Make no mistake about it: The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is the premier mixed martial arts promotion company on the face of the earth. Perhaps you consider them monopolistic. Maybe even bullies. In your opinion, Dana White is probably an aggressive promoter/businessman/asshole. You may have a point, but the fact remains that the UFC means business and this organization is not to be taken lightly in their business model or their growth strategies. To bet against them will make you the loser.

Having signed a new seven year broadcasting contract with FOX, the UFC is in a prime position to introduce mixed martial arts to a broader audience. No longer can the old psychographics be used to claim that the sport is only watched by testosterone-fueled, barbaric males between the ages of 18-34. The new social research provided on mixed martial arts indicate that college educated, middle class men and women between 18-44 are the new variables in the profile of the sport. Let’s not forget that this isn’t the first time FOX has danced with the UFC. Several years ago, Fox Sports Net aired a live UFC event which generated fantastic ratings. BUT, FOX wasn’t ready to dive in the pool head first. In other words, they didn’t want to commit to a deal. After witnessing the success of the UFC and the dedication of its following, FOX has cannon balled into the pool. This broadcasting deal pushes the UFC across many platforms, not to mention the fact that they have full control over the production of the live events aired on FOX. To put it lightly, this is a highly significant hurdle cleared by not only the UFC, but mixed martial arts fans as well.

The only downside that I have observed over the past year was the departure of Michael Pine, the former VP of Sponsorships for the promotion. He did a magnificent job creating a relationship with two major sponsors during his tenure: Harley Davidson and Anheuser Busch. Not to mention, he was instrumental in bringing in Burger King, Miller Lite and caught the eye of the United States Marines. A mighty work he did perform. Pine left the organization to take a job with the international triathlon company, Iron Man. As expected with the growth and popularity of the UFC and the sport of mixed martial arts, the blue chip sponsors are lined up at the door. It is only a matter of time before we see that Swoosh or those three vertical italicized stripes in the center of the cage mat. Trust me, they are coming.

I am sure you have asked yourself, what does 2012 hold for the UFC? I am sure the thought provoking pundits will say that a new promotion will come along and challenge The UFC or the hype surrounding the Fox deal will fizzle out. Here are my predictions (while it will take others 12 months to get it right):

• Retail growth higher than anyone’s forecast;
• The ultimate fan experience at live events; and
• A broad and positive impact on society, in particular those who think the participants of the sport and its fans are meat heads.

In closing, we are all witnesses to the unlimited possibilities of the UFC. No longer should we question ourselves with what it stands for, or better yet, what we want it to stand for. There will always be differences of opinion on how the UFC conducts business and how will they deliver their product to the novice fan, as well as the diehard fan. One thing we all can agree on is this simple truth: the UFC has a track record of intensive growth and it is not slowing. The focused strategy of the promotional management team has proven to all of us that they are pretty good at what they do. Market development, product development, and offering a new experience to new fans are part of a strategy that is already in place. Growth is on the horizon. The anticipated risks have been calculated and any obstacle will be overcome. The only question that remains is this: How long will you remain in doubt?

The UFC, A Growing Juggernaut from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to speak at length with Teague Michael Egan, who was rather receptive to speaking to me on the record.  After letting the media talk for the past week or so, Egan was ready to tell his story.  Egan was home for the Thanksgiving holiday, and was not taking a break from trying to build his company, 1st Round.  In fact, he was headed to Pine Crest High School, one of the two high schools in South Florida that he attended prior to enrolling at USC.  Pine Crest has an exceptionally talented basketball program; University of Kentucky freshman Brandon Knight is a graduate of Pine Crest.  Later that day, Egan planned on visiting St. Thomas Aquinas, the second South Florida high school he attended.  He was on the school’s golf and track team; St. Thomas is known nationwide as having one of, if not the, toughest football programs.

Egan was born on July 6, 1988, making him 22-years-young at the date of this article being published.  I believe that Egan felt comfortable speaking with me, as I had also started my own sports agency at the age of 22, as an undergraduate at the University of Florida.  The following contains the parts of our discussion that have not yet been mentioned.

Darren Heitner: Why did you transfer from Pine Crest to St. Thomas Aquinas in high school?

Teague Egan: I transfered from Pine Crest to St. Thomas Aquinas in my Junior Year.  My brother [Riley Egan] wanted to transfer because St. Thomas had a much better track team, which ended up winning the state championship after the transfer.  I was and still am very close with my brother, and I wanted to go where he went.  My brother runs the Pictures Division of 1st Round.

Heitner: What gave you the idea to start 1st Round?

Egan: I was in between businesses.  I had started a couple businesses in high school and college.  These were big business ideas.  I felt like like I was over my head, though.  I had just pledged a fraternity called Phi Psi.  Sterling Brewster was in my pledge class; he became a partner in 1st Round.  A couple of football players also pledged the same fraternity.  Daniel Harper, Everson Griffen (drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the 4th round, but Egan referenced him as a projected 1st round pick), Spencer Spiegel, and Jordan Campbell all pledged with me.  I became great friends with Everson, Daniel, and Jordan.

In the Spring of Sophomore year, I went to Jordan and said that should start a business.  I came up with the name “1st Round” because a lot of my boys were going to be drafted in the 1st Round, and I thought it was cool.  I grew up with signed helmets, footballs, and jerseys all over my room.  I played 5 sports in high school.  I had season tickets to the Heat and Dolphins.  I loved sports.

I started throwing parties with Jordan.  We went head-to-head with 28th Street Entertainment (Egan stated that this was USC’s top nightlife promotion group).  We threw an entire party for free, but negotiated a huge percentage of the bar.  We provided free transportation to club, free admission, and blew 28th Street out of the water.  The party was packed with hundreds of kids from USC, UCLA, and LMU.  We lost money on the party, but 1st Round Entertainment was officially established.  I was busy throwing parties, having great times with friends, and had an “in” with all the cutest girls.  All of Jordan’s friends on the USC football team started coming to my parties as well.

That summer, I was up on Nantucket Island on the beach hanging out on the 4th of July.  One of the guys I brought out to the beach was the best freestyle rapper I knew.  It suddenly hit me that that I wanted to start a record label.  At the time, I was questioning the success of 1st Round Entertainment, because I was throwing fun parties, but losing money.  But I  had a good name.  I started the record label and signed Sam Adams (the freestyler who accompanied him to the beach).

I first named my record label “Lazy Boy Records.”  I decided to change it, though, and make all of my companies reflect the 1st Round Brand.  I made the decision to do so after reading a book about branding that was written by Richard Branson.  I liked the whole “Virgin” idea and keeping everything under the same brand.  In the near future, I will be doing a management deal with Lady Gaga’s management, for Sam Adams.

Anyway, when Jordan transferred to Louisville, we started the sports agency.  The division is far bigger than negotiating 3% for the athletes we represent.  We want the sports division to be the next Nike.  We don’t want to just deal with contract negotiation.  Instead, we want to manufacture merchandise and apparel.  I structured 1st Round after Nike.  Nike has the swoosh, 1st Round has the wings; easily identifiable.  The slogan is also based after Nike.  Theirs – “Just Do It” vs. ours – “Go Higher” – everyone can identify and relate to it.

Heitner: But it does seem like you also want to represent athletes, no?

Egan: I officially became certified by the NFLPA on October 1, 2010.  My Nike goal is down the road.  I want 1st Round to be a “full service sports franchise.”  The word “agent” has such a negative connotation.  We will provide anything the athlete can want.  I want to do a lot of athlete branding.

Heitner: What is the make-up of your company?

Egan: I structured my company with 6 different divisions.  Each division has a different President.  I also incorporated the “crossover effect,” where each division can help out the others.   Sports, records, pictures, entertainment (parties, but I eventually plan to own restaurants, clubs, entertainment venues), capital, and philanthropic.

Heitner: Tell me a little more about your capital division.

Egan: This division began based on my and my dad’s background.  I have has several investments in many fields, stocks and bonds (he says that Apple is his biggest holding), money in BlackRock, global allocation funds.  The main area that I am looking at is venture capital and investments into small, upcoming businesses that have huge potential for growth.

Heitner: What are your thoughts on what has been written about you thus far?

Egan: What I have done is almost revolutionary. I have gone into unchartered waters. I am one of, if not the youngest certified agent, and I am an undergraduate student at a university.  Everything that has happened is absolutely ridiculous.  It is such a unique situation.  The rules are in place to prevent people like Cam Newton from getting $180,000 or Reggie Bush from having houses bought for his parents, not to prevent students from getting rides in golf carts from other students.  They try to stress “student” coming before “athlete” in almost everything.  If you want to claim that, then I am a “student” first and then an “agent”.  Call me a “student-agent.”

Heitner: People are calling out the NFLPA for granting you certification while you are a still a student.  What do you have to say about that?

Egan: Athletes should be able to have whoever they want represent them, as long as the person has experience and capability to represent properly. The fact that I am a student should not prevent me from representing an athlete. If a student has sufficient negotiating experience that meets the qualifications the NFLPA deems acceptable, there is no reason he should be denied.  I am a born negotiator.  I have a lot of negotiating experience.

Heitner: What about the criticism regarding Jordan Campbell, a current student-athlete, being a part of your organization?

Egan: Jordan never actually signed the LLC documents.  I believed that it was a bad idea and a potential conflict.  I am going to wait until after his eligibility to make him an official partner.

Heitner: What is your plan for 1st Round Sports in the immediate future? Are you going to wait until the criticism subsides before you go out and recruit players?

Egan: Now that this all happened, I have to watch myself and stay within the rules even tighter, but I am not going to sit back.  The #1 thing was to make sure that my friends did not get hurt.  Now that they are back and reinstated, I feel free to talk with the media.  I will be putting the golf cart up on Ebay and will have some of the proceeds go back to USC Football.  I am looking at baseball and basketball on top of football, and already represent an MMA fighter (Ryan McMahon) and have connections to the UFC.

Heitner: What about the threat of getting in trouble for rules violations?

Egan: Rides to clubs, free entry to clubs, and golf rides around campus were given to everybody.  There was no special treatment being given to athletes.

Heitner: What kind of advice would you like to give people who dream of becoming sports agents?

Egan: It’s all about relationships.  How is anyone supposed to be a sports agent if he is not friends with the athletes and is some random 30 or 40 year old guy?  It is all about trust.  I have amazing relationships with the guys.  They know and trust me.  It’s not the grades you make, it’s the hands you shake.

Interview With The Agent: Teague Egan from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

In 2008, Forbes magazine valued the UFC/Zuffa LLC at 1 billion dollars. Since then, according to an interview UFC President Dana White did with the Indianapolis Star, that figure has nearly tripled with White estimating that the company is now worth around the 2.5 billion dollar range. This is an impressive growth margin for a company that has generally stuck to the same game plan over the last few years. If these numbers are indeed correct, it speaks volumes about the growth the sport has incurred in a short amount of time. The main difference I see in the UFC from 2008 is how boldly they have expanded. Selling a 10% share in the company to Flash Entertainment of Abu Dhabi to be able to properly position themselves in the Middle East and Asia must have been a wise investment, even though it is hard to gauge from here in the states.

Expansion to countries such as Germany, Australia, and Canada has been overwhelmingly positive upon first glance, and has no doubt been a success financially. The UFC is almost like a rock and roll band going on tour and winning over fans. Every new market it hits seems to be conquered by the hype and the trickle-down effect; it is undeniable.

It would be nice to see hard numbers to back up White’s claims, but even if he is exaggerating by a half billion, to have your company double in growth in 2 years is impressive. White agrees:

“The company is worth about $2.5 billion… I’ve been saying this since day one, and people really thought I was a lunatic, that this could be the biggest sport in the world. What I am surprised about is how fast this has happened. We haven’t even scratched the surface for how big this thing is going to be. I don’t consider us mainstream yet. Mainstream, to me, is if you walked out into the main street of any major city in America and asked them what “American Idol” is. Everyone can tell you what “American Idol” is. Not everyone can tell you what UFC is…Any time we go to a new market, it’s so much fun. When those [fans] leave, they will go infect another 10 to 15 people with what they saw there that night. That’s how this whole buzz keeps rolling. I call it spreading the virus.”

It should also be noted that White admitted that the company was 44 million dollars in debt at one point, which goes to show the business savvy behind the obvious muscle the UFC usually flexes in their dealings. When I see a company turning losses of that magnitude into substantial gains, it shows me that mistakes were made and then corrected and learned from.

It remains to be seen how high the ceiling is for the UFC. Will they ever reach the mainstream like White hopes for? I am inclined to think so, but that could be the fan in me hoping everyone else joins the party. Realistically, it is much easier to market the singing hopefuls of American Idol to the country than two guys fighting each other, but if the UFC can sustain their growth, they will be knocking on the door in no time.

Please post any questions or comments you may have and don’t forget to follow me on twitter @zachlipari.

The UFC Boasts Big Earnings from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

MMA’s biggest agent (and SAB interviewee), Ken Pavia along with the up-start Bellator fighting promotion have been sued by UFC parent company, Zuffa LLC. The suit alleges that Pavia passed along trade secrets and confidential Zuffa documents to upstart MMA promotion Bellator. Zuffa believes that Bellator used these documents to help run their business. Bellator is named as a co-defendant in the suit, as well as other unnamed individuals and corporations that Zuffa alleges participated in breach of contract.

Yahoo Sports Writes:

According to the suit, filed Wednesday in Clark County District Court, Pavia delivered confidential contracts, including fighter agreements, to Bellator after being asked to do so in a July 4 email to him from Bellator founder Bjorn Rebney…

An email which Zuffa’s lawsuit alleges is from Rebney to Pavia on July 4 was attached as an exhibit to the 16-page suit. In it, Rebney writes, ” … You’ve been great about sending us ‘All’ of the seminal docs from the UFC, so that we can re-do them and implement them for Bellator.”

Later, the email Zuffa alleges to have been written by Rebney continues, “Please list each in terms of what it is for and how the UFC uses them/implements them. … Then I’m going to have our team Monday re-type them and we will sufficiently alter them such that they will appear to be ours and not theirs.”

The response that is purported to have come from Pavia is brief and says, in its entirety, “Still I (sic) vegas. May take 24 hours to organize as some forms go to the guys in my office.”…

According to the suit, “The improper disclosure of Zuffa’s operations documents and confidential information by Pavia, MMA Agents, and the Doe and Roe Defendants constitutes a distinct act of dominion wrongfully exerted over Zuffa’s personal property.”

It further states, “The improper use by Bellator of Zuffa’s operational documents and confidential information in order to conduct its competing business operations constitutes a distinct act of dominion wrongfully exerted over Zuffa’s personal property.”

Zuffa seeks actual and punitive damages and a permanent injunction barring Bellator or Pavia from using Zuffa’s assets, including its intellectual property.

One can’t help but wonder why someone would go against the UFC in any way. If there is one characteristic of the way the UFC does business, it is that they have a ton of pride and much like their fighters, would enjoy nothing more than to beat their adversaries into submission. I would also venture to say that agents dealing with the UFC in the future will probably be subject to stricter rules and scrutiny as a result of this alleged oversight by Mr. Pavia. Hopefully this doesn’t close the doors of Bellator, since I happen to think they are a great minor league fight promotion with a lot of potential.

Please post any questions or comments you may have below and don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @ZachLipari

MMA Agent Ken Pavia Sued by UFC from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

This past Saturday, World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) staged their first pay-per-view event, live from Sacramento, California. The event was a huge success given the fact that the last few weeks had seen disappointing main events put on by the UFC, and all out chaos by Strikeforce on national television. The event sold for $44.95, which some people thought was a steep price given the cache of the organization and the fact that their fighters are nowhere near the UFC, so why should consumers pay UFC prices? What viewers got was a night full of exciting fights and remarkable performances that showcased fighters who are hungry to make a name for themselves. 150-200k pay-per-view purchases have been reported since the event aired, which I would think has to be considered a success in addition to a solid foundation to build off of. This event was different from past WEC events; however, and it also may have signaled a sign of things to come for the organization.

WEC was purchased by UFC parent company, Zuffa LLC in December of 2006. After the merger, the WEC quickly dissolved their heavier weight classes to focus on lighter weight classes. To the MMA fan, the WEC is a smaller version of the UFC with divisions such as Bantamweight, Flyweight, and Featherweight – with only lightweight as a cross-over division with the UFC. Speculation of a full merger with the UFC to absorb all of the weight classes has persisted since the purchase, but until this past weekend, it seemed unfounded.

This WEC event was widely marketed by the UFC and featured a slew of UFC staples to its broadcast to further tie the companies together. Missing was WEC signage and promotions, giving way to vague terminology such as “the organization” when referring to the WEC. UFC commentators, fighters, ring announcers, and prelims aired on Spike TV, the home of the UFC (Verus carries WEC events). All signs point to an eventual merger of the organizations, which I believe would give the UFC more flexibility in putting on more events, but I also think it makes it more difficult from a fight booking standpoint to accommodate all divisions and fighters as frequently as the UFC is used to.

There is a ton of talent in the WEC. As demonstrated Saturday, with the level of excitement in every fight, the lighter weight classes provide high energy bouts with seemingly no slowing down – exactly what the fans pay to see. UFC President, Dana White acted as the sole promoter of the event, and it is my belief that they have set themselves up quite nicely in building a name and reputation for the WEC before it is eventually folded into the UFC. If the merger of the WEC into the UFC were to happen, it would provide a greater opportunity for fighters as well as fighter managers and agents to have a better chance of getting a piece of the UFC pie with an increased talent pool. As of now, there is no timetable for something like this to happen, but I would look for a move to be made sooner rather than later, especially if the WEC continues to perform the way it has.

Click here to watch a video of Dana White discussing the WEC.

Please post any questions or comments you may have and don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @ZachLipari

WEC = UFC? from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

The first MMA blog I did for Sports Agent Blog dealt with the fallout from a disappointing main event and how it affects the sports as a whole. The UFC is the 800 pound gorilla of MMA and when something happens on the biggest stage in the sport, people react. Imagine a Superbowl where one team shows up seemingly only to taunt the other team and not do what is necessary to win. People would be outraged, and rightfully so, have they no sense of humility or respect? Such was the case this past weekend with the main event at UFC 112: Invincible, from Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

I have documented how important global expansion is for the UFC and how Flash Entertainment of the United Arab Emirates purchased a 10% stake in the company to be able to bring it to their side of the world and introduce it to a new audience. Expectations were higher than ever with an arena being built specifically for the UFC to be able to properly showcase the sport. The night featured two title defenses and a slew of other good fights to try to put on the best show possible. The first main event pitted Lightweight Champion, BJ Penn against number one contender, Frankie Edgar. The fight went the distance to a decision that awarded Edgar the belt, with one judge scoring the fight 50-45, or every round for Edgar, which was clearly not what happened. Controversy aside, the fight was kind of boring from the standpoint that we’re used to seeing more out of Penn, which had people clamoring for an exciting main event; Demian Maia against Middleweight Champion, Anderson Silva.

I was skeptical of this fight before the event started. I’ve seen Silva shrug of Jujitsu specialists in the past, not taking them seriously, and that leads to five rounds of wanting more. This time was a little different. Silva wasn’t as aloof as in the Thales Leites fight, but instead, he was downright disrespectful, taunting his opponent with curses and showboating that would make Chad Ochocinco embarrassed. When Silva did engage, he was brilliant, but it seemed that he became bored and instead of finishing the fight to get it over with, he threw on his cruise control in the 3rd round and never looked back. Imploring Maia to fight with him, then seemingly running away when he tried, made people angry fast.

Silva won a decision even though he didn’t act like a champion, and the night with so much promise that was to lead the UFC into the Middle East, ended in a chorus of boos – hardly the way UFC President Dana White and the rest of the MMA world had expected. This fight marked the first time White walked out on a main event and handed the championship belt to the fighter’s manager instead of presenting the fighter with it himself. In the post-fight press conference, White dove right into the subject stating, “I don’t think I’ve ever been more embarrassed in the ten years of being in this business.” He then went on a rant that was ultimately more exciting than the fight, which I personally think is a good quality of a league official instead of taking a hard PR stand to actually talk to the viewing public and press as he is a fan as well is refreshing, and leads me to believe something will get done to insure that the fans don’t get screwed again.

I personally think Anderson Silva should vacate or be stripped of his Middleweight belt and be left to fight in either the Light-Heavyweight or Heavyweight division, since he is clearly bored with the Middleweight competition to the point where the fights aren’t competitive. Silva is widely considered the best fighter in the sport, and for the UFC this is a huge problem in advancing their product. Lebron James isn’t going to look across the floor at the Knicks and think that he is so much better that he resorts to trick shots and showboating. He respects his sport and is going to put up a 50 point triple-double and remind everyone how good he is. I respect that the UFC won’t stand for this, but it makes one wonder how much damage has been done to the trust of the viewing public that feel cheated by the events of UFC 112. I know personally, since I had the event double as the house warming party for my apartment, that people were annoyed and upset by the end of it – something that was embarrassing for me so I can only imagine how bad Dana White wanted to just run and hide after that fight, and I commend him for making the statements afterwards. Hopefully something will get done from a fight booking standpoint, because although every fight can’t be a classic, the main event should at least be competitive.

Anderson vs Fedor anybody?

View the video of Dana White’s post fight press conference here.

Please post any questions or comments you may have and follow me on Twitter @ZachLipari

UFC 112: The Aftermath from Abu Dhabi from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

I arrived at the venue at 8pm, in time for the 2nd fight of the preliminary undercard. To my surprise, the venue was essentially packed at this point, which was great to see since in Vegas, the undercard fights always look deserted. I was told to expect a raucous crowd, but couldn’t have been more surprised when I was walking to my seats in eerie quiet as they were watching the intricacies of the fight with the occasional ooh and ahh. This type of viewership lasted all night, with the exception of a few people that should have just went to a boxing fight, because they couldn’t bare to watch the fight go to the ground, ever. I became a little fed up with these people for the constant booing, especially when the fighters were working and advancing their positions.

The undercard fights left a little to be desired and everyone in the crowd was now looking to the main events to inject some life into the building. The first main event was Shane Carwin against former Heavyweight Champion, Frank Mir, for the interim heavyweight championship. Since Brock Lesnar had been sidelined for so long with his intestinal issues, these men were competing to determine who would face Brock when he returns in July. At this point, the building got electric. The fans saw Brock take his seat ringside and anticipation built for what was about to happen. The fight was quick but it was exciting. Carwin defeated Mir after only about 3 minutes with heavy strikes that not even Lesnar could withstand. The crowd was going nuts and then we witnessed the next main event, Welterweight Champion, Georges St. Pierre against fast rising star, Dan Hardy.

The entrances for the fighters were almost as exciting as the fights themselves as, aside from the occasional video package hyping the fight, there wasn’t much else to engage you. Everyone was on their feet for the main event. St. Pierre essentially man-handled Hardy throughout the fight, but Hardy displayed the kind of toughness and resolve that will win fans over and gain him respect. The fight went the distance, all five rounds, and St. Pierre retained his belt. I found this fight to be extremely exciting, but other fans that had been in their seats for 6 hours were looking for a bit more fireworks, and once again, booed. All I have to say to them is I am glad they’re not around me when I watch on TV, because man are they annoying.

All in all, the experience was great. I did feel that the UFC could make more of a show of the night, but I still haven’t come up with the solid ideas necessary on how to improve their live product. I would describe going to the fight in person like going to a concert with a lot of opening bands you haven’t heard of but you finally get your pay off in the headlining act. Or for you sports guys, it’s like going to a backwards pre-season NFL game with the starters coming in for the 4th quarter. I would recommend this experience if you ever have the chance, but the price wasn’t cheap and I could see how someone who was more of a casual fan could have been disappointed. I hope this event helps get MMA legalized in New York. The night was sold out and I didn’t notice anything negative or out of the ordinary happen with the crowd at any point, so I don’t really see what’s holding them back, especially in such a big market. I will keep an ear to the situation and update you guys accordingly.

Please post any questions or comments and follow me on twitter @Zachlipari.

What it is Like at a UFC Event – UFC 111 from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

“It would be a huge benefit to us if mixed martial arts became an Olympic sport,” White said. “It would create instant awareness around the world, and it would be huge.

“I would support it 100 per cent. I personally am not out there trying to get mixed martial arts as an Olympic sport … but if it popped and they said, ‘Yes, we’re thinking about it,’ I would go guns ablazing and try to make it happen.”

I think it would be great to see MMA as an Olympic event. It would legitimize the sport while showing that the IOC cares about staying current and fresh. My concerns are that on such a big stage, people will certainly condemn the sport for being too violent, unless there are rule changes, which I would almost guarantee there would be if something like this was to happen. If MMA was to become a Olympic sport, but modified to IOC rules, I don’t see Dana White being as supportive then. What I would like to see in the meantime is some of the higher level fighters competing at their strongest discipline for their country. How cool would it be to see George St. Pierre suit up for Canada against the American, Jon Fitch in a pure wrestling match? Something like that would be great to watch and could still serve to legitimize the sport, since it would be obvious to people who think that UFC fighters are just brawlers, that these men are unbelievably skilled, trained athletes.

Please continue to post any questions or comments you may have and don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @zachlipari.

MMA a Future Olympic Sport? from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Dana White describes the new UFC Gym as not being a “fighters gym.” What he means by this is that people who might be interested in learning Muay Thai kick boxing but may be intimidated by going to a Muay Thai gym can feel comfortable learning at the UFC Gym, where they can learn with other people who are taking a more casual approach, as well. With an Octagon available for classes as well as more unconventional training such as the “caveman workout,” which involves truck tires and sledge hammers, this gym seems to have all of its bases covered for every commitment level. Also, where I think the gym will thrive is with its youth training section geared towards kids, which involves the technology to keep things interesting for them while learning martial arts and practicing fitness.

I happen to think this is a great business venture for the UFC from both a fan’s perspective as well as a business perspective. Capitalizing on a niche market in a multi-billion dollar per year industry isn’t always an option, and I think the UFC has done a great job recognizing the need for something like this. A spokesperson for the UFC has gone on record stating that they hope to open as many as 10 of these gyms nationwide in 2010 with possible locations in Toronto and Hawaii.

As I am writing this, I wonder if the NFL possibly missed out on an opportunity to throw its hat into the fitness industry. I think that the UFC is in a special place because while working out like a UFC fighter can sound pretty intense, starting at a beginner level is more interesting and useful towards fitness than anything else. It is hard for me to picture NFL combine training at anything less than full speed for people looking for a little bit of a change to their normal routines. The NFL, I suppose, is better suited with programs such as Play 60 which is geared towards children, or player-run football camps, but I do believe with the right business plan could possibly make a splash if they ever wanted to.

It will be interesting to monitor the success of this new venture and to see if it expands into other products such as health supplements or home workout equipment. For the moment though, I definitely like my neighborhood gym a lot less.

Check out a video of the UFC Gym here.

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The UFC Opens Its First Gym from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Once again, I have to believe that the UFC is ahead of the curve on this front. Fighters, in addition to working for the UFC, are their own brand and websites such as Twitter can help the fighter to directly grow their own personal iamge and receive more exposure. There are different, creative ways for a fighter to use Twitter and other social networking sites to actually make money for themselves. A fighter can tweet about their sponsor or hold sponsored contests through their Twitter account as an incentive for people to follow them and to pay attention, leading to increased value for the fans, the fighter, and the sponsoring company. UFC hall of famer and former champion, Chuck Liddell has even taken the next step and has developed MMAJacked.com a site specifically designed to connect Mixed Martial Arts fighters to their fans on a more personal level. Dana White frequently participates in “Twitter Tag,” an idea that was developed for Shaquille O’Neal by Digital Royalty that allows fans to find you in a public place such as a mall, or restaurant based on your tweets, usually for a prize, or in Dana White’s case, tickets to a UFC event. Georges St. Pierre’s Twitter account isn’t personally run by him, but his handlers had the idea to have fans e-mail Georges during his training by clicking a link that required you to sign up for his fan site before sending the e-mail, which ultimately attracted thousands of new fans.

The UFC is now more accessible than any other sports organization on a personal level. Everyone from the ring girls, to the announcers, to the fighters, to ownership all have highly personal Twitter accounts that are more than just company fluff and that actually give you insight into their lives and opinions which helps us, as fans, relate to them. As social media technology grows I am confident that the UFC will always be at the forefront and it will be interesting to see different business plans develop around these websites.

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The UFC Has a Stranglehold on Social Media from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules