10): Featuring EA Sports MMA Pics

• UFC Signs Distribution Deal With Asia’s ASN HD SPORTS
• UFC announces international broadcast plans for “UFC on Versus 1: Vera vs. Jones”
• Coker happy with Strikeforce’s progress, says company “in this for a long time”
• Gate-fee hike could spur higher ticket prices
• HDNet to Debut New Original MMA Series ‘Fighting Words with Mike Straka’

UFC Signs Distribution Deal With Asia’s ASN HD SPORTS

UFC® today announced it has reached a long-term agreement with ASN, the first 24-hour HD sports channel in Asia to distribute UFC programs in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Macau, Indonesia, Brunei, Singapore, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand.

ASN will officially launch UFC programming on April 10 with UFC 112: SILVA vs. MAIA, a live event taking place in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates and featuring two world title fights. In addition to broadcasting live UFC events, ASN will also feature UFC® Unleashed™, a compilation highlight show featuring some of the best fight action in UFC history as well as select seasons of The Ultimate Fighter® reality television series.

Thomas Kressner, CEO of ASN, said, “ASN is thrilled to deliver UFC, the world’s fastest-growing sports organization to audiences in Asia and with HD production quality, our viewers will not miss a single striking detail.”

“We are excited to sign a deal with ASN and to distribute UFC on this HD sports channel,” said Dana White, UFC President. “Asia is a huge market for us, it has a deep-rooted history and appreciation for the martial arts. We are thrilled to be working with ASN and to deliver the UFC to all of our fans in Asia.”  (UFC) … (MMA Payout Perspective)

UFC announces international broadcast plans for “UFC on Versus 1: Vera vs. Jones”

While U.S. subscribers of the satellite television service are still waiting anxiously to hear if DirecTV and Versus will resolve their differences in time for this month’s debut UFC event on the network, the fight promotion is ensuring MMA fans worldwide will see the event.

The UFC recently announced that “UFC on Versus 1: Vera vs. Jones” will air on a host of countries outside of the U.S., including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico and the U.K.

A complete list of the networks in the UFC’s release is included below. Fans are advised to check their local listings to determine the official start time of the event in their viewing area as not all outlets are guaranteeing a live feed.  (MMAJunkie)

* Australia – FUEL TV
* Brazil – Sport TV
* Canada – Rogers Sportsnet
* Croatia – Nova (website only)
* Denmark – Canal 9
* Germany – DSF
* Israel – Ego TV
* Mexico – Televisa
* North Africa/Middle East – Showtime Arabia
* Phillippines – Balls
* South Korea – IB Sports
* Sweden – TV4 Sport
* Thailand – TrueVisions
* U.K. – ESPN

Coker happy with Strikeforce’s progress, says company “in this for a long time”

“If you really think about the amazing growth of Strikeforce, and this is all the last 11 months now – our first fight was April 10 of 2009 when Frank Shamrock fought Nick Diaz – at that time, I had certain benchmarks,” Coker said. “I wanted to get Gina Carano back in the cage. I want to build our roster and build some of the great fighters that I know are out there and available. I want to get DREAM to come and compete here.

“Fedor wasn’t even in the equation, but for us to be deliver Fedor on CBS, and for that to be a Strikeforce and M-1 co-promotion, I mean, I think every goal that we set out last year, we’ve done that and then some.”

Despite being dark for the first three months of 2009, Strikeforce hosted 10 events during the year – the most ever in a calendar year for the promotion. The Nov. 7 “Fedor vs. Rogers” event, co-promoted with M-1 Global, also marked the company’s first fight on network television.

“The growth has been amazing, and I really feel honored and fortunate to have networks like CBS and Showtime because they’re very vested in this program, and they love mixed martial arts,” Coker said. “Because of guys like (Showtime executive) Ken Hershman, we get to see the amazing fights that Strikeforce is able to put together. If it wasn’t for the networks backing it up, we wouldn’t be able to put the fights on.

“It’s an amazing time for Strikeforce, and I think this year will be another amazing year. Fedor will be back, and I think that the fight in Nashville is going to be another benchmark in having Dan Henderson come.”  (MMAJunkie) … (MMA Payout Perspective)

Gate-fee hike could spur higher ticket prices

Beginning July 1, it’s going to become more expensive for boxing promoters to do business in Nevada.

The Legislature last week raised the gate fee from 4 percent to 6 percent. That 50 percent tax increase on tickets will mean less profit going back to the promoter, and it could mean higher ticket prices as promoters try to recoup some of their lost revenue.

For every ticket sold to a boxing match or mixed martial arts event, 4 percent goes to the state. Nevada Athletic Commission executive director Keith Kizer said that amounted to $2.6 million in revenue for Nevada in fiscal year 2009. By going to 6 percent and using the same figures as 2009, that would generate an additional $1.3 million in revenue for the state, which is dealing with a budget deficit of $887 million.

The money generated through the tax increase will go into the state’s general fund.

“It remains to be seen if it will negatively impact boxing in Nevada,” Kizer said. “This came directly from the Legislature, and it’s being done to help close the budget deficit in the state.”

Promoters will have three options. They can raise ticket prices to cover their costs; they can pay their fighters less in purse money and keep ticket prices the same; or they can move their events to other states where it costs less to do business.

Top Rank chairman Bob Arum, whose company is based in Las Vegas, said he understands the state’s decision.

“Am I happy about it? Of course not,” Arum said. “But … everyone has to realize that money has to come from somewhere to pay for education and for services. Everyone has to pay their fair share.”  (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

HDNet to Debut New Original MMA Series ‘Fighting Words with Mike Straka’

HDNet announced today that it will add the new, original series “Fighting Words with Mike Straka,” to its Friday night lineup. The 30-minute one-on-one weekly interview program will feature revealing conversations with the top stars in mixed martial arts.  “Fighting Words with Mike Straka” is scheduled to debut on Friday, March 26 at 8:30 p.m. ET.  The premiere episode will feature a rare, 30-minute interview with one of the most influential people in Mixed Martial Arts – UFC President Dana White.

In the following weeks, host Mike Straka will present unique insights into the sport’s most interesting personalities including King Mo, Gegard Mousasi, Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos, Matt Hughes, Frank Shamrock and Bobby Lashley.

“This show has been years in the making – I wanted MMA fans to get an unprecedented view, from the biggest names, of what it takes to be in this business,” said Andrew Simon, CEO of HDNet Fights. “The MMA world produces the most intriguing personalities in professional sports and this program is designed to give Mike a full half- hour to ask the tough questions – the real questions fight fans want to know.”

“I am proud to join HDNet as the newest piece of the network’s already impressive MMA lineup,” said Mike Straka. “I am excited about the opportunity to present a side of these amazing athletes that the fans haven’t seen before.”

Mike Straka was previously the host of “FOX Fight Game.”  He has covered MMA since UFC 30 in February 2001 and is widely recognized as one of the first mainstream journalists to begin reporting on the sport.  (PRESS RELEASE) … (MMA Payout Perspective)

IMAGE OF THE DAY

QUICK HITS

• Strikeforce, M-1 Deal Close; Fedor Back in June (Sherdog)
• Strikeforce to offer fourth fight for CBS broadcast of “Strikeforce: Nashville” (MMAJunkie)
• Elkins vs. Ludwig completes 11-bout “UFC on Versus 1: Vera vs. Jones” event (MMAJunkie)
• Brendan Schaub announced as third bonus character for “UFC Undisputed 2010″ (MMAJunkie)
• Ring or Cage, Doesn’t Matter to Shinya Aoki (MMAFighting)
• WEC Star Faber Not a Big Fan of Lesnar (MMAFighting)
• UFC Primetime: Gentleman vs. Trash Talker (MMAFighting)
• NEW UFC PRIMETIME FEATURES ST-PIERRE VS HARDY (MMAWeekly)
• THIAGO VS. KAMPMANN IN THE WORKS FOR UFC 115 (MMAWeekly)
• This Brit isn’t coming: Writer says dump Toney (Cage Writer)
• James Toney: It’s a lose-lose situation for Randy Couture, he’s gonna get KO (FiveOuncesOfPain)

TV LISTINGS

• UFC Prime Time GSP vs Hardy at 10 PM ET/PT on Spike (03/10/10)
• HDNet Fights Presents K-1 Classics (2008 K-1 Max) at 8 PM ET on HDNet (03/12/10)
• InsideMMA (James Toney, Ray Mercer, KJ Noons) at 9 PM ET on HDNet (03/12/10)
• HDNet Fights: Sengoku Raiden Championship 12 at 10 PM ET on HDNet (03/12/10)
• Best of Pride FC at 10 PM ET/PT on Spike (03/12/10)
  

UPCOMING EVENTS

• HDNet Fights: Sengoku Raiden Championship 12 at 10 PM ET on HDNet (03/12/10)
• HDNet Fights: XFC X-Night of Champions at 10 PM ET on HDNet (03/19/10)
• UFC on Versus: Vera vs Jones at 10 PM ET on Versus (3/21/10)
• HDNet Fights: King of the Cage – Legacy at 10 PM ET on HDNet (03/26/10)
• Strikeforce Challengers: Johnson vs Mahe at 11 PM ET/PT on Showtime (03/26/10)
• UFC 111: GSP vs Hardy at 10 PM ET on PPV (03/27/10)
• UFN 21 : Florian vs Gomi at 10 PM ET on Spike (03/31/10)
• The Ultimate Fighter 11 Debut after UFN 21 on Spike (03/31/10)

HDNet Announces “Fighting Words with Mike Straka”

HDNet has announced the debut of a brand new MMA series entitled “Fighting Words with Mike Straka” that will air on Friday nights for the network.

HDNET TO DEBUT NEW ORIGINAL MMA SERIES “FIGHTING WORDS WITH MIKE STRAKA”

 

Network to launch this first-of-its-kind MMA series with Dana White as the premiere guest – Friday, March 26 at 8:30 p.m. ET

 

DALLAS (March 9, 2010) HDNet announced today that it will add the new, original series “Fighting Words with Mike Straka,” to its Friday night lineup. The 30-minute one-on-one weekly interview program will feature revealing conversations with the top stars in mixed martial arts. “Fighting Words with Mike Straka” is scheduled to debut on Friday, March 26 at 8:30 p.m. ET. The premiere episode will feature a rare, 30-minute interview with one of the most influential people in Mixed Martial Arts – UFC President Dana White.

 

In the following weeks, host Mike Straka will present unique insights into the sport’s most interesting personalities including King Mo, Gegard Mousasi, Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos, Matt Hughes, Frank Shamrock and Bobby Lashley.

 

“This show has been years in the making – I wanted MMA fans to get an unprecedented view, from the biggest names, of what it takes to be in this business,” said Andrew Simon, CEO of HDNet Fights. “The MMA world produces the most intriguing personalities in professional sports and this program is designed to give Mike a full half- hour to ask the tough questions – the real questions fight fans want to know.”

 

“I am proud to join HDNet as the newest piece of the network’s already impressive MMA lineup,” said Mike Straka. “I am excited about the opportunity to present a side of these amazing athletes that the fans haven’t seen before.”

 

Mike Straka was previously the host of “FOX Fight Game.” He has covered MMA since UFC 30 in February 2001 and is widely recognized as one of the first mainstream journalists to begin reporting on the sport.

Payout Perspective:

The UFC and HDNet haven’t worked together much in the past, but perhaps this interview with Dana White is a sign of change in the relationship between the two organizations.

Also, note the timing of White’s appearance on the show is one day prior to UFC 111: GSP vs. Hardy. It wouldn’t surprise me if the UFC bought a few commercial slots during the segment to help pump the PPV card (even the April show in Abu Dhabi).

A Night of Heartbreaks (aka WEC 47)

WEC 47 was so hard to watch!

First, there was Brian Bowles breaking his hand right when the first punch flew. Bowles didn’t really seem present in the first two rounds of this fight, and that explains it right there. Surprisingly, Bowles has actually gotten some criticism for not continuing in this bout… which I think would be really appropriate if they were coming from people who had successfully fought five rounds with broken hands. Dominick Cruz’s fight style wasn’t pretty, but it was certainly impressive as he demonstrated nimble footwork and landed punch after punch after punch. Still, the win was probably not quite as satisfying as it could have been had Bowles been less distracted and the fight had gone the distance. And for die-hard Bowles fans such as myself, it was just really hard to watch.

Another heartbreaker was watching Miguel Angel Torres never really show up for his fight. I love Joseph Benavidez, not least because he shares my height (and weight–on a good day), but it was just sad to see Torres so hesitant. Benavidez had great strategy and execution, but one can’t help but wonder if things would have looked different had Torres come out with his trademark aggression and confidence.

But the heartbreaker of the night was watching Jens Pulver get pounded in what may be his last fight. He’s such a good guy and so not the fighter he used to be, but watching him go through his fifth straight loss was just tragic. “I love you all way, way, way too much to put you all through this again,” Pulver said in a post-fight interview. Whether or not he will retire remains to be seen. It would almost have been nicer to see him do so in a blaze of glory after defeating, say, Cub Swanson over two years ago.

It was a good night of fights, but definitely not easy to watch… but I guess that’s how it goes when you get emotionally invested in the sport.

UFC Signs Distribution Agreement with Asia’s ASN HD

Today, the UFC announced via press release the signing of a new television distribution agreement with Asia’s ASN HD sports channel that will put the promotion’s product into markets like Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Cambodia.

UFC® SIGNS DISTRIBUTION DEAL WITH ASIA’S ASN HD SPORTS CHANNEL

 

Las Vegas, NV (USA) – UFC® today announced it has reached a long-term agreement with ASN, the first 24-hour HD sports channel in Asia to distribute UFC programs in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Macau, Indonesia, Brunei, Singapore, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand.

 

ASN will officially launch UFC programming on April 10 with UFC 112: SILVA vs. MAIA, a live event taking place in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates and featuring two world title fights. In addition to broadcasting live UFC events, ASN will also feature UFC® Unleashed™, a compilation highlight show featuring some of the best fight action in UFC history as well as select seasons of The Ultimate Fighter® reality television series.

 

Thomas Kressner, CEO of ASN, said, “ASN is thrilled to deliver UFC, the world’s fastest-growing sports organization to audiences in Asia and with HD production quality, our viewers will not miss a single striking detail.”

 

“We are excited to sign a deal with ASN and to distribute UFC on this HD sports channel,” said Dana White, UFC President. “Asia is a huge market for us, it has a deep-rooted history and appreciation for the martial arts. We are thrilled to be working with ASN and to deliver the UFC to all of our fans in Asia.”

 

Launched in 2009, ASN broadcasts exclusive, thrilling action from some of America’s biggest sports leagues including the National Football League (NFL), National Hockey League (NHL), NCAA college championship basketball and football and NASCAR. Other programs include Formula Drift and extreme sports. With about 20 live games or events per week, ASN brings to Asian audiences more American sports action than ever before.

 

About All Sports Network
All Sports Network (ASN), launched in 2009, is the second sports network from Yes Television (Hong Kong) Limited. Yes TV is a media company which produces and distributes premium sports channels across Asia. Its football network Goal TV, comprises two 24-hour channels featuring top European football clubs and live games from major European leagues. Goal TV launched across 12 countries in 2004. ASN is the newest addition to Yes TV’s lineup, and is the broadcast channel for some of North America’s biggest professional and collegiate sports leagues, including the NFL, NHL, NCAA and NASCAR. ASN is the region’s first 24 hour high-definition sports channel. Together, GOAL TV & ASN entertain more than 100 million fans each season through their broadcast partners in the region.
www.asn.tv

Payout Perspective:

The UFC continues to benefit from Lorenzo Fertitta’s presence as the company locks up yet another distribution deal to continue the expansion of its brand on a global level.  However, I’m also inclined to believe that Flash Entertainment might have had a hand in this deal as well. Yes TV is the parent company of ASN, and the following is directly listed from their website:

Today, the company has offices in Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand and United Arab Emirates, and has key competences in sports content acquisition, channel production, channel management, marketing and distribution.

There doesn’t appear to be a lot of information available regarding the size/reach of ASN, other than the quote at the bottom of the release stating that Yes TV entertains 100 million fans every season.

Truth be told, it’s probably not a huge deal. But when you combine this deal with some of the smaller television deals the UFC has done in China, the Sohu.com deal, WOW in Japan, and One HD in Australia, you start to see the larger picture – it’s all adding up.

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