UFC planning return to Ireland in the next two years

McManus

Good news for us

Hopefully a few irish fighters get their chance to shine.

http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2012/10/31/3581152/mma-news-ufc-planning-returns-boston-ireland-two-years

scudzilla

:rolleyes:

Mr. Manager

scudzilla wrote: »

:rolleyes:

What's that for?

I don't see how it can be anything but good for the UFC to return to Ireland.

scudzilla

:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

SuperWoody101

He says that EVERY TIME he is asked about coming back. Don't get your hopes up is all I will say.

Mr. Manager

scudzilla wrote: »

:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Constructive post. Very well articulated.

Seriously, what is the problem?

I was never at the one in Ireland before and seeing as I don't live there, I probably won't be at the next one.

Did something happen that requires the use of rolleyes when mentioned?

pablohoney87

Because this thread pops up maybe twice a year since they came last time.

El Guapo!

It'd be great if they did come back but I wouldn't get my hopes up. I've never been to a UFC event so I'd love to go.
If they do come here then it'll probably be a sub-par card but better than nothing I suppose.

Xlami

Dean09 wrote: »

If they do come here then it'll probably be a sub-par card but better than nothing I suppose.

Ah McGregor should be in line for a title shot by the end of 2014.

pauldoo

:rolleyes:

Wouldnt buy into this at all, i always liked dana but he talks a massive amount of ****e. cant see it happening considering he said they want to go to Brazil 12 times next year.

I'll believe it when i see the tickets on sale

We wont get a card near what we got the last time; Shogun, Hendo, Franklin, Coleman, Kampman, Lylte, Davis, Belsher, Paulharis-Deadly card

dickwod1

pablohoney87 wrote: »

Because this thread pops up maybe twice a year since they came last time.

True and they said it would be an annual event but never happened, However ...

SuperWoody101 wrote: »

He says that EVERY TIME he is asked about coming back. Don't get your hopes up is all I will say.

He said this in his news briefing about future events... http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=x58izL3Cv84

scudzilla

Dana has made so many promises over the years that he hasm't kept i don't bother any more.

He said at one of the FC Q& A sessions that the UK would be getting the same quality cards as the U.S, including championship fights.

We had 2 title fights (75 & 80) which i was lucky enough to be at, and that was it.

IF it does come off then for sure we won't get a card of the same qaulity as 93, it will be full of local and UK talent, not knocking this for a moment, i just get pissed off when they charge the same price as they do for some U.S events

SevereMMA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x58izL3Cv84

SevereMMA

They did promise a card in Ireland in 2012 and also 4 in the UK, which never materialised

In the video above he says

He was asked the questions "Irish event in 2013 or 14?"

Then he replied "I promise." then he paused then he said..

"People in Ireland we are coming back"

MrStuffins

DrPhilG

scudzilla wrote: »

i just get pissed off when they charge the same price as they do for some U.S events

I only wish they did charge the same...

The last UFC on Fuel card in the US, tickets started from $50 up to about $250.

UFC on Fuel in Nottingham the tickets started from £75 up! That's pretty much double the price for the cheap seats.

I don't see the point of charging so much for seats and then comping hundreds if not thousands of tickets. Last few FX and Fuel cards in the States they comped nearly half the tickets. Nottingham wasn't as bad but they were still throwing free tickets around the night before the event and it still wasn't a sell out.

Brazil is a huge potential market for MMA, huge stadium shows and loads of fans. There is money to be made from tickets and sponsors. And a massive potential income from the fan base.

Ireland simply doesn't have that. They'll sell out a smallish venue but won't make enough money to cover a big name card so they'll get as much grief as support. There just isn't much to be gained from putting a card on in Ireland.

I've just accepted that I'll have to travel if I want to get to UFC events. Even UK are scarce, unless Garry Cook can do a better job than Marshall Zelaznik of promoting the UFC in Europe. Get a decent TV deal that includes a number of UK shows like Sh1tanta had.

Mellor

SuperWoody101 wrote: »

He says that EVERY TIME he is asked about coming back. Don't get your hopes up is all I will say.

Did he ever give a date/year like this time or was it just "we'll be back"?

SevereMMA wrote: »

They did promise a card in Ireland in 2012 and also 4 in the UK, which never materialised

I

When did he promise an irish event in 2012?

This is the first time I can remember an actual date, vague as it is. I'm not saying he never gave a year, just that i can't remember. All the rumours about paddys day cards etc where started by others.

DrPhilG wrote: »

I only wish they did charge the same...

The last UFC on Fuel card in the US, tickets started from $50 up to about $250.

I think a lot of that comes down to the venue.
UFC 110 Sydney started at $50, as did UFC 127 and the FX card earlier this year.

The smashes finale is in Gold Coast in queensland and they are starting at $175. The only reason I can think of is that the venue is smaller so tickets have to cover more overheads. Either that or the venue operators are looking for a bigger mark up.

SevereMMA

I don't think it was Dana White that "announced" an Irish card in 2012, but if my vague memory serves me correctly then some head of UK something for the UFC at a press conference was asked and said they would be coming to UK 4 times and Ireland in 2012

el dude

I'd honestly rather they didn't tbh. Cause you know it would be the weakest card in UFC history.

Mellor

SevereMMA wrote: »

I don't think it was Dana White that "announced" an Irish card in 2012, but if my vague memory serves me correctly then some head of UK something for the UFC at a press conference was asked and said they would be coming to UK 4 times and Ireland in 2012

I'm guessing that was Marshal Zelaznik. He's says a lot of stuff and its mostly nonsense. I'm pretty sure he was asked about UFC on paddys day and he vague bull**** answer helped started the rumour.

SevereMMA

el dude wrote: »

I'd honestly rather they didn't tbh. Cause you know it would be the weakest card in UFC history.

You're crazy, even if it's a FUEL card, how could you not want to see top Irish talent get a chance in the UFC?

DrPhilG

Nottingham was a great card too for a Fuel event.

MrStuffins

SevereMMA wrote: »

You're crazy, even if it's a FUEL card, how could you not want to see top Irish talent get a chance in the UFC?

Might not necessarily happen. Last time Tom Egan was the only Paddy on the card.

Although in fairness there is absolutely no way that they'd have a card and not have McGregor, Pendred etc on there.

Not Gunni though. At that stage he'll be UFC Champion and too big for UFC to put on an Irish show

scudzilla

MrStuffins wrote: »

Might not necessarily happen. Last time Tom Egan was the only Paddy on the card.

Although in fairness there is absolutely no way that they'd have a card and not have McGregor, Pendred etc on there.

Not Gunni though. At that stage he'll be UFC Champion and too big for UFC to put on an Irish show

Not really, if they're serious about this 2014 thing, and it happens early in that year, we could well see Gunni headline, with the winner getting a title shot

SBG Ireland

stay tuned

MrStuffins

scudzilla wrote: »

Not really, if they're serious about this 2014 thing, and it happens early in that year, we could well see Gunni headline, with the winner getting a title shot

Yeah i was just joking about the Gunni thing.

Hopefully they'll bring a few big names over!

El Guapo!

All depends in what happens with Gunnar in the meantime. If they push him, he could well be too big for the card at that stage. Either way we'd be sure to have a couple of top guys on there, including (imo) Pendred, McGregor, Holohan.

scudzilla

Dean09 wrote: »

All depends in what happens with Gunnar in the meantime. If they push him, he could well be too big for the card at that stage. Either way we'd be sure to have a couple of top guys on there, including (imo) Pendred, McGregor, Holohan.

How much did we pay for that CW event we went to? 25euro? We could end up with more or less the same names (mcgregor, pendred), high up on the card and not getting any change out of 150!!

El Guapo!

scudzilla wrote: »

How much did we pay for that CW event we went to? 25euro? We could end up with more or less the same names (mcgregor, pendred), high up on the card and not getting any change out of 150!!

Very true. And we had a great night of fights for little or nothing. The thing is though, the UFC can charge what they like just because of the UFC name, and people will still pay it. And embarrassingly enough, so will I. (Never been to a UFC event before)

MrStuffins

scudzilla wrote: »

How much did we pay for that CW event we went to? 25euro? We could end up with more or less the same names (mcgregor, pendred), high up on the card and not getting any change out of 150!!

I thought of this too.

However, if it comes around and the Irish lads are fighting guys near the top of the rankings and some of the best in the world, perhaps in order to put them into a title mix, then I'd be happy to pay for the privilege!

Xlami

The UFC will always be in a position to charge those prices. CW charges 25 to let us see McGregor vs Alers and the UFC can charge 5 times that to let us see McGregor vs someone no where near as good as Jim Alers. To be fair to Cage Warriors they've built an incredible roster of fighters but the casual MMA fans really don't appreciate this. I know many people who barely acknowledge the existence of Cage Warriors and Cage Contenders and I know for a fact if the UFC came here they'd go beserk for tickets. They're like the fair weather MMA fans.

JohnMc1

scudzilla wrote: »

:rolleyes:

All that was needed was the old "I'm definitely doing one on St.Patrick's Day" line.

Gypsy Roman

McManus wrote: »

Good news for us

Hopefully a few irish fighters get their chance to shine.

http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2012/10/31/3581152/mma-news-ufc-planning-returns-boston-ireland-two-years

Hopefully not too many,last thing ya want is a Cage Contender card under the UFC Banner,fair enough if someone is deserving of a shot then give him one but I would hate to see another Tom Egan getting put into the cage when he had no business being in there with John Hathaway just to try and sell the Irish man Vs The Brit crap. If someone at the time of UFC rolling into town is on a hot streak and has perhaps put away a few Ex UFC Vets then by all means put him in. Can also see us being given a fight that is under the banner a fight for the hardcore fans,which is just another way of saying crap main event that would not make the under card in the MGM but if we say hardcore fans those who pull us up on it will be told by other fans thats casue your not a hardcore fan. The last card here was as good a card as Ireland or Europe for that matter will ever see,Franklin,Hendo,Kampman,Hathaway,Shogun,Siver,Liddle,cannot see that happening again.

adamski8

Is it my imagination or was ufc 93 not well appreciated at the time? Seems like it is rolled out now as being great but at the time i dont think it was given the respect it was due. I seem to remember people saying the fighters were a bit washed up or unknown.

SevereMMA

People always complain about cards before they happen

Gypsy Roman

adamski8 wrote: »

Is it my imagination or was ufc 93 not well appreciated at the time? Seems like it is rolled out now as being great but at the time i dont think it was given the respect it was due. I seem to remember people saying the fighters were a bit washed up or unknown.

Yeah at the time there was not as big respect for the card as was due but if the UFC does come back I think we can expect alot of TUF contestants from The Smashes series and a few Irish guys fighting them for national pride.Dont know why they seem to think just because an event is in a country that all the locals want to watch the local guys fight,I much perfer to see a card mixed with fighters from a range of places and not just Oz fighters in Oz,Brazilians in Brazil and so on.

Gypsy Roman

adamski8 wrote: »

Is it my imagination or was ufc 93 not well appreciated at the time? Seems like it is rolled out now as being great but at the time i dont think it was given the respect it was due. I seem to remember people saying the fighters were a bit washed up or unknown.

Yeah at the time there was not as big respect for the card as was due but if the UFC does come back I think we can expect alot of TUF contestants from The Smashes series and a few Irish guys fighting them for national pride.Dont know why they seem to think just because an event is in a country that all the locals want to watch the local guys fight,I much perfer to see a card mixed with fighters from a range of places and not just Oz fighters in Oz,Brazilians in Brazil and so on. Would be great to see some of the Irish guys get a shot on the card but hope that they dont just stack it from top to bottom with them like they have been doing with British fighters on the Brit cards.

Mellor

Gypsy Roman wrote: »

Dont know why they seem to think just because an event is in a country that all the locals want to watch the local guys fight,I much perfer to see a card mixed with fighters from a range of places and not just Oz fighters in Oz,Brazilians in Brazil and so on.

The UFC have a full stable of British and Brazilian fighters, so those fighters, plus a few locals make up the UK and Brazilian cards.

They didn't have any irish fighters for 93, so they just stuck on one local. There was very few australians on the 110 and 127 cards. The two or three signed fighters, plus one local fighter.

I imagine a return to ireland will be similar. Any signed fighters with irish connections, plus a local fighter or two. Maybe ones that have tried out for TUF etc.

Xlami

Gypsy Roman wrote: »

Yeah at the time there was not as big respect for the card as was due but if the UFC does come back I think we can expect alot of TUF contestants from The Smashes series and a few Irish guys fighting them for national pride.Dont know why they seem to think just because an event is in a country that all the locals want to watch the local guys fight,I much perfer to see a card mixed with fighters from a range of places and not just Oz fighters in Oz,Brazilians in Brazil and so on.

I do agree with you but the UFC has always used that model to ensure local shows sell out. Just curious does anyone think Cage Warriors or Cage Contender could put on a show in the o2? Even if they had a super card of all the top Irish guys fighting top Europeans or UFC vets I don't think they have the brand power to hold a show there. Although I'd love to be proved wrong.

El Guapo!

Xlami wrote: »

I do agree with you but the UFC has always used that model to ensure local shows sell out. Just curious does anyone think Cage Warriors or Cage Contender could put on a show in the o2? Even if they had a super card of all the top Irish guys fighting top Europeans or UFC vets I don't think they have the brand power to hold a show there. Although I'd love to be proved wrong.

I don't think they'd be able to hold a show in the O2. Even if there was all the top irish guys on the card including a few UFC vets etc, and with multiple titles on the line, they still wouldn't sell enough tickets in my opinion.
As sad as it is to say, the casual mma fan only cares about the UFC and have no interest in irish mma. Partly because they just watch the odd UFC event and that's all they know, and partly because irish mma doesn't get the attention and coverage it deserves in this country.
It's a real shame that the TV and radio stations don't realise what incredible talent is sitting right under their noses. If they just took notice and started covering events, Irish mma would explode in this country.

John Ferguson

Dean09 wrote: »

I don't think they'd be able to hold a show in the O2. Even if there was all the top irish guys on the card including a few UFC vets etc, and with multiple titles on the line, they still wouldn't sell enough tickets in my opinion.
As sad as it is to say, the casual mma fan only cares about the UFC and have no interest in irish mma. Partly because they just watch the odd UFC event and that's all they know, and partly because irish mma doesn't get the attention and coverage it deserves in this country.
It's a real shame that the TV and radio stations don't realise what incredible talent is sitting right under their noses. If they just took notice and started covering events, Irish mma would explode in this country.

Dean09 pretty much sums it up.

An important factor is that there are 2 types of fan in this sport:

1 - The MMA Fan, who will watch most MMA including UFC

2 - The UFC fan, who will only really watch UFC

We have spent a lot of time and money at Cage Contender trying to get the army of UFC fans of their sofas to watch local MMA. Most of our efforts go on the general press and public rather than MMA sites and publications which are frequented by the tiny MMA market.

As a sport in this country we all need to push MMA outside of the usual MMA bubble and in to the more mainstream outlets.

In my opinion for what it's worth I think Irish MMA is about 2 years or so away from being able to support a decent show at the O2. By support I mean put on an event that sells out and makes a profit for the operator.

SDTimeout

Small shock people left out atmosphere. I would rather 3000 people going mad in Kings Hall than 5,000 in O2 not being able to get a good atmosphere cos of venue.

scudzilla

The O2 would sell out almost immediately last time, IIRC Dana said 93 was one of the quickest selling cards of all time

Gypsy Roman

scudzilla wrote: »

The O2 would sell out almost immediately last time, IIRC Dana said 93 was one of the quickest selling cards of all time

Yup it was one of the quickest ever sell outs and still remains top ten to this day,and as for atmosphere it was electric,buy the DVD (NOW ONLY 7 QUID) and listen it was unreal,best atmosphere at an event pound for pound Dana said and he is right,very rare u see an arena rocking at the very first fight 3 hours before the main card starts,I cannot recall many cards that has happened in. The reason they have not returned is simple,TV Deal,the current ESPN deal is not good enough for Dana to return to Ireland for,not sure of the exact details but he gave a pretty indepth answer at a post fight presser one night when asked about returning here and it was on the lines of the current TV deal.

scudzilla

Gypsy Roman wrote: »

Yup it was one of the quickest ever sell outs and still remains top ten to this day,and as for atmosphere it was electric,buy the DVD (NOW ONLY 7 QUID) and listen it was unreal,best atmosphere at an event pound for pound Dana said and he is right,very rare u see an arena rocking at the very first fight 3 hours before the main card starts,I cannot recall many cards that has happened in. The reason they have not returned is simple,TV Deal,the current ESPN deal is not good enough for Dana to return to Ireland for,not sure of the exact details but he gave a pretty indepth answer at a post fight presser one night when asked about returning here and it was on the lines of the current TV deal.

Spot on, the main reason why they've not returned is due to the TV deals, when they had the Setanta deal they were obliged, as part of the contract, to supply Setanta with a minimum of 4 events per year from the GMT timezone.
Setanta goes tits up, we lose our events (UK & Ireland), sure they toss us a bone every year but nowhere near to what we had

DrPhilG

Surely that's where that gob****e Zelaznik comes in?

It's his job to get a better TV deal and he has failed miserably in the years he's been here.

Can anyone clarify if Garry Cook is a direct replacement for Zelaznik or is his a different role?

John Ferguson

SDTimeout wrote: »

Small shock people left out atmosphere. I would rather 3000 people going mad in Kings Hall than 5,000 in O2 not being able to get a good atmosphere cos of venue.

This is the very reason we use the Nugent Hall section in the Kings Hall Complex and not the main Kings Hall. The atmosphere is critical to getting people to come back next time.

As sports promoters we are in the business of entertainment and thus need to hit a number of key markers. Here are two examples:



Entertainment value: If someone is paying in the region of £25 per ticket this is not a cheap night out. The customer needs to be given value for money in terms of the whole experience, it is more than just about the fights. The atmosphere, lighting, sound, on site facilities etc etc all play a massive part in this.

There is a real danger that if a not so educated customer pays £20-£25 for a ticket to a "Cage Fighting" show he see's advertised, gets there and it's a cage in a room with seats and not much else he might enjoy some of the fights but it is most likely that he won't feel to have received value and in turn when he see's another event advertised could think f*** that and he is lost as a potential ticket buying fan of local MMA.



Desire: We need to create a desire for people to want to come to the event. This is done on different levels, one which means a fighters friends, family, club mates etc will come and watch him but secondly the general public too must have a draw to get them off the sofa and into the arena.


Of course there are many more that I won't bore you with (this time ) and I am by no means an authority on the subject but I hope it give a little insight from a promoters point of view

Gypsy Roman

I am not one bit shocked that Cage Contender and the likes do not get the credit they deserve,its just the nature of Irish people in general,sitting on a sofa is much more appealing then actually attending events. If you are not Anderson Silva the Irish public (on the whole) will not want to know,much as in League Of Ireland football if your not Messi or Ronaldo people dont wanna know. Its a serious problem trying to get peoples mindset changed that u can love your National League but at the same time support Man U or what ever on the telly,much as the problem that you can love BJ Penn or Jon Jones but still go and watch Chris the Killing Fields or JMS kick some ass down the road from ya (often in organised events haha). People will say JMS wouldent last a minute with Silva,same way they say St Pats would be beaten 10-0 by Barca. But what people forget is it dont matter if Shamrock Rovers or St Pats or Chris Fields or Paddy The Hooligan are not as good as Anderson Silva or Barca,its the fact that when you go to see these people or meet them or train with them you build up a real love or admiration for them and seeing them win is 1000 times the buzz you will ever get from watchin something on the TV that you have no direct impact or part in. The Problem is not standards of athletic ability or skill,they are just excuses people use. The Irish sporting mentality will have to change for any sport to truely become appreciated in this country,but much like League Of Ireland Cage Contender will always have a place in the hearts of those who do attend and we are the ones who will look at those who dont know the brilliance of it with a degree of "You Dont know what your missing".

Mellor

Gypsy Roman wrote: »

I am not one bit shocked that Cage Contender and the likes do not get the credit they deserve,its just the nature of Irish people in general...

To be fair its nothing specific to Irish people in general, but rather people everywhere, and sport everywhere. The casual fan is only interested in the top of the pile.
The WEC 50 had, Cub Swanson, Chad Mendes, Anthony Pettis and a championship between Dominick Cruz and Joseph Benavidez. These guys are all at the top of the 125 and 135 divisions in the UFC now. Attendance was less than 2,000.

When the UFC came to aus the first time, the 17,000 seats sold it in record time. Yet, smaller events are struggling to sell tickets all the time.

I'm sure the UK has the same issues.


That's just the way it is. It's not the casual fans fault. The same applies to every sport. Every one of us has tuned in to Wimbledon, the US open, the olympics, and many other sports - not really cared about lesser events or regional stuff.
Those fans are just not as interested us. Given time, some of them will be, but a lot are happy with 1 or 2 events a month with the lads.

Gypsy Roman

It is more an Irish thing then most,in Turkey,Norway,Russia,Latvia,Portugal or where ever they are behind there national teams football before the foreign game,Man Utd are fine for them but as soon as they show up in town they are the enemy and no red carpet is rolled out,rather signs of welcome to hell. Man Utd show up to play a LOI select side thrown together at 6 days notice minus players from 2 of the best teams in the country and almost every person in the ground is sat there **** over Wayne Rooney so much as winning a throw in. So Ireland is way more guilty of this pathetic behaviour then most. For Fighters or any sports stars to be taken really serious on this island wud take something like making it to the higher levels of the sport and even then it would prob be just for a short time,much like Ireland beating Engand is cricket,it was flavour of the month for about a week and then they went back to being viewed as pretty much no bodies. Unfortunitly its the sad state of the Irish Sporting mentality. I love Ireland and am so proud to be Irish,but as sport fans most are adrenilan Junkies with no idea what it takes to be a true fan of anything.

Xlami

Gypsy Roman wrote: »

It is more an Irish thing then most,in Turkey,Norway,Russia,Latvia,Portugal or where ever they are behind there national teams football before the foreign game,Man Utd are fine for them but as soon as they show up in town they are the enemy and no red carpet is rolled out,rather signs of welcome to hell. Man Utd show up to play a LOI select side thrown together at 6 days notice minus players from 2 of the best teams in the country and almost every person in the ground is sat there **** over Wayne Rooney so much as winning a throw in. So Ireland is way more guilty of this pathetic behaviour then most. For Fighters or any sports stars to be taken really serious on this island wud take something like making it to the higher levels of the sport and even then it would prob be just for a short time,much like Ireland beating Engand is cricket,it was flavour of the month for about a week and then they went back to being viewed as pretty much no bodies. Unfortunitly its the sad state of the Irish Sporting mentality. I love Ireland and am so proud to be Irish,but as sport fans most are adrenilan Junkies with no idea what it takes to be a true fan of anything.

I don't understand your point? UFC 93 was one of the quickest selling so I think the sport is undoubtably being taken seriously here. Also it's natural people would like to see the best athletes perform. What did you want fans to hold banners saying Welcome to Hell Dan Henderson, Shogun, Franklin etc. ??