STRIKEFORCE IS A STRIKEFARCE

COMICAL PRODUCTION PUTS ALL PLAYERS AT RISK

The immediate reaction to the latest MMA circus (gee, that didn't take long) might be "wow, Dana had to love that". Well, yes and no. I actually heard that reaction more than once within minutes of the debacle that followed Jake Shields admirable belt defense at 185lb against MMA legend Dan Henderson. However, when the smoke clears, this will be a viewed as a major blow to the UFC as well.

No matter that White had good reason all along not to fear StrikeForce developing into a credible threat to his empire, it's not that unrealistic threat that ever made Zuffa sweat. It was always what happened tonight that White and "the brothers" feared most. The UFC will not be big time (at least not in the sense that it aspires) until they have a substantial network deal of their own. To their credit,  Zuffa has held out on weak network advances toward the only MMA empire that matters. All this over a little issue known as "creative control". You see, in order to "get paid" the fair price for a certain amount of their product essentially being sold to a major network, Zuffa must necessarily come to terms with some major media players with very serious bank. The creative control issue is a touchy one, because it takes a very astute eye to distinguish what makes the UFC's productions so... let's say, "in a class by themselves". Some may say that any die hard MMA fan following the sport for 5 years or more would qualify to explain the recipe (it's really not that difficult), but it's another thing altogether for Zuffa to trust that anyone in a position of power at any of the major networks would have this kind of eye for the new fight game. It's a standoff of sorts, and the stakes are high, which is the only reason it's interesting enough material to write about. But the stakes are so high that it is worth looking at.

In essence the creative control issue is such that any network (let's be honest, we're talking NBC or ESPN/ABC) that gets involved next is going to be an ancient entity by comparison with the relative new kid on the block, the UFC. After all, NBC and ABC are dinosaurs by comparison, and it is for this reason that the new player is wise not to trust the dinosaur's instincts on a modern day phenomenon like MMA. Conventional wisdom in the old school network biz would be that the network would need to be the guardian against all things clownish and scandalous. In other words, thanks to a long history of brawls and embarrassing behavior on display in boxing, along with the mystique (deserved or not) that MMA is the nastier more violent little brother to boxing, MMA has been perceived as "flirting with disaster" if not outright suicide for whichever network head approves a deal. And so there is a natural wrestling match that takes place with any network that enters into negotiations with the UFC, for the price (or the cash transaction) laid out will only be "signed" or turned over upon condition of creative control. And by creative control, in all reality, I mean to simply say CONTROL. The perceived major player in the transaction (the network) will not transfer the purchasing price (read as - gold bricks) without resting full and complete utter control over the risk that every MMA event presents. To be clear, you must understand what a freak outburst, ring riot means to the UFC, as opposed to what it means to NBC or ABC. The UFC is a fringe brand, an alternative sport....  extreme in every sense. It could theoretically shake off a major debacle (picture something much worse than what occurred on CBS tonight), but a major network would feel the sting much deeper. Heads would roll. 

Here's the twist. The gulf between the 2 sides is tremendous, perhaps in one sense because Zuffa has a valuation on it's business that is forward looking and predictive, based on their belief (which I happen to concur with) that MMA is the only sport perched to take advantage of a worldwide fan base by virtue of live events and rapidly advancing technology (read as - the Internet).  To put it plainly, the price has not yet been right in order for the UFC to give away the ever crucial "creative control". We are all blessed for this. Had the most recent negotiations dealt with substantially higher numbers than any previous offer from a network, the UFC would (no matter the denials) be at the mercy of a network to a large degree. Creative control will have been transferred. How did that work out for everybody last night?

You see, for all the criticism that Zuffa gets (I've been happy to chime in when they deserve it) the UFC has steadfastly maintained that it is the guardian of the content ... that it is the guiding hand that will prevent disasters such as what occurred in Nashville last night. While the brawl is the main part of it, it's not the only part. The abbreviated card itself was near disaster (3 boring title fights by UFC standards). The production value continues to be sub-par everywhere but in the UFC/WEC. So you see, it is White who sees himself as being able to "save the network from itself ", in stark contrast to what any major network's perception would be. CBS clearly could not save itself from StrikeForce last night. By comparison, the UFC has an outstanding track record on Octagon control (pun intended) and production value. Is there any reason for White to trust any network to take away creative control of his events no matter the price? On this point not only does White feel that he is superior to any network, he feels the networks are children playing at a man's game. He is right. However, at a certain price, will anyone blame him or "the brothers" for taking the money and running away when the value of the UFC (even in the eyes of the networks) doubles and triples from where it has been rumored recently? We will all blast them when it happens... even more so if and when the quality of the best promotion heads south, but how many of us would not "tap out" under the weight of many hundreds of millions? God knows Floyd Mayweather would tap.

Now there will be much speculation, and the rationale uttered just above can be attacked from a number of angles based on it. I will just briefly address the most obvious potential theoretical cracks in my argument. The counter argument goes something like this - "The blame for all of the faults last night, foremost among them the brawl, are the responsibility of StrikeForce and had little if anything to do with meddling on the part of CBS". Perhaps that's true, but if so it clearly demonstrates that any organization other than Zuffa is simply playing ball in the little leagues and is incapable of quality control. It would then simply not speak well of CBS to have NOT retained some creative control over StrikeForce's promotion. If the reverse is true, and it becomes clear over time that CBS is largely or directly to blame for last night's MAYHEM, then...  ever more evidence that all the networks are, by comparison with the UFC, doomed to sub-par if not disastrous shows. Will this interpretation (the correct one) be completely missed by the next network to risk bank on MMA? Or will it even get that far? Will the other networks view the UFC wrongly and lump them with inferior organizations? Will the opposite of my desired effect from last night occur? Will network execs be even more staunchly insistent on creative control?

Dana White may have chuckled instinctively when he saw (or heard) about the StrikeFarce brawl, but the smile likely faded very quickly. 

BTW, there is some other worldly revelation in all of this regarding Dana's super quick and super strong reaction against what happened in the Silva fight last Saturday. You see, we tend to be frustrated the most by things that are out of our control. While Dana is a master of his business and the UFC is the best in the game at production, there are some punches that even a master does not see coming. White's reaction to Silva's antics was genuine because it represented the only aspect in White's world that he can not affect ... the Octagon while the clock is moving. For business reasons, I tend believe White when he said he will cut Silva if there's a repeat. It's all business. And it's major bank. Welcome to the big leagues. Actually, goodbye StrikeForce.

-wise- [e-mail]