IYO, whats the next best thing?
Nice. So pretty much nothing.
Unfortunately, nothing, at least in this country. The only way a true rival org is going to form is in Japan, IMHO.
I'd love to say Affliction is going to succeed, but probably not. At this moment they are the only org rivaling UFC.
Strikeforce... they have TV deals for live events and 30 minute taped programs in Canada and the U.S. now. Affliction needs to sort out some administrative issues and shed some of the ludicrous contracts. There is no logical explanation from an economics point of view for giving Matt Lindland 300k. But they sold a significant amount of PPVs for starting without a strong TV product and pushing an unproven draw like Fedor. I think people generally liked what they saw, aside from some aesthetic problems, so if they can stir up the media with their crossover card, I think they could get some momentum. Nobody really commits to any estimates on what a success would be for them, but I'd say anything above 150k would really freak the UFC brass out
smoogy, they are doing things right and have a good business model, but I think a good part of their success is being a strong regional promotion rather than a national rival. I guess one could segue into the other though.
kazja13