On Friday night, Strikeforce ran their seventh Challengers card. Here are the numbers for it:
Attendance: 4,963 overall. No data has been released as to how many are paid and how many are comps.
Gate: $109,222.
These numbers are a notable improvement from the previous couple of Challengers shows. The gate was up 26% from the previous show.
Ratings: a 1.0 with 316,000 viewers. This show took place on free Showtime weekend this show certainly benefited from it. These numbers are up 111% from the previous challengers show.
Official payouts:
Lavar Johnson: $16,000 ($8,000 win bonus)
def. Lolohea Mahe: $3,000
Ron "Abongo" Humphrey: $7,000 ($3,500 win bonus)
def. George Bush III: $5,000
Andre Galvao: $10,000 (no win bonus)
def. Luke Stewart: $5,000
Miesha Tate: $5,000 ($2,000 win bonus)
def. Zoila Frausto: $3,000
Justin Wilcox: $12,000 ($6,000 win bonus)
def Shamar Bailey: $4,000
Daniel Cormier: $500 (no win bonus)
def. John Devine: $2,500
Total disclosed payroll was $73,000.
Note: Obviously Daniel Cormier made more than $500. The To Fight and To Win pay has to be reported to the SAC, but any and all other income does not. Signing bonuses for overall contracts or even for the fight agreement as well as gate or ppv percentages are not uncommon in MMA at the bigger levels. While none of the other guys on this card are likely to get any of those things, Daniel certainly did. Odds are good he gets a signing bonus that makes this worth his while.
The reason for constructing the contract this way could be a number of things. The simplest of which is Cormier and/or Strikeforce not wanting folks to know exactly how much was paid to this new fighter. His background certainly increases his worth and I would not be surprised if they feel he could be a legit draw both in terms of ratings and gate, but also in terms of mainstream media attention.
Final thoughts:
Overall, these numbers are very positive. If the next SF Challengers show can maintain these, it would suggest that Strikeforce is making some progress in terms of brand recognition. The increased ratings can be attributed to Showtime being free from another 50 million homes, but that does not account for the increase in attendance and gate. The attendance could be nothing since we don't know how many comps were handed out, but a 26% gate increase is impressive in any situation.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
Episode 3 of PRIME TIME: GSP/Hardy bounces back.
A large sigh of relief could recently be heard coming from the Zuffa offices.
After a 50% drop in veiwership from episode one to episode two of Prime Time: GSP/Hardy, things took a turn for the better with the third and final episode.
Wednesday night's show drew an ave of 613,000 viewers, up 107,000 from last week. That number is not too far off from the final ep of the GSP/Penn series (662k).
GSP/Hardy:
Episode 1: 1,000,000
Episode 2: 506,000
Episode 3: 613,000
GSP/Penn:
Episode 1: 880,000
Episode 2: 825,000
Episode 3: 662,000
Last week, I talked about some of possible reasons for the drop. Looking back, I really do think St. Paddy's day did a number on it. This recovery is solid and does show that there is a sizeable number of folks interested in the match-up. I also think being just days before the bout played a role, media coverage really increased in the last several days.
Episode three was fairly strong, with Hardy stepping up and delivering in the mic. He came across as confident and took more than a few jabs at GSP. After a lackluster second episode, some spice was certainly needed.
I think the buyrate will be 625-675k, and likely closer to the latter.
After a 50% drop in veiwership from episode one to episode two of Prime Time: GSP/Hardy, things took a turn for the better with the third and final episode.
Wednesday night's show drew an ave of 613,000 viewers, up 107,000 from last week. That number is not too far off from the final ep of the GSP/Penn series (662k).
GSP/Hardy:
Episode 1: 1,000,000
Episode 2: 506,000
Episode 3: 613,000
GSP/Penn:
Episode 1: 880,000
Episode 2: 825,000
Episode 3: 662,000
Last week, I talked about some of possible reasons for the drop. Looking back, I really do think St. Paddy's day did a number on it. This recovery is solid and does show that there is a sizeable number of folks interested in the match-up. I also think being just days before the bout played a role, media coverage really increased in the last several days.
Episode three was fairly strong, with Hardy stepping up and delivering in the mic. He came across as confident and took more than a few jabs at GSP. After a lackluster second episode, some spice was certainly needed.
I think the buyrate will be 625-675k, and likely closer to the latter.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Episode 2 of Prime Time: Georges St. Pierre vs. Dan Hardy takes a big drop.
And there was no joy in Mudville...ok, it is not that bad, but the second episode of Prime Time: GSP vs. Hardy can't have Zuffa and Spike folk dancing around the desks.
Ep 2, which aired on Wednesday night, drew 506,000 viewers and.43 rating, down from 1,000,000 and a rating of about .9. Losing half the audience is a real surprise, but looking at the promotion of the show, it makes some sense. Spike inadvertently aired commercials of Prime Time: GSP/Penn. Now one could shrug it off if it happened once, but they it repeatedly. Earlier this week, Spike also accidentally released a promotional photo for TUF 11 that revealed the final members of the two teams. Oops. Does Spike have some new interns?
I don't have the demos of males 18-49 and 18-34, but am hoping to get them. Did St. Patrick's Day play a part? I spent the entire day on the road for a funeral and drank not a drop (despite being 1/4 Irish) but there are plenty of folk that spend the entire day and night boozing mightily. That may have played some role, but likely not all of it.
Episode one was, in my opinion, very strong. GSP showed a bit of fire and Hardy was brash and in your face. But ep two was just sort of there. Not bad, but more of the same and little to really grab out attention. GSP is training with great guys, we know that. Dan Hardy does not like GSP's trainer giving him little chance of winning. What did Dan expect him to say? And Dan, your own coach was talking down GSP in ep house. There is this saying about glass houses.
But the entire episode just seemed to wander along. There was little narative to pull us in. Ep three is the go home show and they really need to turn it up a notch and get folks fired up. Most of us think that Dan is going to lose, but a strong ep should help get folks emotionally invested in the match-up.
My suggestions for the final ep is to have Hardy address the fact that he is in a postion to become the first U.K. fighter to become a champion. With a win, he would become the poster boy for U.K. MMA. There has to be mixed feelings about that. Pride to be sure, but a hell of a lot of pressure. If nothing else, he is headling a PPV, something only one other U.K. fighter has done before.
For GSP, talk about what a win here does for him in terms of his legacy. Since the last PT series, he has successfully defended his title twice. With each win, he comes closer to being labeled the greatest WW of all-time (a title that is currently worn by Matt Hughes).
For each of them, this fight means something different. Talk about it and build up the stakes.
Hardy, along with the PT crew, has done a good job of building himself up. I think he has to realize that even if he loses to GSP, this show offers him a chance to increase his visibility and become more of a name fighter. And he has mixed cockiness with good-natured humor and the result is a fairly likeable and funny guy.
Another downside is that the Countdown to 111 followed Prime Time. The Countdown show was pretty decent, with Frank Mir delivering more than a few entertaining moments. Frank is a guy that can add buys with his mic work. Had this been seen by a larger audience, it would have helped the buy rate.
I think 500,000 is the base in terms of success. Under 500k is, by virtually any measure, a failure. So this is certainly bad news, but not a disaster. But there is a real chance that the third ep could dip below that number. The second ep was not overly exciting and GSP/Penn trended downward with each ep (Starting with 880,000 and ending up with 662,000). Nothing on this show is going to pull buys away from 111, but an inability to hold onto those initial viewers throws some cold water on those that thought ep 1 gave 111 a shot at 800 or 900k.
My original prediction was 675,000 buys and I think that is pretty realistic. 700-750k would not be a shock, but I don't see this doing more than 750k no matter what. The initial thoughts within Zuffa were between 600 and 650k and that is reasonable. It has been some time since a PPV had the momentum of a previous strong show and, as I said last week, many folks have gotten out of the habit of buying the shows. With 111, they have a run of very strong shows and it should be sunny skies from here on out. But first they have to get everyone back on board the ppv train.
Ep 2, which aired on Wednesday night, drew 506,000 viewers and.43 rating, down from 1,000,000 and a rating of about .9. Losing half the audience is a real surprise, but looking at the promotion of the show, it makes some sense. Spike inadvertently aired commercials of Prime Time: GSP/Penn. Now one could shrug it off if it happened once, but they it repeatedly. Earlier this week, Spike also accidentally released a promotional photo for TUF 11 that revealed the final members of the two teams. Oops. Does Spike have some new interns?
I don't have the demos of males 18-49 and 18-34, but am hoping to get them. Did St. Patrick's Day play a part? I spent the entire day on the road for a funeral and drank not a drop (despite being 1/4 Irish) but there are plenty of folk that spend the entire day and night boozing mightily. That may have played some role, but likely not all of it.
Episode one was, in my opinion, very strong. GSP showed a bit of fire and Hardy was brash and in your face. But ep two was just sort of there. Not bad, but more of the same and little to really grab out attention. GSP is training with great guys, we know that. Dan Hardy does not like GSP's trainer giving him little chance of winning. What did Dan expect him to say? And Dan, your own coach was talking down GSP in ep house. There is this saying about glass houses.
But the entire episode just seemed to wander along. There was little narative to pull us in. Ep three is the go home show and they really need to turn it up a notch and get folks fired up. Most of us think that Dan is going to lose, but a strong ep should help get folks emotionally invested in the match-up.
My suggestions for the final ep is to have Hardy address the fact that he is in a postion to become the first U.K. fighter to become a champion. With a win, he would become the poster boy for U.K. MMA. There has to be mixed feelings about that. Pride to be sure, but a hell of a lot of pressure. If nothing else, he is headling a PPV, something only one other U.K. fighter has done before.
For GSP, talk about what a win here does for him in terms of his legacy. Since the last PT series, he has successfully defended his title twice. With each win, he comes closer to being labeled the greatest WW of all-time (a title that is currently worn by Matt Hughes).
For each of them, this fight means something different. Talk about it and build up the stakes.
Hardy, along with the PT crew, has done a good job of building himself up. I think he has to realize that even if he loses to GSP, this show offers him a chance to increase his visibility and become more of a name fighter. And he has mixed cockiness with good-natured humor and the result is a fairly likeable and funny guy.
Another downside is that the Countdown to 111 followed Prime Time. The Countdown show was pretty decent, with Frank Mir delivering more than a few entertaining moments. Frank is a guy that can add buys with his mic work. Had this been seen by a larger audience, it would have helped the buy rate.
I think 500,000 is the base in terms of success. Under 500k is, by virtually any measure, a failure. So this is certainly bad news, but not a disaster. But there is a real chance that the third ep could dip below that number. The second ep was not overly exciting and GSP/Penn trended downward with each ep (Starting with 880,000 and ending up with 662,000). Nothing on this show is going to pull buys away from 111, but an inability to hold onto those initial viewers throws some cold water on those that thought ep 1 gave 111 a shot at 800 or 900k.
My original prediction was 675,000 buys and I think that is pretty realistic. 700-750k would not be a shock, but I don't see this doing more than 750k no matter what. The initial thoughts within Zuffa were between 600 and 650k and that is reasonable. It has been some time since a PPV had the momentum of a previous strong show and, as I said last week, many folks have gotten out of the habit of buying the shows. With 111, they have a run of very strong shows and it should be sunny skies from here on out. But first they have to get everyone back on board the ppv train.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Will the bout with Dan Henderson be Jake Shield's final with STRIKEFORCE?
On April 17th, Strikeforce Middleweight champion Jake Shields will defend his title against Dan Henderson in the main event on CBS.
Jake is on a hell of a roll, having not lost in over five years. And while he has wins over folks like Robbie Lawler and Nick Thompson as well as UFC fighters Paul Daley, Mike Pyle, Carlos Condit and Yushin Okami, this will certainly be the biggest challenge of his career. Dan is an Olympic level wrestler and has a right hand that Michael Bisping is likely still having nightmares about.
But there is one other thing that makes this fight even more interesting: It is the last on Jake's Strikeforce contract.
Jake to Graciemag.com:
So while many feel that Dan will beat Jake, there is a very real chance that if he wins, he could walk away from Strikeforce as the reigning MW champion.
Even though he has been doing well at 185, his normal weight class is WW and the best WWs in the world are in the UFC. He has never been shy about wanting to face GSP and this would be a chance for him to not just come to the UFC, but do so in a very high profile fashion. You have to figure Dana, a person that loves battles and one-upping the opposition, would love to have a SF champion walk into the UFC.
That seems like a hell of a risk for Coker and co to take. I have not heard anything about them negotiating, so I am guessing that Jake and co are looking to roll the dice and see if he can pull off the win and become a high-profile free agent. Of course a loss would certainly remove much of his leverage. While the UFC still might have some interest, I don't think he would be quite as mouth-watering a prospect as he would be with the belt still around his weight.
Jake is on a hell of a roll, having not lost in over five years. And while he has wins over folks like Robbie Lawler and Nick Thompson as well as UFC fighters Paul Daley, Mike Pyle, Carlos Condit and Yushin Okami, this will certainly be the biggest challenge of his career. Dan is an Olympic level wrestler and has a right hand that Michael Bisping is likely still having nightmares about.
But there is one other thing that makes this fight even more interesting: It is the last on Jake's Strikeforce contract.
Jake to Graciemag.com:
I’m focused on winning a fight at a time. Now I’m focused on Dan Henderson for this fight and after that my contract with Strikeforce ends. I’ll talk with Strikeforce and the UFC to find out which one I will work for.
So while many feel that Dan will beat Jake, there is a very real chance that if he wins, he could walk away from Strikeforce as the reigning MW champion.
Even though he has been doing well at 185, his normal weight class is WW and the best WWs in the world are in the UFC. He has never been shy about wanting to face GSP and this would be a chance for him to not just come to the UFC, but do so in a very high profile fashion. You have to figure Dana, a person that loves battles and one-upping the opposition, would love to have a SF champion walk into the UFC.
That seems like a hell of a risk for Coker and co to take. I have not heard anything about them negotiating, so I am guessing that Jake and co are looking to roll the dice and see if he can pull off the win and become a high-profile free agent. Of course a loss would certainly remove much of his leverage. While the UFC still might have some interest, I don't think he would be quite as mouth-watering a prospect as he would be with the belt still around his weight.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Most of the apparent Team Ortiz and Team Liddell.
In announcing that Stephan Bonnar would be hosting the TUF aftermath this year, Spike appears to have revealed the members of Team Ortiz and Team Liddell. We know that 28 fighters take part at the start, but the picture (shown on the left) offers up a pretty solid indication as to who makes it into the house.TEAM ORTIZ:
Kris McCray
Fighting out of: Dumfries, VA / Chute Boxe
Record: 5-0
Age: 28
Son of a military father, Kris McCray was raised in Germany, where he excelled on the soccer pitch and garnered All-Europe honors in high school. In 1999, McCray moved permanently to the United States, where he has served parts of 8 years (6 active, 2 inactive) as a member of the US Army Reserve, while also finding time to earn his Associates Degree in Social Studies from Northern Virginia Community College.
Clayton McKinney "aka The Money Shot"
Fighting out of: Orlando, FL / Jungle MMA
Record: 4-2
Age: 27
A teammate of TUF (season 8) alum Tom Lawlor at Jungle MMA, Clayton McKinney is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu blackbelt that supplements his training by working security at a local bar in Orlando.
Nick Ring
Fighting out of: Calgary, Canada / B.D.P. Martial Arts
Record: 10-0
Age: 30
Nick Ring returned to MMA in May 2009 following a three year stint away from the sport after suffering a devastating knee injury. In that time, Ring boxed professionally to the tune of a 4-1 record with 3 knockouts.
Kyacey Uscola
Fighting out of: Sacramento, CA / Team Alpha Male
Record: 18-15
Age: 28
Kyacey Uscola joins the cast with 33 professional MMA fights on his record. He trains with Team Alpha Male and Urijah Faber out of Sacramento.
Jamie Yager
Fighting out of: Los Angeles, CA/Kings MMA
Record: 2-1
Age: 25
A standout varsity letterman in baseball and football, Yager was the 2001 Athlete of the Year at South Pasadena High School in California. He picked up training MMA as a hobby and went straight from training to the professional ranks in February 2008 as part of BET’s “Iron Ring,” where he defeated his opponent by TKO.
TEAM LIDDELL
Rich Attonito
Fighting out of: Deerfield Beach, FL / American Top Team
Record: 7-3
Age: 32
A 2001 graduate of Hofstra University in Long Island, Rich Attonito wrestled several different weight classes as a member of the Pride wrestling team including the 167lb. and 197lb. divisions. Attonito has been training with American Top Team since he moved to Florida in 2006. He is the strength and conditioning coach for UFC veteran Luigi Fioravanti.
Charles Blanchard
Fighting out of: Coconut Creek, FL / American Top Team
Record: 7-2
Age: 24
A 2-time All State wrester in high school, this single father is a jiu-jitsu brown belt and a published poet.
Josh Bryant
Fighting out of: Tulsa, OK / Absolute Combat Alliance
Record: 10-0
Age: 29
A member of the Absolute Combat Alliance camp in Tulsa, OK, Josh Bryant sports a perfect 10-0 professional mixed martial arts record. When not training, Bryant works as a manager for Mazzio’s Italian Eatery in Oklahoma.
Joseph Henle
Fighting out of: Thousand Oaks, CA / Big John McCarthy’s MMA
Record: 3-0
Age: 26
Joseph Henle splits time training at Big John McCarthy’s MMA and working as a substitute teacher and wrestling coach in Thousand Oaks, CA. Henle earned his MBA in Financial Planning from California Lutheran University in ’06. He speaks fluent Japanese.
Court McGee
Fighting out of: Orem, UT / Throwdown Elite Fight Team
Record: 9-1
Age: 24
A Brazilian jiu-jitsu artist out of Orem, UT, Court McGee beat “The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs. United Kingdom” runner-up DaMarques Johnson in 2007 by submission
Brad Tavares
Fighting out of: Las Vegas, NV / TapouT
Record: 4-0
Age: 21
At 21, Brad Tavares is the youngest of this season’s cast members. Originally from Hilo, HI, Tavares recently relocated to Las Vegas and trains full-time with TapouT.
Now I am sure some of you eagle-eyed folk will notice that there are 14 fighters in the picture, yet I have only listed 11. That is because I can't quite figure out the others. So if you can tell who the other three are, let me know. Because, quite frankly, I alredy spent more time on this than a normal person would.
Friday, March 12, 2010
UFC Prime Time numbers suggest there is light at the end of the tunnel for the UFC.
First, let me say I am honored to have been asked to share my own thoughts for Budo MMA Good time jamboree. Ok, that is not the name of the site, but it would make for a decent title....don't you think?
On Wed the 9th, the UFC aired Episode one of UFC Prime Time: GSP vs. Hardy. That ep had an ave audience of one million. That is about 15% above the ave for Penn/GSP. They also did a 1.1 rating among males 18 to 34 and 1.0 for m18 to 49. Both of those are up from Penn/GSP.
Heading into this first episode, there were those within Zuffa that were expecting a buyrate of 600-650,000 for this upcoming showdown (UFC 111) and that it is the PPV that will start the upswing in buyrates.
Anyone that follows MMA (and thus pretty much everyone that will read this) knows that the last six months, for the UFC, have been not unlike the trials of Job (in the bible). Murphy's law has run rough shot over the company, with injuries, illness, disease and infections beating the crap out of the roster. I would list the number of line-up changes, but I just don't think we have that kind of bandwidth.
But I will say that the Fall of 2009 was supposed to be a big one for the UFC. Things did not turn out that way and from UFC 105-109, the UFC did all it could to salvage the shows and keep the train on the rails. Overall, they did a decent job considering the troubles they were having.
But that did not change the fact that the shows simply lacked the star power and big name match-ups that made the first half of the year so profitable. While some of these cards still ended up being damn good, they failed to send fans to the piggy bank for money to buy the shows. Some of the worst buyrates in the last four years occurred in the last six months.
This has resulted in some MMA internet writers to proclaim that the sky is indeed falling. Reading some of the articles, one would be certain that Dana White was put on suicide watch and that Frank and Lorezno Fertitta are likely down to their last one million dollars.
I don't think things are quite that dire. I certainly agree that those shows have killed the momentum that was built by UFC 91-100, but profits have still been made and things can be put back on track. It will just take some good shows and star power. The kind of star power Mr. St-Pierre brings into UFC 111.
As excited as folks around the Zuffa HQ were prior to the first ep of Prime Time: GSP/Hardy, they have to be even more ecstatic after seeing these numbers. Dan Hardy understands the PR game and is doing a pretty good job so far. And GSP is being presented as a great MMA fighter that is looking to take it to the next level and become one of the true greats.
If they are able to sustain these numbers for the second and third episodes, UFC 111 might deliver numbers well beyond the initial expectations. Until I see what those other eps do, I am not going to alter my own prediction: 675,000 buys. Keep in mind that the countdown show will have Shane Carwin and, more importantly, Frank Mir hyping their own bout. Frankie seemingly dreams about Lesnar more than a fat guy dreams about...Hey Buffalo, what do you dream about?
Just kidding! But Frank's apparent obsession has made for some entertaining sound bites and should be able to entice more than a few to buy 111.
And barring another visit by the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, UFC 111 should be the start of a strong Spring/Summer for the UFC and keep Mr. White from entering said suicide watch.
On Wed the 9th, the UFC aired Episode one of UFC Prime Time: GSP vs. Hardy. That ep had an ave audience of one million. That is about 15% above the ave for Penn/GSP. They also did a 1.1 rating among males 18 to 34 and 1.0 for m18 to 49. Both of those are up from Penn/GSP.
Heading into this first episode, there were those within Zuffa that were expecting a buyrate of 600-650,000 for this upcoming showdown (UFC 111) and that it is the PPV that will start the upswing in buyrates.
Anyone that follows MMA (and thus pretty much everyone that will read this) knows that the last six months, for the UFC, have been not unlike the trials of Job (in the bible). Murphy's law has run rough shot over the company, with injuries, illness, disease and infections beating the crap out of the roster. I would list the number of line-up changes, but I just don't think we have that kind of bandwidth.
But I will say that the Fall of 2009 was supposed to be a big one for the UFC. Things did not turn out that way and from UFC 105-109, the UFC did all it could to salvage the shows and keep the train on the rails. Overall, they did a decent job considering the troubles they were having.
But that did not change the fact that the shows simply lacked the star power and big name match-ups that made the first half of the year so profitable. While some of these cards still ended up being damn good, they failed to send fans to the piggy bank for money to buy the shows. Some of the worst buyrates in the last four years occurred in the last six months.
This has resulted in some MMA internet writers to proclaim that the sky is indeed falling. Reading some of the articles, one would be certain that Dana White was put on suicide watch and that Frank and Lorezno Fertitta are likely down to their last one million dollars.
I don't think things are quite that dire. I certainly agree that those shows have killed the momentum that was built by UFC 91-100, but profits have still been made and things can be put back on track. It will just take some good shows and star power. The kind of star power Mr. St-Pierre brings into UFC 111.
As excited as folks around the Zuffa HQ were prior to the first ep of Prime Time: GSP/Hardy, they have to be even more ecstatic after seeing these numbers. Dan Hardy understands the PR game and is doing a pretty good job so far. And GSP is being presented as a great MMA fighter that is looking to take it to the next level and become one of the true greats.
If they are able to sustain these numbers for the second and third episodes, UFC 111 might deliver numbers well beyond the initial expectations. Until I see what those other eps do, I am not going to alter my own prediction: 675,000 buys. Keep in mind that the countdown show will have Shane Carwin and, more importantly, Frank Mir hyping their own bout. Frankie seemingly dreams about Lesnar more than a fat guy dreams about...Hey Buffalo, what do you dream about?
Just kidding! But Frank's apparent obsession has made for some entertaining sound bites and should be able to entice more than a few to buy 111.
And barring another visit by the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, UFC 111 should be the start of a strong Spring/Summer for the UFC and keep Mr. White from entering said suicide watch.
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