UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta speaks out in rare interview

Yahoo! Sports columnist Kevin Iole was able to land a rare one-on-one interview with UFC co-owner Lorenzo Feritta. It's a great interview that has generated a lot of discussion around the Internet thus far.

Most fans are none too pleased with a comment in which Fertitta praises the UFC 78 card that took place in November from a business perspective:

Y!: But it seems like you had some shows in 2007 that just didn't do that well as they had in the past. Isn't that fair?

LF: Not really. I actually look at this the opposite way. One of the greatest successes that we've had, for instance, is the last show we did in New Jersey (UFC 78 on Nov. 17). We had a fight being headlined by two guys who had never fought for a championship and, relatively, had never been proven to be pay-per-view draws. But we basically sold out the arena in New Jersey and we did very strong, above average, pay-per-view. So to me, while it wasn't Liddell-Ortiz, that said more to me than one of what you might call one of our bigger fights did. It showed that our UFC brand can carry a whole show.

From a fan's perspective, I can understand why they wouldn't be too happy with a co-owner of the UFC giving themselves credit for putting together a card that was not one of their strongest efforts.

But if you look at his comments from a pure business perspective, he makes a good point. The fact that UFC 78 was able to generate revenue based solely on the fact that it was a UFC show speaks volumes about how strong the brand has become. That being said, if they keep putting together "B" shows and market them as "A" shows, how strong will the brand remain?

To be honest, I'm not exactly thrilled about the prospect of paying $39.95 for UFC 80 on January 19. If I wasn't covering the sport as a journalist, I would consider sitting that show out. Don't get me wrong, I'm excited to see B.J. Penn vs. Joe Stevenson for the lightweight title and am intrigued by Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Fabricio Werdum, but am otherwise underwhelmed.

I'm actually a little more excited about some of the undercard matches scheduled for UFC Fight Night 12 on Jan. 23 than I am for the undercard bouts scheduled for UFC 80.

Iole also asks Fertitta for his thoughts on Couture and Fertitta joined Dana White in confirming that it is now officially a legal issue (White confirmed as much during a radio interview with Steve Cofield in Las Vegas):

Y!: Where do you stand in the dispute with Randy? How upset were you at the way it played out? What will your next step be to move forward? And do you see yourself getting involved personally to try to straighten out whatever the problem is that exists between the UFC and a guy who has been one of its biggest stars?

LF: I would say … You know, I don't even want to talk about Randy. I'm not being disrespectful, but because of the situation we're in, our attorneys, we're not even going to comment at all about Randy Couture.

Y!: But it can't help your brand to be at odds with a fighter who is so popular and whose nickname is Captain America, can it?

LF: I just can't say anything about that topic now. The situation is such that it's best that I don't say anything at all at this point.

The lack of the UFC's progress in landing big-name sponsorship was also discussed, as well as Fertitta's previous comments that more blue chip sponsors would be on board by now. Fertitta is not concerned and said that these deals take time:

Y!: You had said when we spoke at UFC 72 in Belfast that you expected to be able to announce the addition of several significant new sponsors. It's more than six months later and nothing has been announced. Is the reason for this deal because the potential sponsors have had second thoughts about the UFC and where do those deals stand?

LF: There have been no problems at all. I think you'll see that 2008 is going to be a real breakthrough year for us from a sponsor standpoint. These deals take a long time to negotiate. We're confident we're going to have a big announcement in a month or two. The fact that we added Harley Davidson for this (UFC 79) card is a big deal. Sponsorships and advertising, we saw the same thing with The Ultimate Fighter. We had two or three seasons of unbelievable success before advertisers came on board. They're kind of behind a year or two maybe of what reality is. Once we announce some of these blue chip guys, I think everybody else is going to follow. Once you land that one blue chip, it gives you credibility and then everyone else is going to want in. Everybody is looking. Everybody knows we're here. Once we take that first step, everyone is going to pile on.

Landing Harley Davidson is a huge first step. I tend to believe Fertitta that they are on the verge of getting bigger sponsors. As someone who was involved in the fantasy sports business for years, I can tell you that it takes years for any type of industry with a stigma attach to it to win big business over.

Just because the people are behind it doesn't necessarily mean the corporations and the major ad agencies will immediately follow. But now, everyone in their grandmother has a fantasy football team and I think that while MMA's inroads to main street will be delayed, the walls will eventually start to crumble.

I think the UFC also deserves credit for sticking to their guns and demanding lucrative deals as opposed to cutting sweet heart deals with sponsors simply to have the association. Other promotions have done this and haven't gotten the results they would have liked thus far. 

It's a great interview that I highly recommend you check out. To read it in its entirety, including Fertitta's thoughts on the job Dana White has done, click here.

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Sam Caplan

Lead Writer/Editor - ProElite.com

SamCaplan.ProElite.com