Mark Cuban starts MMA promotion

[Juiced89lx]

Here is the press release
http://www.hd.net/pressrelease.html?2007-09-10-02.html

Here is a link to the website.
http://hdnetfights.com/

He's got the cash to get some big name fighters, i'm interested in seeing what he does with this.

[D]

That fucking guy will do anything to get some attention.

[bcoop]

That fucking guy will do anything to get some attention.




No, he'll do anything that will make him money. Don't hate. ;)

[The Big Matt]

looks like he's signed Liam and Spratt, along with a few other decent fighters.

This will be interesting to see how he plays this one. And it'll be great for fans to have more fights in Dallas.

[ruffdaddy]

That fucking guy will do anything to get some attention.

Anything Mark Cuban does gets attention...you've got it backwards. I'm glad people are competing with Dana White and the UFC.

[Denny]

I hope this takes off! I'd love to see more fights. Hell, I even watch that IFL crap on Channel 27.

[10sec302]

I posted this about a week ago on another MMA website:

Being worth 2.3 billion dollars is a POWERFUL thing. To some who dont know, 1 billion dollars is a thousand million. Imagine being worth that times 2, plus another 300 million. Mark isnt going to let go of the NBA side of things because the NBA is here to stay, but I think that Mark is looking way past next year, and the year after that as far as the UFC goes. The UFC got too big too fast, and now that PRIDE is under the UFC, NO OTHER MMA organization comes close to the UFC. Not even half as close.

Yes, the UFC "NEEDS!" these smaller organizations to exist because if not, fighters would eventually steer away from MMA due to the lack of money that can be made. Being a UFC superstar is like being a Pro Football player, basketball player, baseball player...........You get paid to do what you love! The only sad thing is, you scrape change together until you get to the top, and whats even more sad than that, is 2 losses can put you back to scraping change again. The MAIN difference between the UFC and these other professional organizations is, they play as a team. The NFL plays 16 times a year, the NBA and MLB play well over a 100 times a year. Most fighters are lucky if they get to fight ONCE, maybe twice a year. When these fighters step into the octagon, they represent themselves. ONLY that 1 person can win or lose the fight. One simple mistake.........just one.........can cost you a lot more than the fans think it does. Another thing people dont realize is, if a small time fighter wins $5,000 he doesnt bring home $5,000 ....his trainers/team get a percentage of that also, so he's probably lucky if he gets to bring home half of that.

I was afraid that money/politics would get involved....just like any other sport that involves professional atheletes, the media, the fame, the glory.....etc. Mark Cuban can potentially pose a HUGE threat to the UFC and why? Because MONEY talks. If Mark Cuban has the rights over Fedor Emelianenko (The best fighter in MMA today) then he's gotten the attention of not only the UFC, but the world. Mark Cuban can offer other fighters (Chuck, Randy, GSP, A.Silva, Wanderlei, Shogun, Quinton, Tito, Sherk, etc etc etc....) a bigger paycheck once their contracts are up and what do you think they'll say ???? Do you think they'll turn him down? Money is what pays these guys bills, takes care of their families, etc.

Youre probably thinking that some fighters are loyal to the UFC and that could be true also, but............if the UFC offered you $250,000 to fight and M.Cuban offered you $500,000 to fight....wouldnt your decision be a lot easier. Mark Cuban is in the position to where he doesnt have to make huge profits right away like the Fertittas did when they took that huge gamble buying out the UFC. Mark Cuban is worth 2.3 billion dollars. He can lose 500 millions dollars out of his own money in the 1st year and still be worth 1.8 billion dollars. Guess what? Theres that thing called intereste and tax write-offs. He can lose 500 million dollars and be worth more than that come income tax time. Agree ???

What Im getting at is, Mark Cuban sees a lot of potential in the UFC that probably a lot of investors dont, but the thing that makes him so powerful is that 2.3 billions dollars hes worth. A lot of investors arent willing to challenge him "money-wise" in fear of the UFC not bringing in the numbers and their net worth decreasing. I see either Mark Cuban making an offer to buy out the UFC, buy half of the UFC, or potentially starting his own MMA organization in the near future. I think that Mark has kept an eye on the UFC since SPIKE started airing the show and sat back and watched it unfold. I feel that Mark feels that now is his time to shine, now is his time to make his move before someone else slides in that spot. And with a man that powerful and rich, it's all about the game..........the competition of who has more money and whos more powerful. Think about it.............Why else would Mark Cuban, of all people.....want to suddenly take so much interest in 1 fighter ? Fedors Russian, Mark isnt.........they wasnt highschool buddies, neighborhood friends or co-workers. Thats why I say, Money talks.....

Oh and I could be wrong, but I feel that Dana White should be more well spoken and watch his language. That doesnt look good for an organization thats growing so big and so fast to have their own President saying "F..... this, and F...... that" to where every interview he gives has censors in them. To me, that makes the UFC look tacky.

[Juiced89lx]

^ FRAT

i highly doubt you typed that yourself.
which site did you copy and paste that from? lol

[Tyrone Biggums]

I'm excited to see where he goes with this. It would be good for the fans and the fighters for the UFC to have some powerful competition.


Edit: I just looked at the roster of fighters and saw Liam(I guess I also could have read Matt's post). Liam was there to help Nick with training the first Sunday I went to Southside. That's pretty damn cool. Now I'm even more excited.

[10sec302]

^ FRAT

i highly doubt you typed that yourself.
which site did you copy and paste that from? lol



Youre not the only one that follows up on MMA. :)

Go to iceman.tv and go to the forums, then go to General MMA, click on that and the thread that says "NBAs Mark Cuban persuing Fedor Emelianenko"

I actually did type that, but I took out certain sentences concerning the guys post above it, because if I had posted it here, it wouldnt have made too much sense" That "Kane1111111" is me. I even have an email address (Kane1111111@yahoo.com) so you're welcome to email me there, to verify it was me.....No big deal either way.

[The Big Matt]

I guess I missed him the first time, but Jason House is signed up too.

This might be pretty cool

[Juiced89lx]

hers the card to the first event.
oct. 13 at the AAC


Erik Paulson vs. Jeff Ford
Jason House vs. Freddy Espiricueta
Justin Eilers vs. Justin Howard
Anthony Lapsley vs. TJ Walberger
Pete Spratt vs. Sammy Morgan
Sean Salmon vs. Leopoldo Serao
Liam McCarty vs. Ivan Jorge
Sunia Filikitonga vs. Joel Traves

[silvercobra03]

If nothing else this will be fun to watch I think cuban can rattle white's cage a little.

[JKD]

Badass!


Cuban knows how to sell and do good buisness. I thinnk someone like Cuban would only be good for MMA and the UFC as well. Competition only drives buisnesses to excel. When there is no competition they tend to slack and the quality seems to slip.

I really hope more MMA comes to the DFW area. Not all of us have the means/time to fly to Vegas a couple of times a year plus get good tickets for UFC events. This can only be good for MMA!

[Tyrone Biggums]

I've checked HDNet's and AAC's websites and there isn't any ticket information up yet for the 13th. I'm going to check it periodically, but if anyone hears anything, post up.

[Tyrone Biggums]

Looks like tickets go on sale Monday Sept. 17th at 10:00 a.m. through ticketmaster.

[deso]

Edit: I just looked at the roster of fighters and saw Liam(I guess I also could have read Matt's post). Liam was there to help Nick with training the first Sunday I went to Southside. That's pretty damn cool. Now I'm even more excited.
That is def awesome.

[Tyrone Biggums]

Just a reminder, tickets go on sale this morning at 10.

[wesman]

I've checked HDNet's and AAC's websites and there isn't any ticket information up yet for the 13th. I'm going to check it periodically, but if anyone hears anything, post up.


I'm a Mavs season ticket holder so I have access to pre-sale tickets if anyone is interested.

I think this is awesome for MMA, especially MMA in Dallas.

Awesome to see Liam in some bigger shows, he's a really good guy.


--wes

[wesman]

Just a reminder, tickets go on sale this morning at 10.


Ah , didn't notice when they went on sale. I got an email about a week ago about the pre-sale.

Anyone gonna check this out?

--wes

[Tyrone Biggums]

Anyone gonna check this out?

--wes


Just bought mine.

[Juiced89lx]

i'm down, but havent bought my tickets yet.

who else is down? its really hard to get tickets for a big group because of all the potential flakes...

[wesman]

i'm down, but havent bought my tickets yet.

who else is down? its really hard to get tickets for a big group because of all the potential flakes...


Yeah, I agree. Maybe we can just post where folks are sitting (section, row etc ) and those that want to go can try to get tickets there.

--wes

[Tyrone Biggums]

i'm down, but havent bought my tickets yet.

who else is down? its really hard to get tickets for a big group because of all the potential flakes...

That's why I said fuck it and just got a pair for me and the wife. We're in section 114, GG I think.

[Juiced89lx]

^^how much did u pay?

[wesman]

^^how much did u pay?


looks like those are the $50 seats.

--wes

[Juiced89lx]

where are you gonna sit, wes?

[wesman]

where are you gonna sit, wes?


Not sure, gonna talk with some peopel tomorrow and see what the interest is. I'll be at least in the second level in the $50 seats.

--wes

[Tyrone Biggums]

^^how much did u pay?

$30 a seat. The $50 seats were floor seats, behind ringside. I didn't want to stare at the back of someone's head all night, so I chose lower level, best available and went with that.

[AbecX]

Rumor has it, he has been working with Shane McMahon ( Vince McMahon's son ) in a joint venture.

[Wario]

Tomorrow night!

War Liam.

http://www.tomerlitvin.com/photography/albums/HDnetWeigh-ins/normal_IMG_1756_resize.JPG

[Tyrone Biggums]

I'm excited. We'll be there early. Hope to see some of you there.

[wesman]

We'll be there around 630-7. We've got a group of 10. We're in section 106 row N.

--wes

[revoautowerks]

Should be a fun night. My buddy got some VIP seats direct from HDNet, so Im not really sure where we will be sitting....somewhere good I assume. The perks from being a Marketing and Sales Manager of a major cable provider really pay off.

[Wario]

Should be a fun night. My buddy got some VIP seats direct from HDNet, so Im not really sure where we will be sitting....somewhere good I assume. The perks from being a Marketing and Sales Manager of a major cable provider really pay off.


I'll be back stage and cage side. Hows that for perks?

[Tyrone Biggums]

Not bad for Cuban's first production. The wife and I had a blast. Liam won his fight 2:35 in the first round. Pete Spratt won his fight by vicious knockout. House lost a decision. Dan Henderson and Travis Lutter made an appearance.

Couple of pics:

Travis Lutter
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t240/mmajimmy/Fight%20pics/P1010023.jpg

Pete Spratt
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t240/mmajimmy/Fight%20pics/P1010022.jpg

$7 brews owned my wallet.
Headed to House of Blues afterwards. Fun stuff.

[revoautowerks]

The Pete Spratt knockout was brutal!!!! That and the knee the Columbian guy took to the head.......Good job for a first time thing.

[Juiced89lx]

I got a vid of Spratt's ko. I'll upload it and post it here. Funny thing about that was the kid beat Spratt last month in Austin. Spratt was dominating him and got tapped out. Glad Pete got he win.

It was awesome to see Liam tap out that roided out wrestler. Liam said the guy tapped to the omoplata and not the strikes. Freddie looked off on the 1st round but came back strong and beat the shit out of Jason House. Hopefully Nick will post some pics of the press conference when he gets back. He said Jason's face was FUCKED up....

Good night of fight. Can't wait until there are more in the area. I would expect them to have some more high profile fighters at the next show.

[wesman]

Definitely a good time. They have some work to do as far as production and showmanship, but that will all come with time. They definitely have the venue to put on some big shows. I'm looking forward to more great shows.

--wes

[Tyrone Biggums]

Looks like theres going to be another show at the AAC in December.

[Wario]

Good show.

Happy to see my friends win. Liams next fight is going to be a good one!

[wesman]

Good show.

Happy to see my friends win. Liams next fight is going to be a good one!


Good to see/chat with you again Nick. Lemme know when you have the info on the gym.

Who's Liam's next opponent?

--wes

[GTJules99]

Pete Spratt
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t240/mmajimmy/Fight%20pics/P1010022.jpg

$7 brews owned my wallet.
Headed to House of Blues afterwards. Fun stuff.

Awww...cheek to cheek. How cute! :p