“Another of [former HBO CEO Chris Albrecht’s] proposed changes seems to be on the ropes, as a pact to bring in UFC, the mix-martial arts league, may not go forward. Albrecht had been a big champion of a deal. But HBO Sports topper Ross Greenburg and other execs have resisted, feeling it would tarnish boxing and the rest of the HBO brand. Both plans spoke to Albrecht’s idea for the net to get younger…. But without Albrecht, they may get there in a very different way.”
– Variety.com is reporting that not much has changed in regard to a deal between HBO and the UFC to air fights on the cable television Goliath. It is still stuck in limbo and in more trouble since former CEO — and champion of the partnership — Chris Albrecht was arrested for assault in May and released from his position as a result.
14 Comments »
4get HBO..if they can’t see or grasp MMMA.. F’em..move 4ward and in now and later they will be the loser’s of this proposed deal..
..Last night Showtime’s PPV strikeforce event was out of control..some really great fights.. we other outlits to see MMA..let’s just keep it moving.
1 question?? Ninja won the Middleweight belt last night..and Frank Shamrock won the Middleweight belt 2..did any1 else find that weird???
Check this out …. Who the fOck cares about HBO anyway ?
The boxing that they show are either matches that arent PPV worthy or when they do show a mega fight, it is from the week prior haha. They pride themselves on showing B grade fights and that no one would pay the $49.95 for and when they show you the actual big fights (Tyson-Lewis, Hopkins-Taylor, De La Hoya-Mayweather) one week after they have taken place via RE RUN.
Sopranos is done, their boxing cards blow whale D1ck, and the only thing they got going for them now is Entourage. The executives at HBO are so far gone that actually showing the UFC product on its network would do more harm than good for the Zuffas.
As Always,
Kevin “cuts” Kelly from the Q-boro
Shamrock won the Strikeforce MW belt. Rua won the Elite XC MW belt. I don’t know the difference exactly. Maybe we would see a showdown between Shamrock-Rua… I pick Shamrock, the best MW (in my opinion) that the world will never know. If he could do what he did to a guy with that much muscle, while being injured, I have to go with the experience. Plus, 34 isn’t exactly old anyway.
Shamrock would beat Rua if the 2 ever fought,which they probably won’t.
Some 1 w/ $ should start an all-mma network 24hrs a day.
It was best, as far as I’m concerned. When the juggernaut that is the UFC continues to grow and expands further into mainstream sports and global markets, while Boxing continues to decline into a fringe sport, HBO will come back, cap in hand, tail between their legs, begging for the chance to show UFC events. At that point, the UFC will have the upper hand, and can pretty much dictate terms.
[quote comment=”87202″]Some 1 w/ $ should start an all-mma network 24hrs a day.[/quote]
It’s called The Fight Network, and I have it
It’s not totally MMA, there’s boxing, wrestling, etc, but a significant portion of the programming is dedicated to MMA.
Look of HBO don’t want us F*** them….The UFC is doing fine on Spike and PPV. Spike is great and is free with a basic cable package. So you fork out $40 every month to watch an awesome card…so what! The UFC is not showing any mercy in these next few cards. All the cards coming up through 76 are looking rediculous. If HBO wants to carry low ratings with boxing…so be it.
i’d rather see the ufc go to espn anyway,wich might happen if this deal falls through.
I called this a while ago… appearently there was a lot of execs in HBO that weren’t a fan of Albrecht’s. Ashame too, this would have been a monumental move for both sides. Im really wondering how popular boxing is on HBO anymore. Its not on that frequently, and when it is, its not worth watching. ESPN2 FN is more entertaining for the most part (Im a boxing fan too, is that ok to be a boxing fan and a ‘ufc fan?’)
UFC doesn’t need HBO. HBO needs the UFC. Their last show worth watching is gone now. Without Sopranos, Rome, and Deadwood, it isn’t worth the money.
[quote comment=”87283″]UFC doesn’t need HBO. HBO needs the UFC. Their last show worth watching is gone now. Without Sopranos, Rome, and Deadwood, it isn’t worth the money.[/quote]
Lol, I love these comments….
From an avid TV watcher… I love HBO.
Entourage is prolly the best show on TV.
[quote comment=”87217″][quote comment=”87202″]Some 1 w/ $ should start an all-mma network 24hrs a day.[/quote]
It’s called The Fight Network, and I have it
It’s not totally MMA, there’s boxing, wrestling, etc, but a significant portion of the programming is dedicated to MMA.[/quote]
that’s not the same as an all-mma network.
[quote comment=”87420″]that’s not the same as an all-mma network.[/quote]Great job pointing out the obvious…