cack
03-12-2008, 08:53 AM
Ortiz and others could leave the UFC
By Dave Meltzer (http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/expertsarchive;_ylt=ArD7gUDV6Gwda8uGwMJCCOiMFI14?a uthor=Dave+Meltzer), Yahoo! Sports
The May 24 match between Tito Ortiz and Lyoto Machida at UFC 84 from Las Vegas is among the most important matches of 2008.
Ortiz is a key component of a battle that ends with the last man left standing.
That battle isn’t in a ring or a cage, but a business war for supremacy of the mixed martial arts industry.
Ortiz is the biggest of a host of name fighters whose UFC contracts will be expiring at a time in which a slew of new rival promotions are in desperate need of big-name fighters.
For groups such as Elite XC, which debuts soon on CBS, and Mark Cuban’s HDNet Fights, the key to challenging the UFC’s supremacy in the marketplace is having the right television exposure, the right stars, the right business sense and a degree of long-term planning and patience.
It is generally believed that barring a miracle reconciliation, Ortiz and UFC will part company when his contract expires. UFC will be gambling by airing Ortiz’s match live on pay-per-view. Ortiz is a big enough name to help sell orders. The former UFC light heavyweight champion’s contract calls for bonuses far beyond his $210,000 reported per-match figure, so the feeling is it’s too much to pay without getting market value through heavily promoting his fight.
Read Full Story Here (http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news?slug=dm-freeagents031008&prov=yhoo&type=lgns)
By Dave Meltzer (http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/expertsarchive;_ylt=ArD7gUDV6Gwda8uGwMJCCOiMFI14?a uthor=Dave+Meltzer), Yahoo! Sports
The May 24 match between Tito Ortiz and Lyoto Machida at UFC 84 from Las Vegas is among the most important matches of 2008.
Ortiz is a key component of a battle that ends with the last man left standing.
That battle isn’t in a ring or a cage, but a business war for supremacy of the mixed martial arts industry.
Ortiz is the biggest of a host of name fighters whose UFC contracts will be expiring at a time in which a slew of new rival promotions are in desperate need of big-name fighters.
For groups such as Elite XC, which debuts soon on CBS, and Mark Cuban’s HDNet Fights, the key to challenging the UFC’s supremacy in the marketplace is having the right television exposure, the right stars, the right business sense and a degree of long-term planning and patience.
It is generally believed that barring a miracle reconciliation, Ortiz and UFC will part company when his contract expires. UFC will be gambling by airing Ortiz’s match live on pay-per-view. Ortiz is a big enough name to help sell orders. The former UFC light heavyweight champion’s contract calls for bonuses far beyond his $210,000 reported per-match figure, so the feeling is it’s too much to pay without getting market value through heavily promoting his fight.
Read Full Story Here (http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news?slug=dm-freeagents031008&prov=yhoo&type=lgns)