Is Tito Ortiz starting a new MMA League?

Every now and then I write an article that's not quite related, yet somehow parallel to our industry. As many of my friends know, I am a huge fan of Mixed Martial Arts - and the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship). I have been following this sport since 1993, essentially since UFC 1. I have watched as they broke into the mainstream market with the help of some saavy investing, an aggressive visionary (Dana White), Spike TV, and Direct TV. I have been telling our marketing team for the last 10 years that the UFC will take over boxing without question - and it will be the mainstream fighting sport of the future.

...I'm not sure if our marketing people believed me then -- in fact I would say they thought I was crazy, and obsessed about a sport that would end up nowhere.

Needless to say UFC has broken mainstream, and as I thought ten years ago it has not only gone mainstream but it has become a brand icon with gamers and 18-34 year old males (yet the demographic is expanding further!).

The interesting thing about UFC is they built a brand around the actual fight, but not the fighters. Tito Ortiz has been outspoken about this, as he says "The UFC treats the fighters like S@*T", and he still fights for them. Tito believes the fighters should get a much higher share of the revenue, and somehow I agree and disagree.

UFC was able to pave the way so people like Tito could make a great living, and now this guy is doing things like "Celebrity Apprentice" and dating Jenna Jameson. He's a star in his own right, and he's actually a really great spokesperson for MMA. I would caution Tito not to say things like "The UFC treats its fighters like S*#T" or he could end up in a major lawsuit - not to mention the fact that if not for the UFC he would not be in the same position that he's currently in. Though love him or hate him, Tito kicks ass, and he's an icon in the UFC and in the mix martial arts world.

I have always wanted to sponsor a UFC fighter, and my current favorite is George (Rush) St. Pierre. This guy is an amazing spokesperson for MMA and the UFC brand as a whole. As UFC acquired Pride Fighting (the superbowl of MMA in Japan) last year, there might be yet another interesting twist in the sport. I'm sort of sitting back to see what happens later this year.

So what's the point of this article? Well I believe Tito is playing a role to start up a new fight league, likely with the help of Donald Trump and WWE founder Vince McMahon. Of course this is a wild prediction, but there are many reasons I would say this makes sense. No need to get into detail, but the reasons are becoming somewhat obvious if you understand the dynamics of the sport, the UFC franchise, and the fighters general complaints about compensation.

Needless to say there is room for another fighting league. The UFC seems to be over commoditizing the fighters, and they are running way too many pay per views. The last pay per view was totally useless, and probably the first that I've avoided buying in years --- there was only ONE fight that was worth watching, but I wasn't about to pay $40 to watch BJ Penn destroy Joe Stevenson.

Regardless, if my prediction is correct we will see some major announcement in 2008. Tito Ortiz, along with a few others, will likely be at the forefront. Tito, if you're reading this, feel free to contact me privately to discuss.