Affliction Will Go Out of Business: Affliction Has Nothing But Potential
Question: Who said Affliction (the latest MMA venue) will go out of business? And who said it has nothing but potential?
If you guessed Dana White for Question Number One and the good folks at MMAFrenzy.com for saying it has potential, give yourself a pat on the back.
Brash UFC President White boldly predicted prior to Saturday night's Affliction event: "After tonight those guys are going out of business and all [their fighters] will be over here." He went on to say that, while attendance numbers might have been a big success (nearly 14,000 fans), ticket sales and pay-per-view buys were not yet known.
"Cause they spent a lot of money tonight," White explained. "And I know more about this business than they do. If you spend a lot of money and you don't get that money back, you usually go out of business."
Eric Shapiro of MMA Frenzy may believe that Affliction has potential but he also offered up plenty of criticism for the show's debut:
If they have the dough for another show, I dare say that Affliction may very well become a lasting and solid MMA promotion. Lack of quality fighters, money, marketing and know-how have plagued fallen and floundering promotions in the past, but Affliction may very well succeed where countless others have failed thanks to their bankroll, impressive roster (albeit mostly heavyweights), the recent growth in MMA popularity, and, most notably, an open mind which embraces all facets of the fight and fan community.
Now before I go on some fanboy Affliction rant lets lay down the negatives. Affliction indeed shot themselves in the foot by having an extremely poorly produced debut show. The announcing team- atrocious. The metal band- worst idea...ever. The pacing- the phrases "extremely lousy" and "they obviously had no idea what they were doing" sum up my thoughts pretty well...but.
Affliction has nowhere to go but up and trust when I say that the sky is the limit.
Gambling911.com, which had been monitoring odds on Affliction Banned, reports that it was the single most inquired about MMA venue since UFC 81: Breaking Point aired the night before Super Bowl Sunday. And that event - with full results and payout coverage - helped make Super Bowl Sunday the most trafficked day in Gambling911's eight year history until the Kentucky Derby helped break the record by a few hundred visitors in early May.
Results and payout inquiries have been substantial right through Monday.
But make no mistake about it - while Fabio Negao vs Matt Lindland generated some degree of interest, Affliction Banned was all about Fedor Emelianenko. The prospect of this Russian star taking on Randy Couture as part of an Affliction promoted card will thrust this organization into a whole other realm.
Unfortunately, there may be a rather long wait.
Couture told FoxSports.com that a Texas state court is set to rule this week on his contractual standing with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The UFC claims that Couture still owes the promotion two fights as its heavyweight champion. Couture, who announced his intention to leave the promotion last fall, contends that his UFC obligations should end when a non-compete clause expires on October 11. And Couture warned that there will likely be appeals from the losing party which will prolong the fight status.
"When, where and with what promotion - we don't know," said Couture, who exchanged challenges with Emelianenko after the Affliction show. "It could happen in UFC. We just don't know. I want it to happen. Fedor wants it to happen. In some way, shape or form, we're going to make it happen."
A series of MMA bouts UFC 87 and 88 had odds posted on them at Bodog Life
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Originally published July 21, 2008 9:13 pm EST
