The UFC’s North Face
Jake Rossen May 26, 2010
Despite being such a money market for the UFC -- installment No. 97
drew a record 21,451 fans to Montreal’s Bell Centre -- Canada has
not been a friendly neighbor. Shows have been bogged down in
bureaucratic red tape; a high-profile show in Ontario’s Rogers
Centre continues to be vaporware until regulators agree that
they’re woefully behind the times.
It’s that resistance that led the UFC to announce the opening of a Canadian office by the end of the month: former Canadian Football League chair Tom Wright will be assigned executive duties, most of which are likely to include beating down the doors of opposing forces looking to gunk up sanctioning in regions.
Is it smart? It is: Wright has plenty of experience in the sports world, including tenures in the Canadian arms of both Adidas and Spaulding. He once turned down an offer to become head of the Canadian Olympic Committee. His appointment is not an overnight solution to the sport’s troubles in the country, but it’s another sign that the UFC continues to think months or years in advance. In an industry where some promotions can barely keep it together for a night, that’s impressive.
It’s also why White and his company frequently take the tact of jaded, dismissive group leaders to the rest of the industry’s me-too organizations. If Wright can get MMA in Ontario and other spots, it’ll open the door for competing promotions -- none of whom spared the time or expense of championing the cause to the extent the UFC will. It’s a justifiable kind of bitter, but it’s also the price you pay for being a dominant brand.
As for Canada’s continued mixed emotions toward MMA: UFC 97 was headlined by Anderson Silva against Thales Leites. I suppose that would be enough to confuse anyone.
It’s that resistance that led the UFC to announce the opening of a Canadian office by the end of the month: former Canadian Football League chair Tom Wright will be assigned executive duties, most of which are likely to include beating down the doors of opposing forces looking to gunk up sanctioning in regions.
Is it smart? It is: Wright has plenty of experience in the sports world, including tenures in the Canadian arms of both Adidas and Spaulding. He once turned down an offer to become head of the Canadian Olympic Committee. His appointment is not an overnight solution to the sport’s troubles in the country, but it’s another sign that the UFC continues to think months or years in advance. In an industry where some promotions can barely keep it together for a night, that’s impressive.
It’s also why White and his company frequently take the tact of jaded, dismissive group leaders to the rest of the industry’s me-too organizations. If Wright can get MMA in Ontario and other spots, it’ll open the door for competing promotions -- none of whom spared the time or expense of championing the cause to the extent the UFC will. It’s a justifiable kind of bitter, but it’s also the price you pay for being a dominant brand.
As for Canada’s continued mixed emotions toward MMA: UFC 97 was headlined by Anderson Silva against Thales Leites. I suppose that would be enough to confuse anyone.
