CPF UP CLOSE with Dana White On UFC 129, GSP vs. A. Silva Superfight and how 1 person sold over 11,000 tickets

Dana White on the Best outside the UFC and GSP talks his toughest Tests

UFC visits Toronto: Dana White says UFC 129 will be on a ‘whole other level’

By Mike Johnston

@MikeyJ_MMA

CLICK HERE TO VIEW A SLIDESHOW OF THE UFC 129 PRESS CONFERENCE

In front of a plethora of media at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, the Ultimate Fighting Championship held a press conference to promote its first event in the province of Ontario. UFC President Dana White, UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre, UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo, top contenders Jake Shields and Mark Hominick, along with UFC Director of Canadian Operations Tom Wright all took part in the conference to hype the April 30 event.
For months, White has been saying that the Toronto show would be the biggest event in UFC history and that fans can expect a unique experience on fight night. “We’re going to do things in this arena that we’ve never done in any arena before,” said White. “Instead of people worrying about ‘is this experience going to be the same,’ it’s not. It’s going to be better. We’re taking it to a whole other level.”

Although the Rogers Centre can hold upwards of 70,000 people, the UFC has elected to go for a more intimate environment with approximately 42,000 tickets going on sale to the public February 12.
A welterweight title fight between St. Pierre and Shields headlines UFC 129 and despite talks of a future super fight with Anderson Silva, the Quebec native is focused on the task at hand. “It would be foolish for me to look past Jake Shields,” said GSP. “He poses the biggest threat to my title.”
The co-main event features Thamesford, Ontario’s Hominick looking to take the UFC featherweight title from champion Jose Aldo. “This is the dream I’ve been thinking of since I was 13 years old,” said Hominick. “This is the culmination of ten years as a pro and I’m ready to do it April 30.”
UFC 129 features a record ten Canadian fighters competing on the card. Stay tuned for more content from this press conference. Also, follow @MikeyJ_MMA on Twitter for the latest UFC 129 news.

UFC WANTS NEW YORK!

BY:CHER WOODIWISS

UFC representatives are looking for a piece of the Empire State. New York state is not within the realm of the mixed martial arts boom, atleast not yet, it will be added to the 44 other states that already are sanctioned, if Zuffa gets its way. Today the UFC execs made a plea at a press conference held at Madison Square Gardens, Thurs,Jan 13,2011 to bring the fastest growing sport to their state. In attendance were: Dana White,Lorenzo Fertitta, UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, a Jersey native and Scott O’Neil, president of Madison Square Gardens sports.

There have been fruitless attempts in the past by president of the UFC, Dana White and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta to get mma regulated in the state of New York. White and Fertitta are confident they will find success in 2011, year of the rabbit. Which ironically is described as a “congenial time in which diplomacy and international relations will be given a front seat again. A year where people will acknowledge that persuasion is better than force.” Which relates to the UFC’s focus on educating politicians and the general public on the economic benefits of sanctioning mma in their state.


Fertitta said during the press conference that they have talked about the economic impact. He spoke of an independent study that was done by a firm called HR & A, who’ve estimated that they would bring 23 million on an annual basis and create over 200 jobs, just by putting on 2 events a year. Which they promised the Gardens would be a chosen venue.

White and Fertitta have sought support from high ranking Garden personnel and state politicians and are not just relying on financial data to build support for the sanctioning of MMA.

President of Madison Square Gardens Sports, Scott O’Neil and New York State assembly man Dean Murray stood by White and Fertitta. Murray has already begun lobbying for the passing of Mixed Martial Arts legislation in new York. He has begun talks with newly elected Governor Andrew M Cuomo. To which he received positive feedback, he seemed open to the idea. A request has been put in writing to include the MMA legislation in his budget proposal.

While UFC awaits New York States decision on whether to legalize Mixed Martial Arts, the promotion will return to the Prudential Centre in Newark, New Jersey to hold UFC 128,March 19,2011. To which White expects another profitable night and expects New York residents will represent a large percentage of the paying fans.Dana announced that tickets for ufc 128,Evans vs. Rua are on sale today Jan 13,2011. He told us that last event put on at the Prudential Centre in March, 2010 sold 17,000 tickets and took in 4 million at the gate with 30% of those tickets sold, were to New Yorkers.

Here’s to success of getting MMA sanctioned worldwide. One state at a time, one province at a time. Soon this will be a thing we look back at in disbelief. We will be telling our grandkids that we had to travel far and wide to see great fights and that “in my day” we had to fight to make this sport legal and available for everyone, everywhere!

UFC 117: Anderson Silva, Chael Sonnen, and the Miracle in Oakland

By Elton Hobson

As I watched the weigh-ins for tonight’s UFC 117 from Oakland, something occurred to me. It happened right as champion and challenger squared off for the “face to face” photo op, and Anderson Silva turned away from Chael Sonnen in distain (pictured above, in reverse, from earlier press conference) while the crowd roared. Watching this scene, I began to get the feeling that I was watching something that was impossible.

Or more accurately, that what I was watching was nothing less then a PR miracle. And all thanks to one man - or is he more myth and superstition then man? Yes, folks, the Superman is real, and he’s a Republican.

Let’s flashback a couple of months to this past April, when this match-up was first announced. Silva was coming off the absolute disaster that was UFC 112, and his “fight” with Demian Maia. Man, it sucked to be Anderson Silva back then. After three straight stinkers, broken up only by his rapid destruction of fan favourite Forrest Griffin, fans had finally, terminally given up on the sport’s pound for pound king and possibly greatest ever fighter.

It’s no exaggeration to say that at the time, “The Spider” was the most hated man in the sport. There were many, many people in those days who vowed never to order an Anderson Silva headlined card again. Dana White was near desperate in his concessions and apologies, vowing to “make this one up” to the fans. His super fight with GSP was put in permanent limbo, and there was serious talk of his being suspended or even cut from the company.

And Chael Sonnen? Well he was coming off a win over top ranked Nate Marquardt, and enjoying his first blip of casual fan attention.

Sure, he earned a lot of fans with his gritty performance in that fight, and his entertaining comments to Joe Rogan afterwards. But prior to that, Sonnen had being flying under the radar at 185 lbs, the dark horse contender in the middleweight division. Worse, he had acquired a reputation as a “boring” fighter, a Greco-Roman wrestling decision machine whose unspectacular, plodding style seemed destined to make him the Jon Fitch of the 185’ers.

When this fight was announced, no one jumped out of their chairs in excitement. The Decision Machine vs. The Dancing Queen? I think I’ll pass, thanks. Fans yawned. Media yawned. Dana wept.

Chael Sonnen ( R ) cracked his knuckles in excitement. In the history of the UFC, there are few fighters who have so dramatically and decisively risen to seize a moment as Sonnen has done. The former Republican State Senate hopeful and Real Estate agent (what a perfect combo for fight selling, by the way) got to work, and he has painted his Sistine Chapel.

His months long campaign of side-splitting trash talk, bald-faced lies, and borderline psychotic rants against Silva isn’t just funny. It isn’t just irritating. It’s not just eloquent, or embarrassingly stupid, or perfectly timed, or way over the top. It’s all those things, and possibly even more.

In my opinion, it’s nothing short of brilliant, a marketing coup like nothing we’ve seen before in MMA.

When people say Sonnen has created lots of hype for his UFC 117 title shot, they really fail to capture the whole picture. Just creating “hype” is easy. Tito Ortiz has already created hype for his next, Rolling Stones-esque “comeback fight” by making fun of Matt Hamill’s deafness. Put a camera in Nick Diaz’s face, and you’ll get a stoned, F-word filled rant that would out crazy anything Sonnen has said. And don’t get Brock Lesnar started on Bud Light.

No, what Sonnen has done is far more impressive. When Sonnen took to the scale yesterday, he was booed heavily. When Silva appeared, the crowd actually cheered a little bit. When Silva turned away from Chael, that noise grew to a roar. The tension, the excitement, and the energy in that room was palpable, even through my tiny laptop screen.

It was a scene that only months ago would have been a laughable fantasy. But there it was. The most hated man in the sport is, once again, a good guy.

Chael Sonnen didn’t just successfully sell this fight. He sold this fight with himself as the “heel” (bad guy in wrestling lingo), a far better narrative as far as the UFC is concerned. Anderson Silva is the top fighter in the game today. Him being hated and despised and booed is a situation the UFC (and let’s be honest, the sport itself) could really do without.

So Sonnen went beyond the pale. Like the aforementioned Nick Diaz, the Oregon native wasn’t afraid to say and do whatever he felt like. Unlike Diaz, his madness had a method. Say what you will about him, but Sonnen is certainly clever and witty, even if in an overt, blunt way, and he has a great sense of timing. In short, he can sling BS with the best of ‘em.

And sling he did. For months and months and months. It worked cause it was funny, or cause he could deliver it with a straight face. It worked because it irritated you, and eventually you wanted him to shut up. It worked because his sense of timing was incredible, moving from one outrageous claim or story to the next with perfect fluidity.

Nothing was safe. Nothing was taboo. Race, religion, ethnicity, nationality - even Lance Armstrong's testicular cancer.

In the process, Sonnen has sold us a golden proposition. After all this talk, after all these outlandish claims and boorish insults and outright lies, we want to see somebody, anybody, shut his mouth. We want to see him eat a big slice of humble pie - preferably while lying starry eyed on top of the “Amp Energy” logo.

And who better to deliver that then the sport’s undisputed KO king? So congratulations, Mr. Sonnen. You’ve earned your big payday, and your hefty increase in fan recognition. You may have made your whole career with the lead up to this fight alone. For what it’s worth, I really do hope you find a way to take Anderson down and hold him there for all 25 minutes.

Or that you like eating your meals through a straw. Cause you’ve clearly made Anderson Silva angry. You wouldn’t like him when he’s angry.