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Jul
31
Affliction and Elite XC: Can Either Compete With The UFC? (pt.1)
July 31, 2008 |
When you think of the sport of Mixed Martial Arts, the first thought that usually comes to mind is the UFC. The Ultimate Fighting Championship has been and still is the premier organization of MMA. The only other organization that has ever been able to compete on the same level was PRIDE FC. However, the UFC eventually bought out the Japanese based organization in March of 2007. The UFC also bought out World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) and the World Fighting Alliance (WFA). Since that time, there has been no other organization out there that has been able to give the UFC any honest competition. However, there seems to be a little more friendly competition nipping at the UFC’s heels in the forms of rival companies Elite XC and Affliction MMA…
Let’s start off first with Elite XC. Elite XC has been around since December of 2006 and they have made some interesting moves that have not only caught the attention of MMA fans, but the attention of the UFC as well. One of the first moves made was bringing in boxing promoter Gary Shaw as the Director and President of Live Events. However, Shaw has been quite a controversial figure. Between his questionable managing style and his war of words with UFC President Dana White, it was widely rumored that ProElite (Elite XC’s parenting company) would be firing Shaw. Another interesting move made by Elite XC was the acquisition of Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson. Ferguson is a well known street fighter who made a name for himself by posting his backyard brawls up on YouTube. Although hardcore MMA fans do not see Kimbo as true competitor in MMA yet, to the average spectator he is a huge ratings draw and is very marketable. Finally, the biggest move made so far by Elite XC is the deal they struck with CBS making them the first MMA promotion to be broadcast on network television. It was also widely speculated that the UFC was in negotiations with CBS for that same network deal. Being able to score a network deal over the largest MMA promotion in the world shows that Elite XC has the potential to compete with other organizations.
Stay tuned for part 2
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