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Riverdog,
Sorry for the delay, been training and away from computers for the most part.
Appreciate the post, good figures to use to determine what PELE needs to bankroll such a sport. Like I have stated and others, PELE needs some heavy investors to get the $55M (we whatever the breakdown is per year) to pull this off. If/when PELE gets the capital then recruitment should be easier to build up a good base of fighters for each weight class.
Point taken and maybe I did not clarify my point clearly, I am not stating PELE/SMDI hire on top rated fighters, would contend that they need to sign on up and coming fighters, but they need to expand their mid to lower / novice base quickly to create a real pool/base of fighters. No one is going to want to watch Grove / Sarah etc fight every other fight, and having more of a base of young/new fighters (not washed up ones like the last three fights used imo to excess) is where they will achieve a real following. Agree it will take time but I would expect them to have 30-50 fighters in their pool by now as even some MMA managers/training schools have this many fighters in various weight classes.
“I know my management has been in contact with the UFC, but I have a three-fight deal with Pro Elite and they have first dibs on renewing my contract,” he said. “Ultimately the goal for any fighter is to make it to the UFC, but we just have to take it one step at a time.”
Until PELE uses capital to secure top fighters and recruit more u and coming the attrition to UFC is not a probability but a certainty... PELE/SMDI need a good deal of capital to get the fighter base it needs. Having Grove/ Penn / etc fight every other fight is IMO somewhat lame and near sighted.
Great find on the UFC fighter salaries, interesting to say the least. PELE needs money to attract good fighters and also needs to build their fighter base with real depth which will take time.
Jude,
Thanks for the info, can't believe it wasnt done by PELE, would be nice if they realize that this unofficial promo was better than there in house made ones.
That promo is by factors better than PELE's last two promos. Nice improvement and highlight reel. Go pro.
All the more reason to also buy SMDI, the parent company!!
Minowa detailed fight record at bottom,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ikuhisa_Minowa
Minowa highlights, seems like a fun fighter to watch with personality.
Yeah that is sad, borderline pathetic.
you can also view them thru firefox at least by going to: "view" and then "page source", yeah they need to get on that.
Nice SEO recommendation, I havent looked at PELE's website meta tags and such but hopefully they will add a blog which can also help. Their FB fans are increasing which is a nice sign.
Ummm.. its in Hawaii.... we know the venue, we know the location, it will be on HDNET...
lets see ...it will have a mix of the fighters from the last two fights with likely a hopeful surprise here and there, what major announcement could it really entail? Live on showtime? Doubt it bc of the HDNet deal although I am not sure if that is exclusive. Thoughts?> Maybe they will change the fighters record at the website to reflect the accurate records...
yep, they need a cash infusion esp if they want to grow PELE and their other events which seems to break even at best.
River,
Do you think Jack Schneider was brought in to attract large investors to finance the next stages of SMDI's strategy? Thoughts?
PELE needs to get their act together. Check out some pages of the website and the 05 nov fight is still listed as "upcoming", fighter records have not been updated, come on PELE, if you want to be taken seriously the small details also have to be handled. Already sent an email informing them through the website... Not impressed.
Those are some good trades. Same thought here with a higher pop, thinking something is in the works with the higher volume and fact more funding/events should be announced in the near future. AVG PPS is now .51, cant complain.
I picked up an easy 10k shares at .40, lowered my pps to .50. Sitting pretty with the shares I have and looking forward to some good news in the future with Pele and hopefully some new deals, partners, or investors on the way.
It is clear that Stratus has not made money in the past, and needs a capital injection. I dont think they will go under but they will need to attract/court and secure high wealth investors, hedge funds, pe firms, some combo to allow for expansion of PELE. I cannot see any other way around this and with there stated goals they need cash..
Stratus will need to raise additional capital sooner than later:
"The Company has suffered losses from operations and without additional capital, currently lacks liquidity to meet its current obligations. The Company had a net loss for 2010 of $8,409,605 and a net loss of $8,195,928 for the nine months ended September 30, 2011. As of September 30, 2011, the Company had working capital of $187,345 and cumulative losses of $34,662,520. Unless additional financing is obtained, the Company may not be able to continue as a going concern. During 2010, the Company raised $2,935,720 in capital through the issuance of $2,310,000 of common and $625,720 of preferred stock. The Company raised $9,406,051 in capital through issuance of preferred stock and $3,609,359 through the issuance of common stock during the nine months ended September 30, 2011."
To grow Pele it will take more investment than current books show, by many factors.
most firms that are out of date either update all of the behind qtrs at once or update them as they are certified/approved one at a time. PELE/SMDI might be taking the later approach and getting them up to date/official as their auditors proceed thru them.
so ProElite has a year before Bellator airs on spike with UFC choosing wisely to not take the option of pulling their library from Spike. Old news yes but nice to see competition in the industry to develop new fighters and propel more the possibility of free agents. So I still come back to this question, what company/investors are backing Pele/Stratus? I hope for one they have deep pockets bc Viacom is a giant and they can afford to throw around money to further develop bellator's fighter pool.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/mma/post/2011-10-26/viacom-buys-bellator-plans-2013-start-on-spike/558003/1
MTV Networks' Spike TV channel is getting out of the Ultimate Fighting Championship's business, but the broadcaster has increased its ties to mixed martial arts.
Viacom, parent of MTV Networks, bought a majority stake in Bellator Fighting Championships and will start airing the promotion's bouts on Spike in 2013, the companies told USA TODAY this week. They've had ongoing talks for about a year as they finished up various deals, and over the past month finally reached the point where they could announce the news, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney said.
Selling to Viacom's entertainment conglomerate guarantees a stable future for Bellator, said Rebney, who will remain in charge of the MMA organization.
"It puts all of those cornerstones of ownership in place for us," he said. "Which is something that's been so seriously lacking in the MMA space with so many different companies, including Strikeforce and the IFL and Affliction and all the different failures that have occurred. … It alleviates those issues."
Bellator is the No. 2 promotion in mixed martial arts behind market leader Zuffa, owner of UFC and Strikeforce.
The experience and cachet of Spike in broadcasting mixed martial arts over the last six years makes it the ideal partner for Bellator, Rebney said. Spike became the first channel to embrace the sport when it started airing Zuffa's programming in 2005, including The Ultimate Fighter reality show and live UFC Fight Night events.
Although Spike's agreement to carry new material from UFC ends in December, the channel still has rights to the promotion's library through 2012. As a result, fights from Bellator won't air on Spike until 2013, said Kevin Kay, Spike TV president. In addition to continuing Bellator's current practice of having two seasons annually, Spike expects to run additional programs such as highlight shows and related content, both on TV and online.
MTV2 has been airing Bellator's main cards since March. MTV Networks increased its Bellator programming in September by streaming preliminary fights on Spike TV's website.
As early as last year, executives for Viacom saw little hope for reaching another deal with UFC.
"We had a great relationship with UFC and we still do," Kay said. "We helped each other to build each other's brand. Like all good things, you know that at some point it's going to come to an end."
Advantages of ownership
Owning its own promotion allows Spike to take a longer view and commits it more firmly to the sport, he said.
"As we realized that our relationship with UFC was likely to come to an end, our Viacom mergers and acquisitions folks, and us, started to have conversations with MTV2 about getting invested in a mixed martial arts promotion and become owners as opposed to renters," Kay said. "You're building value in something that you own, and you own it for the long term. You're not in a constant state of negotiation."
Other brands in mixed martial arts have been sold over the past year, most notably Strikeforce, which Zuffa bought in March. But Bellator's organizational ability, knack for exciting bouts and unique approach to fighter match-ups made it stand out, Kay said.
While most MMA companies put together cards based around single fights, Bellator has weekly shows built around eight-person tourneys to produce title contenders.
"The tournament format (is), we think, a great way to get the audience invested in the fighters as personalities, as characters," Kay said. "I think we can help, with the expertise we have in building fighters as fighters that people want to see and come back week to week."
Since starting in 2009, Bellator has built up a roster that includes a number of ranked fighters. Lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez, featherweight contender Pat Curran and featherweight Marlon Sandro are in the top six for their weight classes in the USA TODAY/MMA Nation consensus rankings. Middleweight champ Hector Lombard and featherweight titleholder Joe Warren are No. 13 for their divisions.
Other top-20 Bellator names include heavyweight champion Cole Konrad, welterweight champion Ben Askren, welterweight contender Jay Hieron, bantamweight champion Zach Makovsky and bantamweight tourney finalist Alexis Vila.
Bigger audience, more resources
The overall reputation for Bellator's assembly of talent remains far behind UFC, by far the largest and richest organization in the sport. But adding Viacom's financial muscle could help Bellator retain its biggest stars, or at least make it much harder for others to sign them away.
"They'll have a ton of more money to negotiate with," said Alvarez, who has three to four fights left on his current contract. "As long as I keep doing well and do what I'm supposed to do, the future looks bright."
He's been with Bellator since it started in 2009 with delayed airings on ESPN Deportes. Bellator has expanded its TV presence each year, with live shows on the scattered affiliates of Fox Sports Net in 2010 and a consistent presence on MTV2 this year.
"We both grew together," Alvarez said. "I'm sort of peaking in my career, and it seems like so is Bellator. … I was with a lot of promotions that failed, that flopped, and this is actually working. Everything's coming to fruition."
Moving to Spike all but guarantees a much larger audience for Bellator. Spike says it's available to almost 100 million cable and satellite subscribers, compared to roughly 80 million for MTV2. Spike is also easier to find in channel line-ups because it generally gets a lower number in the vicinity of other popular cable/satellite offerings such as FX, TBS, TBS and USA Network.
Spike also has high-definition broadcasts, these days a benchmark for sports programming. Bellator currently appears on HD only through Epix, which is not carried by some large cable providers.
"The goal is HD all the time and once we get to Spike, it'll be that way," Kay said. "When you're looking at an organization like Bellator, what you see is the opportunity for growth and to grow ratings. We have big expectations."
Fighters and managers will raise their sights too. Exposure to more viewers should help athletes land sponsors that can add a sizable amount to their income.
"I'm smiling ear-to-ear right now," Alvarez said. "I couldn't be any happier. Endorsements are hard to come by when you're on ESPN Deportes and these other smaller channels."
Audience expectations
Bellator's largest audience for a live broadcast on MTV2 was an estimated 325,000 viewers for a show in May. Spike has generally drawn between 1.2 million and 2.2 million viewers for UFC Fight Night shows.
TV ratings and pay-per-view buys for UFC have flattened or declined this year. Spike's executives dismiss concerns that the sport's popularity has peaked. Injuries to big names beset several UFC main events since March, which Kay describes as a short-term problem.
MTV2 airs Bellator on Saturdays, often pitting it head-to-head with UFC's live programs. Executives haven't decided what night will work on Spike, but next year's run on MTV2 gives them a platform to test ideas. The effect of not only UFC, but other sports, needs to be measured, Kay said.
"There's a lot of factors we're going to analyze and figure out," Kay said. "Also, where's our audience used to watching it? … We've got a lot of good research and data to think about where it goes. I don't know that you want to program football against football or baseball against baseball. We'll look at all of that."
Bellator deserves at least two years on Spike before its success can be evaluated, he said. The channel has been willing to give its shows time to develop, especially when it owns the content and is investing in its development. Kay cited Spike's patience with comedy Blue Mountain State, which started with unimpressive ratings before blossoming.
No one expects Bellator's numbers on Spike to match UFC right away. Losing UFC's cachet as the industry leader has risks, but Spike's experience moving from World Wrestling Entertainment to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in 2005 shows that long-term exposure eventually can boost numbers when switching from one brand to another, Kay said.
"I had the same fear: 'Are people going to watch another wrestling organization on Spike?' " Kay said. "That first year or so, we had probably (an average of) 600,000 viewers. Last week we had 2 million; it's the highest-rated TNA in the history of Spike."
Competing or complementary?
Zuffa over the last few years has been pushing into other countries aggressively, going so far as to sell a 10% stake to an arm of the Abu Dhabi government because of that entity's ability to open new markets. Viacom's resources will also fuel expansion plans outside the United States and Canada, Rebney said.
"The timing remains to be seen in terms of when exactly that occurs, but that will occur," he said. "International expansion of live Bellator events will absolutely occur."
Even though Bellator will replace UFC on Spike and occasionally try to go after the same talent, Rebney and Kay declined to characterize themselves as direct competitors with UFC.
"They're No. 1 in the space, there's just no question about it," Kay said. "Who's more competitive than Dana White? I am, but that's not a horse race we really want to run around here. I think we respect that organization tremendously."
Bellator and Zuffa have occasionally butted heads over talent -- they're currently suing each other over fighter contracts -- but executives from both companies steer clear of harsh words. Even UFC President Dana White, never shy about disparaging promoters who irritate him, maintains a mild tone.
"The people from Bellator have never said anything about us," White said recently. "I have nothing to say about them either. They're out there. They're doing their thing. Good for them."
Spike taking over Bellator could help Zuffa in terms of public perception. Critics argue that Zuffa has become a monopoly by acquiring other brands such as Pride Fighting Championships and Strikeforce, making it difficult for other companies to break into the space and taking away options that might give fighters negotiating leverage. A thriving Bellator would erode that argument.
At the same, UFC's continued growth and success would help Bellator and Spike because it would expand the sport as a whole, executives said. Bellator's announcement with Spike comes less than three weeks before UFC makes its debut on Fox.
"It's a very, very good day for mixed martial arts as a whole," Rebney said. "Because now you have two groups in the space that have a very substantial presence that obviously isn't going to go anywhere for a very, very long time."
UFC 139 Results: Dan Henderson, Shogun Rua Put On War, Will The Event Get A Boost From UFC On Fox 1?
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/mma/11/20/ufc.139.ap/index.html
Henderson outlasts Rua at UFC 139
http://www.mmamania.com/2011/11/20/2575301/ufc-139-results-wanderlei-silva-cung-le-nose-stoppage
UFC 139 results: Wanderlei Silva picks up the victory but was Cung Le the victim of a quick stoppage?
http://bayarea.sbnation.com/2011/11/20/2575368/ufc-139-results-dan-henderson-shogun-rua-tv-ratings-ufc-on-fox-1
Though UFC 139 featured what was probably the best fight we've seen this year in the night's main event between Dan Henderson and Mauricio Rua, it was probably best suited for that event, as opposed to the inaugural UFC on Fox event that saw Junior dos Santos score a TKO victory over Cain Velasquez in just 64 seconds. The first, and most obvious reason is that the Fox event averaged above five million viewers and had a reported peak of 8.8 million viewers – though some are now saying it could even be above nine million.
In other words, why second guess an event that performed above expectations and became the most-watched MMA event in history – without even factoring in the Brazilian audience. No, it's safe to say that going with Velasquez vs. dos Santos was the best course of action, as the heavyweights always bring in the numbers.
But now, a week after that event, UFC 139 puts on a helluva show, from Urijah Faber showcasing a revitalized skillset to set up a bantamweight title fight with Dominick Cruz to "The Axe Murderer" Wanderlei Silva throwing muay thai knees from the clinch to score a TKO over Cung Le, to Henderson and "Shogun" putting up a fight for the ages. It was an event worth every bit of an 8.8 million viewership, but that doesn't mean it will get it. Far below that, more than likely. That's just how the UFC's pay per view model has worked.
What will be interesting, though, is whether or not the UFC on Fox event will lead to more buys for UFC 139. Retroactively, we can say this event should be through the worth and worth every bit of your $49.99 or $54.99, depending on your preference for high definition, but before the fight, how much interest did it draw? You had two knockout artists in Shogun and Henderson in the main event, and Wanderlei in the co-main event. Faber was possibly the bigger draw on the card and, on paper, it's a card that could have exceeded most folks' expectations of around 300k buys.
If the event gets, say, 500,000 buys, can we then say that it got a boost from UFC on Fox? How about 600,000? It will be very interesting to see how many buys this event gets, but the UFC is most definitely heading in the right direction with UFC on Fox, regardless. And the actual deal with the network doesn't even kick in until 2012 – so the future of the sport is bright.
One way to help it along, though? Put Dan Henderson on one of the early Fox cards – it doesn't matter who against and it doesn't matter if he's the main event or the co-main. Whether he drops to 185 in pursuit of Anderson Silva's belt or he has his eyes on Jon Bones Jones, the public needs to see the 41-year old fight and, more than likely, win.
great find riverdog. good stuff, bodes well for other MMA brands. I once thought White had class, he obviously does not and is not doing UFC/MMA any favors with his handling of recent events / character.
recommendations to ProElite?
If you were in control what changes would you make, what would you keep or improve upon from last two fights, what out of the box concepts/thoughts for differentiating pro-elite?
Improve tourney concept, use much lower weight classes.
Keep searching for local talent to highlight in show but mix in with more seasoned 5-10 fights under there belt individuals.
Throw out Silva, and be cautious on finding other fighters that may be past their prime.
Next location Las Vegas, AC? Canada?
agree, drop him and look for talent from regional venues and cherrypick up and comers from other minor MMA orgs. It will take time, and agree another fight with better talent is needed, but why rush it. Find a good venue, add more lighter weight fighters / maybe a tourney with them, and one main card. Develop the talent, and throw off the has beens. With time their will emerge a strong fighter base...
http://www.mmafighting.com/2011/11/06/tim-sylvia-andrei-arlovski-earn-proelite-victories/
"HDNet announcer Michael Schiavello accurately described the fight as "a cure for insomnia" heading into the third round, but Arlovski finally got busy in the third, and when the opportunity arose just as the fight was coming to an end, he threw a left high kick and landed his shin perfectly against Fulton's jawline, knocking him cold. "
lol
im Sylvia, Andrei Arlovski Earn ProElite Victories
By Michael David Smith
Lead Blogger
0204
A pair of former UFC heavyweight champions were in action on Saturday night in Moline, Illinois, and both of them won. But neither looked particularly impressive in the process.
Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski were both victorious at Saturday night's ProElite event, yet save for one high kick from Arlovski at the very end of his fight, it was a dreadful affair all around.
Sylvia took a unanimous decision over Andreas Kraniotakes, 30-27 on all three judges' cards. The fight consisted of a lot of clinching from Sylvia, and the crowd loudly booed at the end of the fight and again as Sylvia got his hand raised in the cage afterward.
Arlovski knocked out Travis Fulton with a shocking head kick with one second remaining in the third round of a fight that had been, up to that point, a dud. HDNet announcer Michael Schiavello accurately described the fight as "a cure for insomnia" heading into the third round, but Arlovski finally got busy in the third, and when the opportunity arose just as the fight was coming to an end, he threw a left high kick and landed his shin perfectly against Fulton's jawline, knocking him cold.
Reagan Penn, the brother of B.J. Penn, looked even worse than Sylvia and Arlovski in losing a unanimous decision to Evan Cutts, 30-26, 30-27 and 30-27 on the judges' scorecards. It was the second pro fight of Penn's MMA career, and it's hard to see any reason he'll have a third fight.
And in the first round of ProElite's eight-man heavyweight tournament, four men advanced to the semifinals:
-- Ryan Martinez handed Mark Ellis the first loss of his career, winning by unanimous decision, 30-27 on all three judges' cards. It was an extremely disappointing showing from Ellis, who entered the cage as a heavy favorite but left with the crowd loudly booing his lackluster performance.
-- Jake Heun brutalized Ed Carpenter, knocking him down with a kick-punch combination and then finishing him off with ground and pound for a first-round TKO.
-- Cody Griffin was losing the fight after two rounds but came back on fire at the start of the third, battering Justyn Riley, knocking him down and finishing him with punches on the ground to win a third-round TKO.
-- Richard Odoms beat Rodney Housley by unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring it 30-27. The fight wasn't particularly competitive or particularly compelling -- which meant it fit in well with this disappointing fight card.
Any thoughts of location of next fight>? AC/Las Vegas/LA?
Maybe a tourney with a middle / lighter class fighters which would be more exciting then the heavy weight bouts.
Still think the concept was a good one.
Not implying the event was a complete bust, moving in the right direction as long as they continue to bring in higher class of fighters and get the matches that fans enjoy. At the end of the day it is all a crap shoot how the fighters perform. No one likely thought BJ would get destroyed by Diaz, hopefully Regan really takes this as a wake up call...
Well that was a bust. Looks like ProElite and Stratus will have to do some retooling. The concept of the tourney was interesting and Reagan Penn seemed like someone who could help build the ProElite brand... Not so.. Disappointed but reality is until PELE builds up its fighter pool through organic or inorganic (recommend this route to pull in some decent names rather than former title holders/past their prime) this is going to be a long process. Still wondering where PELE is getting the $$ to run this operation and the stated $55M that is going to be used to build up the brand.
BJ Penn announces retirement, whether he sticks with it or not, spotlight will turn to brother for Nov fight to determine his potential / can he fight at the same level of BJ. He has a long way to go and if he shows promise Proelite needs to protect and develop this fighter as a showcase fighter for the org. Time will tell.
Does anyone have a clue where PELE/SMDI is getting the funding for these events/promotions? That would be a question I would like to have answered to see where they are getting he $$ to invest $50M in promotions/events in the coming QTRS...
The board is also stating CBS has 20% stake which is true but how diluted will it become when SMDI converts its preferred shares to common shares? Will CBS be so interested will less of a equity stake?
Question to the board, do any of you also hold SMDI stock? If not what is the reason?
Any guesses to how SMDI is funding the costs of PELE? Where is their cash coming from as they don't make money/havent be profitable according to their financials as far as I have researched.
what makes you certain that CBS/PELE are in discussions?
What about cable channels-HDNet has a few secured fights on the contract/what about on demand?