UFC is becoming a 400 lb gorilla which looks to Saturday’s Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz title bout in Las Vegas to end a blockbuster year for MMA.
The Chuck Liddell v Tito Ortiz 2 pay per view fight, with UFC officials hoping for a record MMA 1.2 million pay per view buys, will also set up the new year 2007 to see the mixed martial arts circuit expand.
Dana White, President of UFC, and the UFC pounce when they see weaknesses in the competition. The Ultimate Fighting Championship has been busy, rearranging the MMA landscape while repositioning itself to take advantage of the sport’s incredible growth.
World Fighting Alliance was purchased by UFC, snapping up its fighters in a purchase that will see the rival WFA organization stop.
UFC also bought the World Extreme Cagefighting, WEC, circuit.
Pride Fighting, Japan-based mixed martial arts, reportedly offering a contract to hard-hitting Croatian star Mirko, Cro Cop, Filipovic.
The WFA buyout brings Quintin (Rampage) Jackson back into the UFC and provides the organization with another top bill opponent for Liddell. “Rampage” Jackson is the only loss the Iceman has yet to avenge.
“The main score in that whole deal was Quintin Jackson,” White said of the WFA acquisition.
The UFC received several good fighters out of the deal including (Razor) Rob McCullough, Heath Herring, Toronto-born Ivan Salaverry, and Urijah Faber.
The rival International Fight League is also available to the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
“We bought the WFA for the contracts. We’re going to take the WEC to a whole new level, including television. Soon the WEC will be No. 2.”
The UFC went after the WEC because of Dana’s vision for it. He liked it and wanted it and wants to see what he can make of it.
The WEC be a separate entity, with its own fighters.
The hugely successful Ultimate Fighter reality TV show, about to film its fifth season, has increased the attention of this sport. The Ultimate Fighting Championship organization now needs more places to showcase its growing roster of mixed martial arts fighters, both its own and those acquired in the new deals, both in the ring and on tv. Source: Canadian Press
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