 Just as the stock market tumbles and we all watch our nest eggs shrink like Nicole Ritchie on a bulimic binge, MMA picks September to merge, loan, and even cooperate with each other the same way businesses and corporations have since the birth of the free market economy. First Affliction announced the genesis of a co-promotion with Golden Boy Boxing for a hybrid MMA-boxing event that will either be sheer genius or utter folly depending on how they handle it. Then Zuffa retaliated by merging the WEC’s heavier weight classes into the UFC-a move that was long rumored and overdue. But then the game took a new turn when Affliction fostered a “Survivor-esque” alliance when they loaned two of their heavyweights to EliteXC for this weekend’s card, which was lacking in the general interest department. Following their lead, the American Fight League loaned three of their fighters to Ironheart Crown for a show in November in what they called an “Affiliate Promoters Program.”
Suddenly MMA sounds like a real industry with companies employing previously untried and somewhat drastic measures to ensure their financial solvency. It’s not surprising given the bigger picture in America where your average Joe (meaning you folks reading this) has less disposable income to spend on entertainment and is looking at reducing his pay-per-view bill. But is it really a sound financial strategy or a short-sighted cash grab that’s bound to backfire?
To Loan or Not to Loan?
Jared Shaw at EliteXC must have sent up the Bat signal because Tom Atencio at Affliction surely came to the rescue. Facing the prospect of another mediocre showing on prime-time TV and the loss of their patron saint, CBS, EliteXC was in dire straits and still are. But Affliction’s agreement to loan Andrei Arlovski and Roy Nelson to the struggling promotion for a heavyweight matchup could shore things up, albeit temporarily. That’s good looking out but it may come back to bite Affliction in the ass if EliteXC actually survives through the end and turns a profit. But what do you expect when two small kids are backed up against the wall with a big, bald bully hovering over them. Will it make a difference? Not immediately since Nelson is unknown to the curious MMA fan and Arlovski hasn’t headlined an event in a long time. But if the two have a slugfest like Arlovski and Big Ben Rothwell had at the first Affliction show, it certainly won’t hurt. Will it rub off and become a common tactic among MMA promoters? Apparently it already has.
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