Affliction signs deal with Golden boy

**Il Loco** · 21-09-2008, 15:03

Further proof that perspective is everything: Affliction CEO Tom Atencio’s announcement Saturday that his fledging MMA banner would partner up with Golden Boy Promotions for a series of mixed-discipline fight cards beginning in 2009 was trumpeted as a “major announcement” by executives.

And it was, for reasons we’ll get to shortly. But MMA fans, spoiled to the gills with loss-leading mega-fights and a steady schedule of three or four-hour events, cried foul. They don’t want boxing infecting their sport, to have ponderous stand-up bouts diluting their free-for-all wares.

It’s a valid argument. Too bad they have things mixed up: Boxing isn’t contaminating MMA. MMA is injecting itself into boxing.

(Sick of the labored medical metaphors? Good, because I’m fresh out.)

As a viscera-loving fight fan that doesn’t give one red turnbuckle about the comparatively one-dimensional sport of boxing and who will absolutely be checking out for bathroom or snack duty at regular intervals during one of these integrated cards, I’m nonetheless appreciative.

This experiment isn’t for me, or for you -- it’s for a generation of ruddy-faced boxing purists who would sooner eat a boiled leather glove before sitting down for an evening staring at the Spike network, crude home of the human cockfight.

Atencio and Co. strapping themselves, Yoda-like, on the back of Golden Boy is a move designed to attract an entirely new demographic to the sport, one that hasn’t yet had the UFC logo practically seared into their brains with a branding iron. It’s a market that has yet to be directly appealed to despite their proven willingness to spend gobs of money when properly solicited. (The May 2007 Oscar De La Hoya/Floyd Mayweather snotbuster yielded 2.4 million viewers, over double that of the UFC’s biggest single-night earner.)

These fans have disposable cash and they like when athletes get punched in the face. An unholy marriage this isn’t.

Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com

Will Andrei Arlovski test his hand
skills in a boxing bout?

Reaching out to ignored (and ignoring) audiences worked very well for the UFC earlier this year, when Brock Lesnar rallied his pro wrestling audience into ordering UFC 81 650,000 times. That’s a record for 2008 likely to be broken only by -- wait for it -- Lesnar’s meeting with Randy Couture in November. It was the rare white flag from the sport, which usually preoccupies itself with a superiority complex and dismisses everything from fake grappling to boxing as spectacles either for mental deficients or elderly men resembling Bert Sugar.

The industry can benefit from this amalgamation, providing it loses a little of that hubris.

Critics mewl about the odd tonal shifts, claiming that boxing will look rigid next to an MMA fight, and MMA’s stand-up battles will look awkward next to a polished set of hands on the undercard. True? Perhaps -- and perhaps boxing fans who have dismissed MMA as a sloppy bar dispute will be interested to see how someone like Andrei Arlovski fares in both areas, as has been rumored. Alternately, their interest in the “sweet science” could conceivably dwindle when it’s mashed up against the more dynamic options available in a freestyle fight.

Dilution? Fact is, out of any substantial MMA event, there are usually only three or four truly compelling bouts out of nine or 10 scheduled. Assuming Affliction weeds out the chaff and leaves its marquee bouts in place, I don’t see any appreciable loss of quality in the proposition.

The idea that someone like De La Hoya would strap on a pair of four-ounce gloves would obviously merge two disparate demographics together. That’s clearly not going to happen, but De La Hoya plying his trade on the same card that Fedor Emelianenko is plying his -- certainly a feasible possibility -- is the kind of synergy that can only help both sports.

If the Olympics telecast can entertain 70 percent of the world’s population by alternating swimming with judo with gymnastics, I think the fight industry can weather a slightly less jarring blend of athleticism.

bron; http://sherdog.com/news/articles/gol...ortunity-14392

Wat vinden jullie hiervan?

**Il Loco** · 21-09-2008, 15:05

En als toevoeging meer nieuws over de verplaatste 'day of reckoning' kaart;

"Inside MMA" video: Tom Atencio says "Day of Reckoning" card could change

by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Sep 18, 2008 at 6:34 pm ET

With the recent postponement of its October "Day of Reckoning" card in Las Vegas to a new January date in California, Affliction Vice President Tom Atencio recently said that the fight card could undergo some changes during the layoff.

Atencio mentioned the possibility during this past Friday's episode of "Inside MMA."

Thanks to our partnership with HDNet's weekly MMA news show, MMAjunkie.com (UFC blog for UFC news, UFC rumors, fighter interviews and event previews/recaps | MMAjunkie.com
) now has an exclusive video clip of that segment.

After WAMMA heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko pulled out of "Day of Reckoning" with a hand injury, his original opponent, Andrei Arlovski, was then slated to face Josh Barnett. The Arlovski-Barnett fight appears as though it will go on as planned, and as expected, Atencio confirmed that Emelianenko will also be part of the January card.

"There are going to be some changes -- not huge changes but definitely changes for the better," Atencio said. "I know that Fedor will be involved again, which is wonderful."

"We're just going to re-evaluate everything and make sure it's the best card and just keep that momentum going from the first event (in July)."

This past weekend Affliction confirmed a new partnership with Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions. The newly formed partnership will include four co-promoted pay-per-view events that will begin in 2009. The cards will feature both mixed martial arts and boxing matches in the same ring.

Although some in the industry immediately speculated that Affliction's postponement was proof of financial troubles, Atencio scoffed at the notion -- especially in light of the Golden Boy partnership.

"The bottom line is that it was a business decision," Atencio said. "It just made a lot of sense for us to reschedule."

"We're in a great position. We're not hurting. Those rumors can go away."

For the full conversation, check out the embedded clip.

Bron; http://mmajunkie.com/news/5315/insid...uld-change.mma

**remco pardoel** · 21-09-2008, 15:43

beste stap voor de sport ooit
Wij kennen niet anders als gala's met MMA en (Thai) boksen op de kaart.
Mensen zullen t geweldig vinden, Boksen heeft een andere impact in de USA als hier. en ze kunnen daar ook geen tien goede shows neerzetten. In combinatie met MMA wordt het altijd een goede kaart en er is meer te besteden

**Il Loco** · 21-09-2008, 17:23

Originally Posted by remco pardoel

beste stap voor de sport ooit
Wij kennen niet anders als gala's met MMA en (Thai) boksen op de kaart.
Mensen zullen t geweldig vinden, Boksen heeft een andere impact in de USA als hier. en ze kunnen daar ook geen tien goede shows neerzetten. In combinatie met MMA wordt het altijd een goede kaart en er is meer te besteden

Ja en het kan een groter publiek aantrekken. Boksfans die eerst skeptisch waren over MMA kunnen nu wellicht over de streep getrokken worden!

En Fedor back op de kaart voor Januarie, ben benieuwd wie zijn tegenstander zal zijn!

**dontmindme** · 21-09-2008, 17:23

Originally Posted by remco pardoel

beste stap voor de sport ooit
Wij kennen niet anders als gala's met MMA en (Thai) boksen op de kaart.
Mensen zullen t geweldig vinden, Boksen heeft een andere impact in de USA als hier. en ze kunnen daar ook geen tien goede shows neerzetten. In combinatie met MMA wordt het altijd een goede kaart en er is meer te besteden

x2

denk dat dit de beste move aller tijden is

**Ronald** · 21-09-2008, 17:24

Net wat Remco zegt: bij ons is kickboksen en mma al heel lang een combi. Nu vind ik de kijkwaarde van kickboksen wel een stuk hoger dan dat van boksen, maar in de USA denken ze daar schijnbaar toch anders over. Ik denk in ieder geval dat dit zowel het boksen als het mma ten goede komt. Misschien dat dit het boksen inhoudelijk ook wel ten goede komt. Het wil nog wel eens gebeuren dat je 12 lange ronden een rustige partij hebt. Dat kun je nog moeilijk verkopen als er net daarvoor net een spetterende mma partij is geweest.