With all this talk about UFC vs PRIDE and the UFC taking over financially, I think people will be in shock when they see SHOWTIME competing with the UFC in a relativley short time.
SHOWTIME has deep pockets and can pay fighters top dollar. Miguel Cotto made $1 million for his last fight on the network and Antonio Margarito made around $500k. They have the money and influence to make things very intersting.
I agree...They sort of used the whole PRIDE/UFC/K-1 new years eve media storm to hide behind and just snuck up on us here with a sweet card...
I don't mind at all...If your going to give me the likes of Junior vs Cabbage & Shamrock vs Renzo etc for FREE I am on your nuts.
:)
Also...Watch for GFC this year...I am hearing BIG things...Gonna be a sweet 2007!
Think about this, fighters on SHOWTIME will be making more money to fight on TV then guys make fightinig on PPV. Now just imagine when SHOWTIME and Gary SHaw decide to put together a huge PPV. The $$$ numbers will be very enticing for fighters, expect at least a few defections from the big 3 (UFC, PRIDE, K1)
I agree Beer Muscles...Showtime is for real, they are not some WFA wanna be fight org...They are a proven company with deep pockets and a good team... Transitioning from Boxing to MMA is not really that hard when you already have things setup...Showtime is definitely set to be on the radar in 2007...
Maybe the UFC Won't be the dominant player afterall...Man things are changing so rapidly lately...It's hard to keep up with everything that's happening.
I am just smiling from ear to ear...:)
"But Vera is biting the hand that feeds him!"
:)...I guess I deserved that...Interesting stuff happening...Nothing is as it seems. We all just need to wait to see how shit pans out by the looks of it.
Showtime is a pay channel and will not get nearly as many viewers as UFC on Spike does. This will make it hard for them to get any but people who are already MMA fans.
"Showtime is a pay channel and will not get nearly as many viewers as UFC on Spike does. This will make it hard for them to get any but people who are already MMA fans."
I'm sure they'll be getting a good amount of crossover boxing fans.
"Showtime is a pay channel and will not get nearly as many viewers as UFC on Spike does. This will make it hard for them to get any but people who are already MMA fans."
Remember, the bosses at SHOWTIME (Viacom) are also SPIKE's bosses, and they make more money off of SHOWTIME.
I am subscribing to Showtime now that they are in MMA.
yup, if shotime has mma I'm gonna subscribe to showtime for sure
Comparing the WFA to Showtime is like comparing the mom & Pop corner store down the block to wallmart...lol
Well the Mens channel has Bodog...how many of you are watching those fights?
""every network and their brother is looking for MMA to put on their television, GFC, Showtime will all go under once they keep throwing away money. Look at the WFA. It put together the best MMA card the USA will ever see and it flopped on the first show""
Showtime is in A COMPLETELY different league than the WFA. SHOWTIME is a network with over 20 experience in broadcasting and marketing combat sports. SHOWTIME PPV has put on some of the biggest PPV cards ever, including many of Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Julio Cesar Chavez and Felix Trinidad's top fights. SHOWTIME is not some upstart company looking to battle with the big boys, its a large premium cable network with deep pockets.
TJsuckerpunch,
You think Showtime is gonna go under? LOL. Seriously, is that a typo? Or do you mean this fighting event they are putting on is gonna go under? Is that what you meant to say? Showtime has been around a long long time. It's not as good of a channel as HBO, but to say it will go under from "throwing money away" (I'm assuming you mean on this MMA event they are gonna push) is just downright stupid imo. They have way way more money invested in other shows they produce on the network.
giving Frank Shamrock a $mil or two doesn't even put a dent in their pocket. Thats 400k and up is almost routine for the Boxing shows.
"I'd rather have Showtime in there instead of the UFC. Simple reason? Showtime will provide us with dream matches while UFC only cares about income and less about the fans. "
so true... showtime is a well known non-profit organization that exists to make our mma dreams come true!
meanwhile BLAF is busy stirring up unrest in the middle east when hes not rolling naked in mounds of $$$$
Folk may not realize it, but Showtime is the channel that essentially created the PPV boxing market, not HBO.
I used to work with Mac Lipscomb who was the guy who developed their boxing offering so long ago.
They know exactly what they are doing and have decades now doing it. Now Mac has moved into other areas, but I was always surprised no one pulled on his expertise when trying to get on HBO and Showtime in the first place.
"Look at the WFA. It put together the best MMA card the USA will ever see"
You seriously think that was the best MMA card ever in the US? Seriously?
"Look at the WFA. It put together the best MMA card the USA will ever see and it flopped on the first show "
Please tell me you're not actually this stupid.