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CommonShore
Jun 6, 2014

A true renaissance man


Schenck v. U.S. posted:

WME-IMG took on a lot of debt buying the UFC that they now have to service, so I wouldn't be surprised if we see them shed fighters they regard--rightly or wrongly--as a bad value for the money. e.g. Story has been around a long time and can put on a decent show 3/4 of the time, but he's shaken out as a journeyman/gatekeeper in a densely populated division.

The difference of $10k-$15k on show money on already underpaid gatekeeper journeymen is not going to make up four billion dollars. At that kind of capital investment, their main plan would have to be to keep the UFC exciting and keep people watching so that they can resell it - via IPO or whole cloth - for capital gain. These three fighters are actually the perfect guys for that kind of business plan, because two of them are proven finishers and possible future title challengers, and the third is an decently well-known action gatekeeper, which is necessary for building prospects into title challengers. Story got paid $41k for losing to Cerrone UFC 202, and they absolutely got their money's worth out of that paycheque.

In other words, there must be more going on here than an attempt to save a few thousand dollars. We've seen fighters go on and off the roster before while contracts have been in negotiation.

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Nibbles!
Jun 26, 2008

TRUMP TRUMP TRUMP

make australia great again as well please
Yeah, I would have thought if they were going down that road we'd see them chop a lot of the foreign fighters kept around to pad out overseas cards, since they're supposed to be cutting back on overseas cards anyway.

Don't know about resale, but the short term goal is getting a better deal for the TV rights.

CommonShore
Jun 6, 2014

A true renaissance man


Nibbles! posted:

Yeah, I would have thought if they were going down that road we'd see them chop a lot of the foreign fighters kept around to pad out overseas cards, since they're supposed to be cutting back on overseas cards anyway.

Don't know about resale, but the short term goal is getting a better deal for the TV rights.

Yeah I didn't mean in the short term, but rather by keeping its value up that's how they'll make money off of it in the long term. And for TV contracts, how is Rick Story not loving perfect to keep around? He's a legitimate test for any fighter, so it's easy to make good fights for him, and he's a muscley white guy who has a good nickname for promos.

I'd be less surprised to hear that he has retired. The guy has 19 UFC fights.

Skip My Posts
Aug 15, 2005

by FactsAreUseless
they want a huge tv deal like the mainstream sports have, it's funny you think the UFC can be "resold" via IPO

CommonShore
Jun 6, 2014

A true renaissance man


Skip My Posts posted:

they want a huge tv deal like the mainstream sports have, it's funny you think the UFC can be "resold" via IPO

Yeah you're right - I really meant that they'll continue to unload it piecemeal to investors, but IPO is the wrong term for that.

The MUMPSorceress
Jan 6, 2012


^SHTPSTS

Gary’s Answer

Captain Log posted:

It's an old joke from the hit television cartoon The Critic. A flaming parade float slams into a theater showing "Cats."

Jesus, I'd never wish job loss on a fighter.

Take it from me, the world's least funny poster, that a joke generally has to in some way apply to and then make a twist on reality in order to be funny. "Ha ha I made a reference" isn't enough. Shalom.

ROFLburger
Jan 12, 2006
God drat, UFC 209 is looking pretty slick

Ditch
Jul 29, 2003

Backdrop Hunger
UFC posted Korean Zombie vs Leonard Garcia 2, for the three of you who haven't seen it yet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9in4mcVWvI

Skip My Posts
Aug 15, 2005

by FactsAreUseless

CommonShore posted:

Yeah you're right - I really meant that they'll continue to unload it piecemeal to investors, but IPO is the wrong term for that.

yeah that's a guess someone could make i suppose

Skip My Posts
Aug 15, 2005

by FactsAreUseless

Cyber Dog
Feb 22, 2008

Ditch posted:

UFC posted Korean Zombie vs Leonard Garcia 2, for the three of you who haven't seen it yet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9in4mcVWvI

seein sexy carlos in the corner of garcia makes me sad

Matoi Ryuko
Jan 6, 2004


CommonShore posted:

He's an Australian judo dad with a surprisingly good UFC record whose fights tend to be bloody and fun, except for one of his fights, which was one of the worst modern UFC fights I've ever seen. I'm not going to tell you which one it was.

Ah, dan kelly vs smug ugly fat guy. Thrilling!!


Dan Didio posted:

Misha Cirkunov, Rick Story and Lorenz Larkin are apparently no longer on the UFC roster.

:rip: Larkin i'll always remember u. Story was cool and his fight against nelson was so hilarious because of how favored nelson was by the commentators even though he spent most the fight getting blasted over and over

dan hardy: "I'm not much of a nelson expression reader but my gut instinct after watching gunnar lose 4 rounds in a row is that he looks confused."

Dr. Abysmal
Feb 17, 2010

We're all doomed
Bisping doesn't get enough credit for getting rid of Cung Le

Skip My Posts
Aug 15, 2005

by FactsAreUseless

Dr. Abysmal posted:

Bisping doesn't get enough credit for getting rid of Cung Le

yeah great comeback, bisping is so tough

Schenck v. U.S.
Sep 8, 2010
re: CommonShore

As a rule I try not to worry whether something is "good for the sport" or improves the UFC's brand. The sane level of investment in a combat sports promotion company is wanting to see cool fights and fighters you enjoy watching. I like fighters like Story and I'm bothered by the idea that maybe the UFC is trying to move towards a boxing-style model of big money fights between built-up stars and very little else--especially because boxing's bullshit is underwritten by a huge amateur scene that AFAIK has no equivalent in MMA.

So I agree with what you're saying. I wasn't implying that dropping fighters like Story or Larkin is smart business. I think the pressure of interest payments and seeking better TV and sponsorship deals leads to shortsighted decisions for near-term payoffs and cost reduction, and they'll pay for it down the line. A lot of people pointed to how they hyped Ronda and ignored Nunes, which probably boosted that card, but will leave them holding the bag now that Ronda got killed and retired forever.

1st AD
Dec 3, 2004

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: sometimes passing just isn't an option.

cung le getting beat up never gets old

2 fat 4 my lambo
Oct 9, 2003

WEED POOP

1st AD posted:

cung le getting beat up never gets old

one weird trick

The MUMPSorceress
Jan 6, 2012


^SHTPSTS

Gary’s Answer

1st AD posted:

cung le getting beat up never gets old

he almost looks like some kind of realistic animated practice dummy in that gif with the way he's stumbling around providing the minimum possible resistance

1st AD
Dec 3, 2004

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: sometimes passing just isn't an option.

LeftistMuslimObama posted:

he almost looks like some kind of realistic animated practice dummy in that gif with the way he's stumbling around providing the minimum possible resistance

if only he let the punches pass underneath him, neutralizing their momentum

Lord Waffle Beard
Dec 7, 2013

LobsterMobster
Oct 29, 2009

"I was being quiet and trying to be a good boy but he dialed the right combination to open the throw-down vault and it was on."

"Walter Foxx is ten times brighter than your bulb at the bottom of the tree merry xmas"
While Cung Le getting violently owned is rad (love that 1st Scott Smith fight), he beat up Wanderlei and made Joe Rogan cry out in anguish, which is extremely cool.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that Cung Le contains multitudes.

Dogbrisket
Jun 10, 2009


deffo 100% natural

Skip My Posts
Aug 15, 2005

by FactsAreUseless

Lol

Intel&Sebastian
Oct 20, 2002

colonel...
i'm trying to sneak around
but i'm dummy thicc
and the clap of my ass cheeks
keeps alerting the guards!
The Korean Zombie being back and fighting Bermudez should fill me with joy but everything that's happened to the UFC and the world in the interim makes me doubt that love and magic are still real.

The MUMPSorceress
Jan 6, 2012


^SHTPSTS

Gary’s Answer

having examined many photoshops in my day i can tell you that

I.N.R.I
May 26, 2011
the ufc at least seems same old same old to me. but the cards have been better than ever, its been a fairly long time since ive watched a boring card

Captain Log
Oct 2, 2006

Captain Log posted:

"I AINT DYING! Choo choo motherfucker!"
:toot::birddrugs::toot:

LeftistMuslimObama posted:

Take it from me, the world's least funny poster, that a joke generally has to in some way apply to and then make a twist on reality in order to be funny. "Ha ha I made a reference" isn't enough. Shalom.

Thanks for the tip about posting in a forum where everyone is well acquainted with my style (I'm an idiot), I will be sure to reread posts in the future to make sure we talk about stairs.

Skip My Posts
Aug 15, 2005

by FactsAreUseless

I.N.R.I posted:

the ufc at least seems same old same old to me. but the cards have been better than ever, its been a fairly long time since ive watched a boring card

I agree. They haven't seemed to operate much differently yet.

The MUMPSorceress
Jan 6, 2012


^SHTPSTS

Gary’s Answer

I.N.R.I posted:

the ufc at least seems same old same old to me. but the cards have been better than ever, its been a fairly long time since ive watched a boring card

There's definitely still been fights that I fast forwarded through/did something else during, but there hasn't been a card lately that seemed top-to-bottom skippable.

Lord Waffle Beard
Dec 7, 2013
This one on Saturday looks like crap

maffew buildings
Apr 29, 2009

too dumb to be probated; not too dumb to be autobanned
Maybe WME doesn't exactly know what all they're doing running a company that despite being treated like an entertainment property is still a sport. I dunno

threeagainstfour
Jun 27, 2005


Intel&Sebastian posted:

The Korean Zombie being back and fighting Bermudez should fill me with joy but everything that's happened to the UFC and the world in the interim makes me doubt that love and magic are still real.

I agree, but I want to thank you for posting that photoshop of Nick Diaz laying down in the painting scene from Titanic a few pages back. It brightened my day and restored my belief in both love and magic.

Trast
Oct 20, 2010

Three games, thousands of playthroughs. 90% of the players don't know I exist. Still a redhead saving the galaxy with a [Right Hook].

:edi:
Dana said Jones is likely getting a title shot when he comes back. I can't wait for Jones to ruin another pay per view main event when he plows into a crowd of nuns while high on boner pills.

chaleski
Apr 25, 2014

Lord Waffle Beard posted:

This one on Saturday looks like crap

Which naturally means it's gonna own

Tsyni
Sep 1, 2004
Lipstick Apathy

Ditch posted:

UFC posted Korean Zombie vs Leonard Garcia 2, for the three of you who haven't seen it yet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9in4mcVWvI

I'd only seen the end of this fight. Nice, nice.

The MUMPSorceress
Jan 6, 2012


^SHTPSTS

Gary’s Answer

Trast posted:

Dana said Jones is likely getting a title shot when he comes back. I can't wait for Jones to ruin another pay per view main event when he plows into a crowd of nuns while high on boner pills.

I'm hoping he screws up in a more low-key way this time. Like maybe he steals a tricycle from a child and then crashes it into a slightly overfilled newspaper kiosk, running away without bothering to pick up all those papers first. If he keeps escalating we're going to get into a weird kink spiral where he has to do unspeakable things just for us to hate off anymore.

Skip My Posts
Aug 15, 2005

by FactsAreUseless

maffew buildings posted:

Maybe WME doesn't exactly know what all they're doing running a company that despite being treated like an entertainment property is still a sport. I dunno

more likely y ou and all the other armchair corporate finance experts don't know whats going on at all in terms of their plans and operations

Thrifting Day!
Nov 25, 2006

Skip My Posts posted:

more likely y ou and all the other armchair corporate finance experts don't know whats going on at all in terms of their plans and operations

This should end the discussion

Lord Waffle Beard
Dec 7, 2013
They're venture capitalists and are going to flip the ufc and sell it to viacom

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Memento
Aug 25, 2009


Bleak Gremlin

Trast posted:

Dana said Jones is likely getting a title shot when he comes back. I can't wait for Jones to ruin another pay per view main event when he plows into a crowd of nuns while high on boner pills.

Jon Jones has made a fuckton of money from this sport but he's still the modern-era UFC Champion I consider most likely to be living in a van outside a gym by the time he's 40.

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