The Sunday Morning Rumor Mill actually coming on Sunday Morning for the third week in a row. If life were a videogame, this would warrant an Xbox achievement. If you’re not familiar with the SMRM, then imagine the feature like a floating island elevated by clouds, filled with unicorns, rainbows and an infinite supply of Lucky Charms. Of course you want to spend your Sunday morning there, who wouldn’t?
- It looks like ZUFFA has been increasing the price of airing UFC PPVs in bars/restaurants across the southern part of the US (and perhaps across the entire country). The price hike has discouraged some places to stop carrying the broadcasts, but it does support UFC’s business model of encouraging the viewers to watch at home, thus netting a higher revenue for the company.
- Expect a massive change in what companies can sponsor fighters in the UFC. Online poker sites will not be permitted inside the octagon. Online retailers will also be severely limited.
- In short, any sponsor that competes with UFC’s official sponsors will not be permitted. This includes: energy drinks, beer, motorcycles and mobile phone providers.
- I was told that UFC wouldn’t be cutting as many people as they did in the past. Expect them to exhaust contracts and let people head out to the local scene, get a couple wins, and then grab them once again.
- Always expect ZUFFA to hover around 400 fighters.
- Expect a UFC event in Chicago by the end of the fourth quarter of 2011 or the first quarter of 2012.
