by Kensei » Thu May 29, 2008 5:07 am
Okay, here is what I have peiced together from four of the major MMA magazines and E-zines.
Fedor is being paid a flat sign bonus of 1.5-2 mill. just to show up. Then his purse is almost the same amount as that. Timmy is making half a mill. sign bonus and about the same if he wins the fight...fedor does not need to win to get his FULL purse!
From what Most of the authors and insiders are saying Affliction is suffering from the same issues as BoDog did. They can not figure out how to market Fedor to the "average fan"....meaning TUF'ers! No one seems to understand that they NEED to do this in order to justify the payday. PPV buy ins for the Fedor v Law fight was 12,000 and the average UFC PPV buy in is somewhere between 250,000 and 500,000 depending on the card. BoDog is basically no more because they paid Fedor 80% of what they made on that card! They then marketed him by putting his face on NY city subways and bill boards and did not bring him in to meet and greet anyone. Adrenaline has tried to get him to do the old M&G and he only meets with Russian Radio or small media groups.....being as that is in his contract. They are frustrated that the issue of marketing is still not working out and they are worried that this will tank money wise.
The company is not being viewed as a viable threat and the UFC is kind of smirking at them. They will blow their load the first few PPVs they throw then die out like BoDog, were as the UFC will continue to grow off of the hard work of others. Afliction makes a few waives and then is dead, and the UFC sits around picking up the few fans that Afliction created out of "average joe".
I am affraid that the "last emperor" may end up in the Zuffa branded cage sooner or later!
Even monkeys fall out of trees!
hahaha