Tom Atencio Denies Latest Affliction Rumors
Posted by Kris Karkoski on Jan 30, 2009 at 11:08 am ET27 Comments
Tom Atencio
Rumors began to swirl yesterday that Affliction would soon be closing its MMA promotion and was actively seeking a deal with UFC parent company Zuffa. Affliction Vice President Tom Atencio quickly denied the rumors in an appearance last night on Hardcore Sports Radio.
“The rumors are just that, rumors, they’re not true, there’s no truth to it,” said Atencio. “I have Donald Trump behind me. I have Golden Boy Promotions behind me. I have M-1. Where are we going?…I’m not going under. It’s not going to happen.”
Atencio added that the promotion is actively planning its third event, which is expected to take place in July or August.
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HAHA yea, they are so going under. how do you plan to have a fight every 5 to 6 months and survive? and god forbid Fedor hurts something leading up to the fight, since thats the only real drawing power this company has. we shall see if they make it to that 3rd event.
Leading up to the event?? We haven’t heard how badly he hurt his hand in the last fight!
They may not be going down just yet, and T~shirt guy may not be in talks with ZUFFA however, they are going down, its just a matter of when, not if at this point.
So where do these rumors, which began swirling, come from? Any sources?
They started when Atencio reportedly appeared on The Tom Leykis Show yesterday and basically announced Affliction MMA would be closing. Problem was it wasn’t him (at least he says it wasn’t). Then a poster at Bloody Elbow (linked in the first sentence) took the rumors a step further, adding that they were in talks with Zuffa. Now Atencio has denied all the rumors, stating that they’re planning another show for the summer.
Them some good sources
I just can’t imagine Trump staying on board for very long. Either way, Affliction’s MMA won’t be around for very long at their current rate.
Lets just say in the event that the UFC goes ahead and pulls the trigger on the acquisition of Affliction (I am assuming the odds of this are terrible) but assuming this to be true, what happens to the rights to control Fedor? I am under the impression that the UFC would still not have his rights. Because of M-1. If this is true, I see no upside for Dana and the Fertita’s to go after Affliction.
It’s my understanding that fighters in Affliction have only one fight contracts, meaning as of this moment no fighter is legally bound to Affliction. So there would be no upside to aquiring Affliction as far as fighter’s contracts go. Plus, the article stated Affliction was pursuing a deal with Zuffa, not the other way around. It’s a shame if this is true cause that was one hell of a card Affliction just put on. Anyone have the ppv buy numbers?
If you follow the “began to swirl” link, you will find some of the answer to your first question, as well an answer to your second question.
as well as**
a majority of afflictions top draw fighters are ex ufc anyway. there isnt a vast amount of the roster that ufc would be overlly interested in.
Afflictions gay….ufc 4 life!
MR COLE MILLER WHATS UP MAN HAVEN’T SEEN YOU IN A WHILE…
BUT I SECOND THAT HAHA
The UFC has very dedicated fans, and I love the company too, but geez why is everyone on this site SOOOO against affliction? What have they done thats SOOOO bad? I hope they stick around a lil longer so the UFC can feel pressured into raising their horrible fighter wages!! Like Atencio said, there is a lot of financial backing behind him and im sure they were well aware that there wasnt going to be a great profit at first. Just give it some time. The brand is only as good as the fighters it has and they have a few really good ones in Affliction and there may be more to come. Fighters first!! Brand second!! At least for me. I prefer Ufc over Afflicton any day tho. lol
I’ve said many times that I don’t like Affliction because they made their money because UFC and ProElite fighters, as well as Dana White himself wore their clothing, prompting the general public to buy their shirts in large quantities. They then took the money they made, basically, off of UFC and ProElite, and started a competing promotion. It’d be like Nike making a bunch of money off of NBA players wearing their clothing (which they have done) then starting the “Nike Basketball League” and upon creation of that league announcing that they are going to “take on the NBA head on”.
Is that a good enough reason for some people to not like Affliction? Apparently not, but it’s good enough for me.
Agreed.
T~shirt guy, is saying the same shhh that ProElite was saying not too long ago…. He says tho that he has Trump behind him backing him, ok well thats all fine and good but Trump is about one thing and one thing only HIS bottom dollar… Not to say that is a bad thing (actually as an investor its good to be concerned about the money you have put forth in an idea) and Golden Boy help alot by putting a boxing match on the same night 30 minutes away sooo they definately have Affliction’s back… M~1 well ya whoopie…
If Affliction attempts to put on a show every 6 months or whatever fine best of luck trying to turn a profit off of that.. But dont sit here and say that you’re competetive with UFC when you can only put a show on every half a year..
I agree with Justin in the fact that Affliction became popular by the hands and help of UFC and especially Randy Couture, Chuck Liddell, GSP. Then said hey we have alot of money lets now compete in the world of MMA blah blah…
Will ZUFFA absorb Affliction I doubt it, but if they do it would be rather interesting due to the contracts and why aquire something that can just die on its own..
Some said what happens to Fedor if ZUFFA buys Affliction, I would assume the same thing that happend when ZUFFA bought PRIDE
I agree on the Fedor contract, and I agree that ZUFFA has nothing to gain by acquiring Affliction promotions. If they gained contracts with the fighters by acquiring the promotion, it’d be something to consider, but they learned the hard way with the PRIDE purchase that it doesn’t work that way.
*someone*
When your paying people like Matt Lindland 500,000 just to show, it won’t be long before they do go under!
justin is battling brandon vera for the nickname “the truth”. affliction made there money on the backs(literally) of ufc fighters and took there profits from that to start there promotion. that is just shady in my eyes. do the ufc fighters who wore ur shirts do they get some sort of reperations? and i dont mean the couple hundo they got paid having u as a sponser i mean do they get a cut for supplying u the money to start this promotion?
as for zuffa buyin affliction i doubt it. alot of these guys have made it clear that there fine not fighting in the ufc so f um let um fight overseas or where ever they go cuz the ufc is doin fine wit out afflictions lil stable.
I just hope everyone is happy when Dana finally completes his move of the UFC to the WWE.
^^^^^^^^
What does that mean?
It means Dave is an idiot and to be shunned from this moment forward.
I will do best my friend yet I’ve been known to enjoy communications with such individuals, I will procceed to shun cheers…
Affliction made a ****load of money selling T-shirts and instead of handing it over in taxes they did a few mma shows . I like the events , they run some good fights . If they decide to stop producing MMA shows …… oh well ….. it was fun to watch . The UFC is starting to look like a rerun by rehashing fights and then throw in a few new guys . they have good shows and bad shows just like the rest .Tom might come off as an ass but so does Dana sometimes so I dont pay much attention to either one . lets just get them all going so we get to see more MMA .
Cash is king. Zuffa is doing the smart thing by carefully building their MMA empire, and in the process they have single-handedly ressurected this sport and made it astonishingly viable. You have to earn the right to be generous with your money. Think about that for a second. (I know – for some of you it may take years to sink in – but think about it.) When I look at other promotions like Affliction, etc. I see a bunch of coat-tailers doling out wads of dough with an aura of self-righteous self-aggrandizement. The only reason they can “afford” to flaunt their fat payouts is because Zuffa built the base. Whose money was on the line for years turning this into a legitimate business model? Slow and steady wins the race. These guys are freaking geniuses. You don’t have to like Dana White, but he’s pretty good at what he does. The Fertittas obviously know what they are doing and have been surrounded by talented staff for years. You can look at the money GSP made on UFC 94 and think he got robbed, especially when you look at the money Andrei Arlovski made to get KTFO at Day of Reckoning, but Affliction is taking a free ride – throwing money around like they own the place. It’s ridiculous. It’s like taking a huge group of people on vacation and quietly picking up the bill, while one of your flamboyant and arrogant guests buys a lobster dinner for the entire party one night. Who do you think comes off looking like Mr. Magnanimous? Exactly.
The UFC has the most on the line. It has the deepest roots. It has the biggest roster. It has the farthest reach and the biggest impact. You want to bankrupt the base? Start paying every fighter who pisses and moans a million bucks. You want to see this sport turn into a Hollywood charade really fast? Bring in more and more “agents” and “promoters.” Then you’ll see a meat market that couldn’t care less about the sport, the fans, or the fighters. Let’s say GSP is worth 1.2 MM for his fight the other night and he takes $400k. Where do you think that other $800k goes? Into new Hummers for Dana White? Not hardly. It goes back into the corporate coffers as operating capital. It’s used to pay the salaries of MORE fighters, it’s used to build the brand and strengthen the sport. It’s spent on advertising and production. It’s used in every other intelligent way that successful businesses operate. By refusing to acknowledge this, fight fans ironically insult the intelligence of the very fighters they “support.” GSP, and other fighters like him, are making a sacrifice for the sport. They know they are worth more and could make more, but they are willing to give up some of their blood “for the family.” They know they are well paid. They know they will continue to make more and more – relative to the size, growth, and success of the sport and their organization. They know that what is good for the goose is good for the gander. It’s really business 101, people. Plain and simple.
Marlo’s comment is rather irrelevant because boxing was so well established by the time Don King arrived, it’s not fair to compare someone like him to Dana White, or anybody else at Zuffa in my opinion. DK was and is a disgusting opportunist that did nothing for the sport. Larry Holmes’ comment is a good example of why boxing is almost dead, “[he can get you] more than anyone else can get you.” But that’s not what it’s about. MMA is not every man for himself. MMA is not about playing both sides to the middle with some agent siphoning off a living. MMA needs a solid foundation – a well established organization with deep roots, sounds business practices, and the ability to guarantee the future of the sport, not to mention the athletes and their livlihoods. What good does it do for a franchise like Affliction to or EliteXC to throw a bunch of money around, stir up a bunch of irresponsible and disrespectful hype, and eventually fade away into oblivion? The sad fact is, most “fans” won’t even realize that organizations like these are never more than a distraction – a flash in the pan – and many will see their demise as the result of the “greedy” executives at Zuffa who created a monopoly. In reality, Zuffa will hold its course while battles rage on all around it, and while everybody else jumps on the bandwagon for a free ride and tries to stir up controversy, it will be the UFC that gave them all a house to live in. If you’re Affliction or any of the other promotions, it’s easy to talk about fighter pay and throw your money around when you have a sugar daddy (the UFC) doing all the dirty work and taking care of all the details.
It’s sickening to see all these parasites show up and feign interest in MMA. Affliction saw Zuffa and, licking its chops, wanted in on the action. So they show up preaching this crap about unfair pay – as if they really give two ****s. Why? To persuade fighters to abandon their loyalties and follow the easy money. Funny thing is, look at how they bill most of their talent as “former UFC” this, and “former UFC” that. The brand must carry some weight, huh? And who have they brought, besides Fedor, anyway? Ex-UFC fighters who are on their way out? I mean, Tim Sylvia? Please. He’s enough to destroy MMA all by himself. And Andrei Arlovski is overrated. After all, he lost to Tim Sylvia in back to back fights. Why in God’s name he gets paid so much is beyond me. It must be the fake teeth and the legions of Wrestle-tainment fans that get turned on by that. Anyway, I think the story has been told simply by the fact that the real talent stays with Zuffa for less money, while the washed-up sell their soul for a little extra dough. Fine with me. They’re just seperating the wheat from the tares anyway. Zuffa ought be be grateful that these other fly-by-nights are getting them off their payroll. They are their liabilities now. If I could trim my overhead and get rid of dead weight at the same time, I’d say that’s the gold standard for successful business in America.
By carefully controlling fight purses, Zuffa has intelligently garaunteed the future success of their company, the sport, and their fighters. And by not disclosing all their numbers they are keeping their blood sucking competition, in the dark – not their athletes. Whiney fighters are just greedy. Everything is negotiable. If they don’t like it, they can quit or go elsewhere – but don’t bite the hand that feeds you, which is exactly what Zuffa continues to do both directly for the fighters in its stable and indirectly for the mutineers who have abandoned ship by keeping this sport at the forefront and by creating the most exciting and entertaining and professional fight productions around. If Zuffa makes a billion dollars in the process, good for them. You don’t hear people ****ing about Bill Gates because he makes so much more than his employees do you? Anybody who succeeds deserves to be rewarded – especially when you’ve built an entire industry that supports and provides for myriads of people from fighters, to producers, to venues, to merchandisers, etc., etc., etc. – not to mention other promotions.
What has Affliction or EliteXC really done for this sport? That’s a difficult question to answer – but I’ll tell you what’s an easy question to answer: what have they done for themselves? Almost everything. Aside from some flashy fighter payouts, and some big hair financial backers (ala Donald Trump, not to be confused with the aforementioned Don King), they haven’t really contribuited. They keep playing the same note over and over again. They say they are all about unifying the belts. BS. If the tables were turned, I can garauntee they’d be playing their cards close to the vest, and they’d probably be paying their fighters less than Zuffa is. I know a lot of business people who take and take from their businesses – slowly bleeding them dry. But it’s rare to see a company pour all of their revenue back into strengthening their foundation and expanding their reach. It’s the difference between the small business and big business mentalities really. I watched one of the Affliction press conferences the other day, and it was like a three ring circus with a bunch of suits mixed in with a bunch of punks. Even Oscar De La Hoya (whom I’ve always respected and admired) sounded unconvincing and contrived – and don’t get me started on Affliction’s VP Tom Atencio. “Sorry. Bear with me. I think I messed up. Hold on a second.” It was a total and complete disaster. He may very well be the worst promoter ever. He shoud definitely stick to t-shirts and the skateboard demographic. If I had to guess, most of these guys don’t know **** about MMA and probably not much about business either. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Tom Atencio sitting ringside with an interpreter: “What’s that arm thingy he’s doing? Why do they call it a rear NAKED choke? Sounds exciting!”
Bottom line is – the more money the UFC makes, the better able they will be to grow their business, promote the sport, and take care of their fighters. I’ve said it once already here, but I’ll say it again: What’s good for the goose, is good for the gander. The better the UFC does, the better MMA and ALL it’s fighters and promoters will do. Kudos to the Fertittas, Dana White, and everyone involved at Zuffa LLC. I appreciate everything you’ve done for MMA and I’m excited to see where you will take the sport next.