why now my ass, dont make them change their minds. by the way. i popped in the
2003 Grand Prix dvd last night and watched the chuck liddell vs queunton jackson
fight and i almost forgot how bad the beating chuck got from him was, chuck got
his ass whipped

fullcontact67 <fullcontact67@...> wrote: Liddell vs. Silva: Why
Now?
By Josh Gross

[7/14/2006] Since Saturday, when it was announced PRIDE champion
Wanderlei Silva (Pictures) would fight UFC champion Chuck Liddell
(Pictures) in November, speculation has run rampant as to the
motivations of mixed martial arts' most prominent promoters, which
after three years finally agreed to what appears to be this sport's
first true world title bout.

While the path towards Dana White's decision remains cloudy, PRIDE's
reasoning has become clear.

As little as two months ago, PRIDE reigned atop the MMA heap. It had
launched the largest tournament of the year; been awarded a date to
promote its first Stateside card; enjoyed a prosperous deal with its
Japanese broadcast partner; and held in its stable the finest
collection of mixed martial artists in the world.

The probability, it seemed, of PRIDE and UFC - and thus many of the
world's preeminent fighters - coming together was so small, it could
only be found through quantum mechanics.

But then allegations began to spread about PRIDE's top brass being
involved with shady figures in the Japanese underworld. The press
was bad and Fuji TV, due in large measure to its own set of
unfortunate events, flipped the switch on PRIDE, removing anything
from the ship it perceived as a drag. Adding insult to injury, for
the first time in a long time a top-tier fighter, Quinton Jackson
(Pictures), fled to another organization during his free agency
period.

Yet, said one high-ranking PRIDE executive, through adversity comes
opportunity.

Though many on the outside saw Fuji TV's severed relationship with
PRIDE as the death knell for the promotion, those on the inside
believed that a unique opportunity had presented itself.

No longer hamstrung by television executives that often had as much
say in matchmaking as PRIDE officials, DSE was free to do what it
wished.

Believing the UFC holds an estimated 70 to 80 percent of the
American market share, said the same PRIDE official, the promoter
had two options if it wanted to flourish while establishing itself
in the U.S.: Strike a deal with the No. 1 company or partner with
its competitors.

With new kids on the block - Strikeforce, the World Fighting
Alliance (which signed Jackson away from PRIDE) and the
International Fight League (which continues to be embroiled in
lawsuits with the UFC) - and established events - King of the Cage,
et al - grappling for the remaining market share, PRIDE moved for
the former*.

That meant a serious discussion was underway to send one of the best
fighters in the organization's history to battle someone of equal
standing on the other side of the world. Just a month ago, a deal
was struck.

It's basic Marketing 101 stuff, said the PRIDE executive.

If the UFC's presence in America was about half of what it is today,
an alliance with the third and fourth competitors (PRIDE considers
itself the second biggest MMA promoter that does business in the
U.S.) might have paid off. But since the Las Vegas-based company has
so effectively branded UFC as mixed martial arts in this country,
the smart move was to work directly with Zuffa.

Relative to what it could gain - an increased market share from 18
to somewhere near 25 percent, DSE said - PRIDE appears to be risking
very little.

Silva remains under exclusive PRIDE contract, meaning he fights
where and when DSE officials tell him. The UFC will pay his purse in
November. And a loss would not officially remove him from the belt.

The UFC, it seems, is the one gambling in this scenario.

It was widely reported that the UFC again topped the Yahoo! Buzz
charts after Saturday's UFC 61 Pay-Per-View, yet few mentioned that
because of his presence on the broadcast the number of searches on
Wanderlei Silva (Pictures) increased an astronomical 444 percent -
head and shoulders the biggest gain of any search on Yahoo! related
to the UFC.

For an organization that has struggled to market itself to the
American audience, last weekend, from an awareness standpoint, may
well have been worth the decision on its own.

Over the past six days Silva has received far more attention in the
U.S. than he ever had before, and PRIDE is the company that will
reap the early returns with its Open-Weight Grand Prix Pay-Per-View
on September 10.

More important, the PRIDE executive explained, if this arrangement
works the way DSE hopes it will, the Japanese company will have
insured its future for the next 20 to 30 years while establishing
its legacy as a standard bearer when people look back in a century's
time.

And what does the UFC gain? If Liddell wins, a ton of credibility.
But should he falter, a Super Bowl mega card the company has tabbed
as its first 1 million-plus Pay-Per-View could fall into peril.
Though some have speculated this is an opportunity for the UFC to
increase its presence on WOWOW!, the promotion's Japanese broadcast
partner, that hardly seems worth the roll of the dice.

Yes, Silva will fight Liddell on the UFC's home turf under rules
preferred by the UFC. There won't be a co-promotion. All profits
will belong to Zuffa.

But is this all that Zuffa has garnered because of this monumental
agreement?

That is one of many questions that remain about the genesis of
Liddell vs. Silva and why, at this moment in the sport's history,
these two promotions have come together.

One thing is clear, however: competition breeds innovation. And that
is a good thing, for everyone involved, particularly PRIDE.






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