Bud Light to sponsor UFC
Bye-bye, Mickey.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) today announced during the UFC 82: “Pride of a Champion” pre-fight press conference that Bud Light will become the exclusive beer sponsor of the promotion, beginning with UFC 84: “Ill Will” on Saturday, May 24.

It’s a three-year deal that will also include the Zuffa-owned World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) promotion.

Here’s a snip from UFC President Dana White:

“Landing Anheuser-Busch and Bud Light is huge for us, our fighters and especially our fans. We’ve got the number one selling beer in the world and one of the top marketers in all of sports as our sponsor. If our TV ratings, pay-per-view buys and venue sell-outs weren’t enough, this definitely cements UFC as a major player in sports business.”

Bud Light signage will soon appear on the Octagon center mat, as well as on its vertical bumpers. It was prime real estate that the most recent large sponsor, Harley Davidson, recently had locked up.

There was no reference in the release about how the two sponsors will co-exist; however, it’s safe to say that the motorcycle brand will take sidecar position alongside such a blue chip backer like Bud Light.

In addition, this latest news more or less means — even though it wasn’t uttered — that Mickey’s Fine Malt Liquor will cease be the official beer of the UFC.

Under terms of the agreement, the release indicates that Bud Light signage inside the Octagon will be present for each of the UFC’s 10 or more annual pay-per-view (PPV) events. In addition, the sponsor will be featured prominently during UFC press conferences and weigh-in events.

Lastly, according to the report, Bud Light will be the presenting sponsor of two UFC PPV events each year during the agreement and serve as the official beer sponsor of the four or more UFC Fight Night SpikeTV special events.

To read the official announcement head over to UFC.com.

February 28th, 2008    

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119 Comments »

Comment by MwM
2008-02-28 13:35:15

Damn, that’s it?!

 
Comment by Jared
2008-02-28 13:37:00

I am going to buy a 12 pack of Bud light right now just to show my support for those who support the UFC!

 
Comment by the real deal
2008-02-28 13:37:31

expected a much more exciting announcement

 
Comment by Parisyan Sucks
2008-02-28 13:38:01

ehh, miller light is better.

 
Comment by kitsunex
2008-02-28 13:39:12

meh, all lite beer sucks.

 
Comment by Big Russ
2008-02-28 13:39:18

Now Chuck’s beer belly is going to be HUGE!!

 
Comment by dotnet
2008-02-28 13:39:40

dont start a beer debate, it will never end

 
Comment by Patrick
2008-02-28 13:40:02

So I guess we’ll still have to wait for the Randy-Fedor fight

 
Comment by roy
2008-02-28 13:40:58

thats good for dana thets see if it trnalates into being better for the fighters and fans.with more money coming in know they should be able to sign the fighters they did not want to pay.

 
Comment by UFC LOVA!!!!!!
2008-02-28 13:42:18

WHATTTT???? Ummmmmm congrats to the UFC and and all but that really isnt that great of an announcement for the fans. Sure boxing was always sponsored by “The king of beers” which now shows how much MMA is taking over…but im sure everyone is gonna be let down on this overly hyped announcement.

 
Comment by Ballam
2008-02-28 13:42:48

I guess I should know better, Dana’s idea of a “special announcement” has been disappointing many times before, I don’t know why I was expecting something decent this time. When they said he would be joined by a “special guest” I thought it would be to announce a new signing. :(

 
Comment by RAZE
2008-02-28 13:43:49

A beer sponsor? that’s it? UFC the fans don’t give a sh*t about sponsors.

 
Comment by ChainLink
2008-02-28 13:44:37

So who was the special guest???

 
Comment by b.w.
2008-02-28 13:45:41

good job mania! that was fast. you beat everyone else to the punch. this isn,t as big as elitexc/cbs but its not bad either. im sure that elitexc will get some main sponsers being on cbs so the ufc still has to step it up a notch. i agree w/ roy that the ufc had better start signing guys and paying more money to keep them.

 
Comment by riverhorror
2008-02-28 13:45:43

I was wondering when a big name company was going to get smart and sponsor the UFC. People shouldn’t brush this off, its actually a big deal. On another note, since CBS has elite xc the UFC should try to get some prime time on FOX. Seems like a good fit to me.

 
Comment by Matt A
2008-02-28 13:46:55

Who cares?

 
Comment by Bruce
2008-02-28 13:47:52

Dana White is really starting to piss me off………BEER sponsors give me a break!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 
Comment by b.w.
2008-02-28 13:48:26

i wonder if we will being seeing bud-lite commercials w/ lidell or rampage or any other of the big names?

 
Comment by chuckisover-rated
2008-02-28 13:49:02

thats the big deal wow what a let down,,byt he way i dont care what elite xc is on it stil cant carry the ufc jock and it never will

 
Comment by roy
2008-02-28 13:49:56

[quote comment=”332735″]So who was the special guest???[/quote]

it was mark coleman theu are putting him in the hall of fame

 
Comment by john
2008-02-28 13:51:14

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Dude, the only reason I logged on right now was to hear the big news, and what do I get… Dana gets a new big sponsor. I am flabergasted! this is like the 4th time he had a crappy “Big Announcement”.

Big Announcements should be reserved for what the UFC will do for us fans, not that Dana just made more money. I love the UFC, and I am thrilled to see it grow, but in all honesty, I could care less. There logo is going to probably take over UFC events to the point where I am sick of seeing it anyway. This just announces the beginning of all that.

What a crappy event. At worst, I thought they were going to announce that UFC 85 will be free on Spike, at best the signing of a new top fighter or even better…ammending its realationship with Couture (but I knew that wouldn’t happen).

What a crappy Big Announcement! LAME!

I guess its better than Micky’s….right?

 
Comment by GoColts
2008-02-28 13:51:25

And how is this announcement supposed to overshadow the fact that a sub-par league just beat out the UFC for the first network television deal?

 
Comment by Ktown
2008-02-28 13:51:51

EVerybody all together now WHO CARES !

DAna Don’t make anymore stupid announcements like that especially on a day when your biggest rival just landed on CBS Saturday Nights.

 
Comment by DonnyG
2008-02-28 13:51:55

Good for the UFC. That is a great sponsorship. In their honor I will drink a 12 pack of Bud Light tonight. I was planning on doing that anyway but that’s besides the point.

Beer and fighting, possib;y my two favorite things in the winter.

 
Comment by pete
2008-02-28 13:52:21

Who gives a shit seriously

 
Comment by koopa
2008-02-28 13:53:18

Nuthooks!!!

 
Comment by the levi
2008-02-28 14:01:09

what a let down, i was hoping for something like a new singing or free U.K show.but i guess its pretty good to have good sponsorship like bud lite,even though canadian beer rules,light beer sucks

 
Comment by dandeman
2008-02-28 14:03:07

All Right Beer and Motorcycles what more does MMA need??? Hmm what happens if you put them together???

 
Comment by EaZyE
2008-02-28 14:03:55

I think this is bigger than EliteXC/CBS. I don’t think EliteXC can do much on CBS since no one knows of them and they don’t have any “Liddell-status” marquee guys. This shows that the UFC can land big sponsors and make some money on this. Either way, its better than that horse-urine Mickey’s they had.

 
Comment by kitsunex
2008-02-28 14:06:06

[quote comment=”332750″]And how is this announcement supposed to overshadow the fact that a sub-par league just beat out the UFC for the first network television deal?[/quote]

beat out huh? we don’t knwo that is the case. all i’ve seen is that the UFC didn’t want to give up creative control, which i’m fine with, because who knows how far that loss of creative control would have gone. for all we know, if the UFC had signed with CBS, the execs at CBS could have turned around and said “you know, we have young viewers and we don’t want them to be exposed to bloodshed, so we want elbows ruled illegal, since they cause cuts.” whereas EliteXC was probably willing to do whatever CBS wanted because in the short term it will benefit them, it remains to be seen wether that will also be the case in the long term.

 
Comment by b.w.
2008-02-28 14:07:28

i would love to see the ufc sign a sponsership agreement w/ a major sporting appareal co. like nike or addidas. that would be huge.

 
Comment by roy
2008-02-28 14:08:34

[quote comment=”332771″]I think this is bigger than EliteXC/CBS. I don’t think EliteXC can do much on CBS since no one knows of them and they don’t have any “Liddell-status” marquee guys. This shows that the UFC can land big sponsors and make some money on this. Either way, its better than that horse-urine Mickey’s they had.[/quote]

you should look at there roster they got a few top guys, no where near as deep as the ufc but they due have a few marquee names and have been getting more with more to come i am sure.how is a sponser announcement bigger than free mma on network television.

 
Comment by Andy
2008-02-28 14:09:34

I know everyone is disappointed, but think of positives from a huge sponer like Anheuser-Busch. The money from a big sponsorship deal like this will provide the UFC with more money to allow the UFC to retain some more of their fighters. Also, I think this opens the door for some more big time sponsors in the future. This is good news. I still think we’ll be hearing from Dana soon about a TV deal.

 
Comment by XxXFactor
2008-02-28 14:10:48

Dissapointment is and understatement….BOOOOOOOO is correct

 
Comment by Anthony
2008-02-28 14:11:32

You guys don’t see the big picture do you? Just yesterday I was talking about what the UFC needed to do to really hit the mainstream. It was land the big sponsors (which they just did) and get a network TV deal to get off of PPV. Once they get on CBS or NBC there will be no stopping this thing. What type of announcement were you hoping for? This is some serious news! The UFC just took another step to being as mainstream as mainstream gets.

 
Comment by Clayton
2008-02-28 14:13:31

the most awful mass-produced, mass-marketed beer in the known world. three cheers for the UFC.

 
Comment by roy
2008-02-28 14:14:28

[quote comment=”332774″][quote comment=”332750″]And how is this announcement supposed to overshadow the fact that a sub-par league just beat out the UFC for the first network television deal?[/quote]

beat out huh? we don’t knwo that is the case. all i’ve seen is that the UFC didn’t want to give up creative control, which i’m fine with, because who knows how far that loss of creative control would have gone. for all we know, if the UFC had signed with CBS, the execs at CBS could have turned around and said “you know, we have young viewers and we don’t want them to be exposed to bloodshed, so we want elbows ruled illegal, since they cause cuts.” whereas EliteXC was probably willing to do whatever CBS wanted because in the short term it will benefit them, it remains to be seen wether that will also be the case in the long term.[/quote]

cbs can’t change the rules of mma it would be the athletic commision.your just speculating now so wait and see what happens before you start bashing.

 
Comment by R-Dizzle
2008-02-28 14:14:30

Well, after going on UFC.com it said they were making a “Special” Announcement. So, after seeing that, I knew it wouldn’t be something like a new fighter signing.

As for the news, I think it’s pretty cool. I hope Budweiser makes a commercial that incorporates both Bud, and the UFC.

 
Comment by matt
2008-02-28 14:15:26

i guess cbs like freak shows such as tank abbot and kimbo.

 
Comment by b.w.
2008-02-28 14:15:56

i think alot of people are dissappointed with this announcement because it really isnt new news. this has been rumoured for awhile now. im sure evan tanner is estatic! haha

 
Comment by Robbo
2008-02-28 14:22:43

Wow!! Bud Light to sponsor the UFC, this really is excellent news, congrats to Dana and his team

 
Comment by JEFF THE DRUNK
2008-02-28 14:22:53

MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT ? HOW CAN I EXPRESS HOW LITTLE I GIVE A SHIT ABOUT ANY OF THE UFC’S SPONSORS. BUD LITE IS PISSWATER ANYWAY- ARE THE PPV’S GOING TO GO BACK TO $39.95 NOW AFTER THIS MAJOR BUSINESS DEAL? YOU REALLY UPSTAGED ELITEXC WITH THIS “MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT” FUCK YOU DANA WHITE!!!

 
Comment by DirtyML
2008-02-28 14:25:33

Haha I never thought about what the advertisement of beer at the work place of a recovering alcoholic could be considered by a labour union, oh wait they don’t have a union.

Poor Evan Tanner :(

 
Comment by TonyDrip
2008-02-28 14:26:15

UFC landed Bud Lite - Now everyone can stop talking about the EliteXC TV Deal….Shhhhh Dana is delusionaal. Don’t get me wrong, landing a big sponsor is great for UFC the business….by why do I care!?

As far as this giving the UFC enough $$ to sign fighters, that’s a joke! The UFC is basically printing money. Look at what they bring in from a PPV vs what they pay out. They’ve had the money to sign the fighters they want. That is the guys that don’t rub Dana the wrong way.

 
Comment by kitsunex
2008-02-28 14:27:02

[quote comment=”332791″][quote comment=”332774″][quote comment=”332750″]And how is this announcement supposed to overshadow the fact that a sub-par league just beat out the UFC for the first network television deal?[/quote]

beat out huh? we don’t knwo that is the case. all i’ve seen is that the UFC didn’t want to give up creative control, which i’m fine with, because who knows how far that loss of creative control would have gone. for all we know, if the UFC had signed with CBS, the execs at CBS could have turned around and said “you know, we have young viewers and we don’t want them to be exposed to bloodshed, so we want elbows ruled illegal, since they cause cuts.” whereas EliteXC was probably willing to do whatever CBS wanted because in the short term it will benefit them, it remains to be seen wether that will also be the case in the long term.[/quote]

cbs can’t change the rules of mma it would be the athletic commision.your just speculating now so wait and see what happens before you start bashing.[/quote]

if you believe that, i have a bridge i’d like to sell you to go along with some land in florida.

 
Comment by Yikes
2008-02-28 14:32:50

Alexander Keiths is the beer guys.
Once the americans got thier hands on it they would be tossing the watered down skunk juice away.

I think a big sponser like pepsi/coke would have been better.

Nike or Adidas would have been good too. But I guess those two are just with mainstream sports…

Technology is a good one to, think if sony sponsored it!!!

Is Bud getting rid of its ties to boxing??? Didnt it used to be the big sponser???

I can just imagine the house on TUF now with nothing but Bud in the place…

 
Comment by roy
2008-02-28 14:37:10

[quote comment=”332812″][quote comment=”332791″][quote comment=”332774″][quote comment=”332750″]And how is this announcement supposed to overshadow the fact that a sub-par league just beat out the UFC for the first network television deal?[/quote]

beat out huh? we don’t knwo that is the case. all i’ve seen is that the UFC didn’t want to give up creative control, which i’m fine with, because who knows how far that loss of creative control would have gone. for all we know, if the UFC had signed with CBS, the execs at CBS could have turned around and said “you know, we have young viewers and we don’t want them to be exposed to bloodshed, so we want elbows ruled illegal, since they cause cuts.” whereas EliteXC was probably willing to do whatever CBS wanted because in the short term it will benefit them, it remains to be seen wether that will also be the case in the long term.[/quote]

cbs can’t change the rules of mma it would be the athletic commision.your just speculating now so wait and see what happens before you start bashing.[/quote]

if you believe that, i have a bridge i’d like to sell you to go along with some land in florida.[/quote]

please explain to me how cbs can change the rules this is a sport and i don’t see them editing anything with the fights themselves maybe the production and thats it.

 
Comment by EdenMachine
2008-02-28 14:40:56

I’m sorry but that chic on the left is like the hottest thing ever.

 
Comment by EdenMachine
2008-02-28 14:42:56

[quote comment=”332830″]I’m sorry but that chic on the left is like the hottest thing ever.[/quote]
Can someone track down her name for me?

 
Comment by kitsunex
2008-02-28 14:43:23

[quote comment=”332822″][quote comment=”332812″][quote comment=”332791″][quote comment=”332774″][quote comment=”332750″]And how is this announcement supposed to overshadow the fact that a sub-par league just beat out the UFC for the first network television deal?[/quote]

beat out huh? we don’t knwo that is the case. all i’ve seen is that the UFC didn’t want to give up creative control, which i’m fine with, because who knows how far that loss of creative control would have gone. for all we know, if the UFC had signed with CBS, the execs at CBS could have turned around and said “you know, we have young viewers and we don’t want them to be exposed to bloodshed, so we want elbows ruled illegal, since they cause cuts.” whereas EliteXC was probably willing to do whatever CBS wanted because in the short term it will benefit them, it remains to be seen wether that will also be the case in the long term.[/quote]

cbs can’t change the rules of mma it would be the athletic commision.your just speculating now so wait and see what happens before you start bashing.[/quote]

if you believe that, i have a bridge i’d like to sell you to go along with some land in florida.[/quote]

please explain to me how cbs can change the rules this is a sport and i don’t see them editing anything with the fights themselves maybe the production and thats it.[/quote]

easy, they say “we want these rules changes or we won’t show you on TV.”

you act like rules can’t be changed, but they can. look at teh IFL, they don’t allow elbows and i dont’ see athletic commissions telling them they can’t do that. the athletic commission rules are the minimum required for the safety of the fighters, an organization can impose stricter rules, as has been shown by teh IFL.

 
Comment by roy
2008-02-28 14:53:30

[quote comment=”332836″][quote comment=”332822″][quote comment=”332812″][quote comment=”332791″][quote comment=”332774″][quote comment=”332750″]And how is this announcement supposed to overshadow the fact that a sub-par league just beat out the UFC for the first network television deal?[/quote]

beat out huh? we don’t knwo that is the case. all i’ve seen is that the UFC didn’t want to give up creative control, which i’m fine with, because who knows how far that loss of creative control would have gone. for all we know, if the UFC had signed with CBS, the execs at CBS could have turned around and said “you know, we have young viewers and we don’t want them to be exposed to bloodshed, so we want elbows ruled illegal, since they cause cuts.” whereas EliteXC was probably willing to do whatever CBS wanted because in the short term it will benefit them, it remains to be seen wether that will also be the case in the long term.[/quote]

cbs can’t change the rules of mma it would be the athletic commision.your just speculating now so wait and see what happens before you start bashing.[/quote]

if you believe that, i have a bridge i’d like to sell you to go along with some land in florida.[/quote]

please explain to me how cbs can change the rules this is a sport and i don’t see them editing anything with the fights themselves maybe the production and thats it.[/quote]

easy, they say “we want these rules changes or we won’t show you on TV.”

you act like rules can’t be changed, but they can. look at teh IFL, they don’t allow elbows and i dont’ see athletic commissions telling them they can’t do that. the athletic commission rules are the minimum required for the safety of the fighters, an organization can impose stricter rules, as has been shown by teh IFL.[/quote]

so fox told them they can’t use elbows or did the ifl say that do you know.again this is all speculation there has not been one thing to say they are not going to allow elbows or anthing else,if you know for a fact different then let us know or are you just bashing before you know the facts.

 
Comment by ViolentMike
2008-02-28 14:53:34

And this is news to the fans because… This is news that could have gone unannounced seeing that it is going to be plastered all over the ocatgon and when we pay for a PPV we will see about a dozen budweiser commercials.

This has zero impact on the MMA fan, it only impacts Dana and the Fertitas pockets.

The only way that this would impact the fans is if they got such a good sponsorship deal that they were able to lower the price of the PPV for the fans. Oh wait, but didn’t they just RAISE the price…

 
Comment by Jeff
2008-02-28 14:54:47

First, the special guest was Spuds! (Okay, only a joke those of us over 28 will get).

Second, yes, Bud Light is a pisswater light beer.

Third (and most important), are the financial agreements of this deal available anywhere? Zuffa is a private company and doesn’t need to make this info public. Bud Light on the other hand is a public company so I’m sure this info is out there somewhere. Many people on here seem to think that this will allow Zuffa to pay better/sign more fighters or even return the PPV price to $39.95 (not likely). However, with no known financials this is all speculation at best. Furthermore, I read an article on MMAWeekly about how Zuffa is operating on $325 million of debt. Dana and the Fertteti brothers are still making money through dividends (the brotehrs own 90%, and Dna 10%). The article went on to say that with the current operating costs of the UFC, Zuffa (if publicly traded) would be at or under junk bond status. I will try to fing the article and link it. All that being said, this better be a sweet financial deal for Zuffa.

 
Comment by roy
2008-02-28 14:58:48

[quote comment=”332836″][quote comment=”332822″][quote comment=”332812″][quote comment=”332791″][quote comment=”332774″][quote comment=”332750″]And how is this announcement supposed to overshadow the fact that a sub-par league just beat out the UFC for the first network television deal?[/quote]

beat out huh? we don’t knwo that is the case. all i’ve seen is that the UFC didn’t want to give up creative control, which i’m fine with, because who knows how far that loss of creative control would have gone. for all we know, if the UFC had signed with CBS, the execs at CBS could have turned around and said “you know, we have young viewers and we don’t want them to be exposed to bloodshed, so we want elbows ruled illegal, since they cause cuts.” whereas EliteXC was probably willing to do whatever CBS wanted because in the short term it will benefit them, it remains to be seen wether that will also be the case in the long term.[/quote]

cbs can’t change the rules of mma it would be the athletic commision.your just speculating now so wait and see what happens before you start bashing.[/quote]

if you believe that, i have a bridge i’d like to sell you to go along with some land in florida.[/quote]

please explain to me how cbs can change the rules this is a sport and i don’t see them editing anything with the fights themselves maybe the production and thats it.[/quote]

easy, they say “we want these rules changes or we won’t show you on TV.”

you act like rules can’t be changed, but they can. look at teh IFL, they don’t allow elbows and i dont’ see athletic commissions telling them they can’t do that. the athletic commission rules are the minimum required for the safety of the fighters, an organization can impose stricter rules, as has been shown by teh IFL.[/quote]

from the ifl website
Why We’re Different

The IFL is committed to bringing the true sporting nature of MMA to the forefront of the sports world. To promote the best, most exciting, and fairest matches possible, we’ve outlawed the use of such techniques as elbow strikes to the head, which commonly result in fight ending cuts before the outcome has been legitimately decided by the fighters.
The IFL rules also prohibit: kicking the head of a downed opponent, head-butting, groin strikes, eye-gouging, strikes to the spine or back of the head, and other techniques deemed needlessly brutal or dishonorable.

Because of our team format, every match in the IFL is meaningful. Not only is the fate of each team at stake with every match, every fighter is also competing for individual honors and a spot in the year-end Grand Prix-style tournament in each weight class. You’ll see no “filler” matches in the IFL. We are committed to providing our fans with the best in MMA action, featuring the top fighters and coaches from all over the world.

the ifl chose not to use elbows not fox.

 
Comment by XxXFactor
2008-02-28 15:12:54

[quote comment=”332786″]You guys don’t see the big picture do you? Just yesterday I was talking about what the UFC needed to do to really hit the mainstream. It was land the big sponsors (which they just did) and get a network TV deal to get off of PPV. Once they get on CBS or NBC there will be no stopping this thing. What type of announcement were you hoping for? This is some serious news! The UFC just took another step to being as mainstream as mainstream gets.[/quote]

no doubt it’s amazing for the UFC and its growth but the hype he put around the ‘big announcement’ was crap and dissapointing!! so read the comments carefully next time as we’re bashing how it was brought up and basically we all felt misleaded..

 
Comment by Mike
2008-02-28 15:16:03

The UFC and the Fans got shafted on this new sponsor. Once again this only seemed to work out in Chucks favor ;)

 
Comment by dcsoldier187
2008-02-28 15:17:50

nothin better than some bud lights and people fighting

 
Comment by dia mette
2008-02-28 15:18:08

Dana promising big sponsers months ago was the only promise that came out of his mouth that actually materialized

Heres his other promises that was all talk and never panned out.
1) We will stike a deal with HBO before the end of 2007
2) we are working on a deal with a major cable network and should have a deal soon.
3) We will have fedor by the end of the year

The one promise he was able to keep bennifits himself more than the fans.

 
Comment by PATRICK
2008-02-28 15:20:23

[quote comment=”332804″]MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT ? HOW CAN I EXPRESS HOW LITTLE I GIVE A SHIT ABOUT ANY OF THE UFC’S SPONSORS. BUD LITE IS PISSWATER ANYWAY- ARE THE PPV’S GOING TO GO BACK TO $39.95 NOW AFTER THIS MAJOR BUSINESS DEAL? YOU REALLY UPSTAGED ELITEXC WITH THIS “MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT” FUCK YOU DANA WHITE!!![/quote]

this has to be the funniest comment ive read on this site…. and the dudes name tops it off lol

 
Comment by dia mette
2008-02-28 15:20:58

[quote comment=”332774″][quote comment=”332750″]And how is this announcement supposed to overshadow the fact that a sub-par league just beat out the UFC for the first network television deal?[/quote]

beat out huh? we don’t knwo that is the case. all i’ve seen is that the UFC didn’t want to give up creative control, which i’m fine with, because who knows how far that loss of creative control would have gone. for all we know, if the UFC had signed with CBS, the execs at CBS could have turned around and said “you know, we have young viewers and we don’t want them to be exposed to bloodshed, so we want elbows ruled illegal, since they cause cuts.” whereas EliteXC was probably willing to do whatever CBS wanted because in the short term it will benefit them, it remains to be seen wether that will also be the case in the long term.[/quote]

How would you feel if they removed elbows and reinstated knees and kicks in all positions,

 
Comment by HB Beach Bum
2008-02-28 15:22:45

An extremely weak and pitiful announcement and a feeble attempt to make “a MAJOR announcement” and gain attention in the wake of the EliteXC-CBS bombshell.

Don’t get me wrong, still a HUGE fan of the UFC and the product they present. By far the best, and most promotion out there. I just expected much, much more than a crappy beer endorsement.

 
Comment by Mahde
2008-02-28 15:23:09

[quote comment=”332719″]dont start a beer debate, it will never end[/quote]
Clearly, Yuengling or Samuel Adams is the “King” of domestic beers.
Also, this is pretty big. Having Budweiser as a sponsor not only helps the UFC pay the bills, but is symbolic of its growth.

 
Comment by Wenenus
2008-02-28 15:24:09

Ignominious fail.

 
Comment by chuckisover-rated
2008-02-28 15:24:58

this is a very big deal to the ufc but not to us fans…and as far as that joke elite xc on cbs wow did cbs screw up who cares about those bums over there they are there cause they cant make it in the ufc,,,that goes for all the other federations the only fighter we need bak to the ufc is mr.diaz so the diaz bros can cause hell over the ufc…i say we trade over-rated chuck for him

 
Comment by Scott
2008-02-28 15:26:30

The next step for the UFC is clearly to make a deal to get on network TV ASAP.

With the major sponsor of Bud on board, and CBS taking eliteXC, I think one of the networks and Zuffa will come to terms.

If you put UFC on another prime network against the eliteXC offering and make sure you put up good cards, I dont think elite will pull the ratings to survive, given the competition..

Interesting times.

 
Comment by c-war
2008-02-28 15:30:22

I find this to be cool since I start my new job for Del Papa Budweiser distribution tomorrow.

 
Comment by A Lynch
2008-02-28 15:36:16

This deal is nice but it pales in comparison to the XC/CBS deal. Besides, what if because of the CBS deal, XC is able to land a better beer sponsor? “Mickey’s, the only beer good enough for Tank Abbott to drink before and after he fights.”

 
Comment by the_mexicutioner
2008-02-28 15:36:18

great announcement Dana, you fuck!

 
Comment by PATRICK
2008-02-28 16:03:24

guys give the man a break….hes fuckin up let him make his own mistakes

 
Comment by Fidel Cashflow
2008-02-28 16:05:30

I agree with everyone who said bud light is piss water, but that doesn’t change that this means the sport is getting HUGE even in the mainstream.

With that said, I’m going to grab a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.

 
Comment by kitsunex
2008-02-28 16:08:28

[quote comment=”332855″][quote comment=”332836″][quote comment=”332822″][quote comment=”332812″][quote comment=”332791″][quote comment=”332774″][quote comment=”332750″]And how is this announcement supposed to overshadow the fact that a sub-par league just beat out the UFC for the first network television deal?[/quote]

beat out huh? we don’t knwo that is the case. all i’ve seen is that the UFC didn’t want to give up creative control, which i’m fine with, because who knows how far that loss of creative control would have gone. for all we know, if the UFC had signed with CBS, the execs at CBS could have turned around and said “you know, we have young viewers and we don’t want them to be exposed to bloodshed, so we want elbows ruled illegal, since they cause cuts.” whereas EliteXC was probably willing to do whatever CBS wanted because in the short term it will benefit them, it remains to be seen wether that will also be the case in the long term.[/quote]

cbs can’t change the rules of mma it would be the athletic commision.your just speculating now so wait and see what happens before you start bashing.[/quote]

if you believe that, i have a bridge i’d like to sell you to go along with some land in florida.[/quote]

please explain to me how cbs can change the rules this is a sport and i don’t see them editing anything with the fights themselves maybe the production and thats it.[/quote]

easy, they say “we want these rules changes or we won’t show you on TV.”

you act like rules can’t be changed, but they can. look at teh IFL, they don’t allow elbows and i dont’ see athletic commissions telling them they can’t do that. the athletic commission rules are the minimum required for the safety of the fighters, an organization can impose stricter rules, as has been shown by teh IFL.[/quote]

from the ifl website
Why We’re Different

The IFL is committed to bringing the true sporting nature of MMA to the forefront of the sports world. To promote the best, most exciting, and fairest matches possible, we’ve outlawed the use of such techniques as elbow strikes to the head, which commonly result in fight ending cuts before the outcome has been legitimately decided by the fighters.
The IFL rules also prohibit: kicking the head of a downed opponent, head-butting, groin strikes, eye-gouging, strikes to the spine or back of the head, and other techniques deemed needlessly brutal or dishonorable.

Because of our team format, every match in the IFL is meaningful. Not only is the fate of each team at stake with every match, every fighter is also competing for individual honors and a spot in the year-end Grand Prix-style tournament in each weight class. You’ll see no “filler” matches in the IFL. We are committed to providing our fans with the best in MMA action, featuring the top fighters and coaches from all over the world.

the ifl chose not to use elbows not fox.[/quote]

You need to work on your reading comprehension. i never at any time said that fox forced the ifl to do that, and i never said CBS did. i was SPECULATING as to waht the possible “creative differences” were between cbs and the ufc that caused the deal to fall through. that cbs COULD HAVE said something like no elbows and the ufc was like “well those aren’t our rules and we don’t want to change them to please you.” so they told cbs to get bent. the only reason i mentioned the ifl is because you seemed to think that the athletic commission decided on rules and everyone had to follow them and i was using the IFL as an example of an organization that does use different rules. Yes they did it because they wanted to, but that isn’t to say that CBS couldn’t turn around and try to force those same rules on the UFC or EliteXC so long as the fights are shown on their network.

 
Comment by keystone
2008-02-28 16:18:54

[quote comment=”332742″]Dana White is really starting to piss me off………BEER sponsors give me a break!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![/quote]
haha, what u never heard of anything sponsored by beer

 
Comment by john
2008-02-28 16:22:49

I have some very interesting intel that I would like to share with the people who are considering wagering money on the Kongo vs. hearing Fight!

I have followed Kongo’s whole UFC career, but before the UFC I was unfamiliar with him. So I have been watching some film on Kongo prior to signing with the UFC and I have found out some interesting aspects of his game that are better than most people think.

I am going to provide a link for a fight back in 2004 between Kongo vs. Gilbert Yvel. This was a very hard fought fight in which Kongo displayed skills I did not know he had:

1. Kongo had some wonderful submission defense. Yvel is No submission wizard but Kongo was able to escape all kinds of submissions including Triangle chokes, ankle locks, arm bars.

2. Kongo actually had some good submission attempts of his own: Ankle locks and a key lock.

3. Kongo has talked baout his wrestling but we always laugh at him. It is better then he has showed. His ground and pound was decent.

Ultimately Kongo lost this fight but it opened my eyes about some skills Kongo has that I thought he lacked. Even if you arent going to bet on the Kongo/Hearing fight, watch this video anyway because it was one hell of an exciting heavyweight fight and the only reason Kongo lost was cause of conditioning.

Check it out: http://www.myvideofight.com/video/k-1/k-1-2004-cheick-kongo-vs-gilbert-yvel/index.html

 
Comment by Dana White's Latest Blunder
2008-02-28 16:29:56

The EliteXC announces a major TV deal and Dana White announces a beer sponsor. That’s the big announcement?

I hope Anhesuer Busch throws the UFC truck loads of money or something along those lines, otherwise this is not important.

 
Comment by james c
2008-02-28 16:34:44

go anheiser-busch
im from mizzou so that fuken rox

 
Comment by Robbo
2008-02-28 16:36:33

I’m a new mma fan, only just watched my first ufc event with ufc81. I think this is major news, well done to Dana White and his team. I’m sure this is the first of many exciting things to happen this year. Why is there so much negativity regarding this announcement?

 
Comment by Adam
2008-02-28 16:38:43

Will the fighters be allowed to sip a can of Bud in the octogon a-la Xyience Xenergy?

 
Comment by matt
2008-02-28 16:38:51

two reasons this deal is great:
1. This is going to bring alot of money to the ufc allowing them to pay their fighters more and sign more top notch fighters (not that they dont have the majority already).
2. The bud light chicks are hott!