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Mon Dec 01, 2008 11:30 am EST

Germans may not welcome UFC with open arms

By Steve Cofield

The UFC has done a good job of cultivating its image. Much of it was done via the internet through media members who were fans of the sport. The organization has always yearned to hit the big time and get coverage from mainstream television, newspaper and radio. I always said during the days when there was just a small group of media folks who covered the sport, the UFC is in for an awakening when the "real" media does show. You can't control what American columnists and radio talk show hosts will write or say. They're generally going to try and reach the lowest common denominator. It's really no different anywhere around the world.

UFC 91 marked the first time that some German media members were noticeable. Maik Grossekathöfer from Der Spiegel was doing an introduction piece on mixed martial arts. For the "Time" magazine of Germany to cover an event was a huge get for the UFC. As it turns out, the organization may not be thrilled with the press it got leading into its June 13 debut in Cologne, Germany.

When the Las Vegas Review-Journal had a story earlier this year calling White the "White Don King", the UFC president lost it. It may have been one of the only times I've seen him really lose his cool with the media. He wanted to rip the head off LVRJ writer Ed Graney. Without evoking the name of Don King, Der Spiegel made it sound like the name was pretty accurate:

White, a short, round-headed man wearing a skin-tight shirt and belt with a skull-shaped buckle, is the president of the UFC. He is 39, a former bouncer and a bellhop at a Boston hotel. He was found guilty of assault and, because he refused to pay the fine, wound up in prison. He became a boxing trainer and fled from the Mafia to Las Vegas, where he had grown up, and opened a boxing gym. White now owns a Range Rover, a Ferrari and two Mercedes, but he still has difficulty saying three sentences without the word "f***" in at least one of them.

Der Spiegel would have one thinking that former rap mogul Suge Knight, another famous Las Vegas area high school alum, was running the UFC. The writer also came away less than impressed with the "artistry and nuances" of the sport when he wrote about the main event's close:

(Brock) Lesnar pounces on (Randy) Couture, kneels over him and starts punching him in the head, doling out 17 blows in a seemingly endless 10 seconds, until the referee finally intervenes. Couture is lying on the floor, motionless, looking dead. Seventeen blows to the head in 10 seconds, blows coming from a barely padded fist -- it sounds brutal. In fact, it is brutal, and it raises the question of whether Ultimate Fighting is a sport or simply assault.

The UFC can't control everything that is written by the uninitiated media so it has to take the good with the bad. There were some complimentary points in the story about the education level of many of the fighters and Couture seeming like a gentle guy. But it sounds like the education process in Germany will be much like it's been in the U.S., a long and arduous process.

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  1. colin c
    1. Posted by colin c Thu Sep 03, 2009 6:50 pm EDT

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    Personally i like that Dana curses. And until he starts rythming for no reason i say no to the Don King reference. Germans ae boring anyway minus oktoberfest.
  2. chano
    2. Posted by chano Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:02 pm EDT

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    Ok I'm tired already of these no good boxing / radio host who talk smack about UFC. We all saw Randy Concious and moving but to say "looking dead motionless"? Give me a break seriously!
    The gloves they use are about 1 or 2 pounds each, rules have changed since then idiots, before it was bare nucked fist now they are padded.
    As for Dana White yeah he is a D***, but over all we still tune in to watch WEC, UFC, TUF. I'll admit it I sometimes hate the way he workes and runs things but yet I'm still there tuning in. I can't believe how they are compairing him to Don King? I mean seriously he's done alot more then what Dana has done. Dana takes over the fights and contracts not someones money.
  3. chano
    3. Posted by chano Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:02 pm EDT

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    Ok I'm tired already of these no good boxing / radio host who talk smack about UFC. We all saw Randy Concious and moving but to say "looking dead motionless"? Give me a break seriously!
    The gloves they use are about 1 or 2 pounds each, rules have changed since then idiots, before it was bare nucked fist now they are padded.
    As for Dana White yeah he is a D***, but over all we still tune in to watch WEC, UFC, TUF. I'll admit it I sometimes hate the way he workes and runs things but yet I'm still there tuning in. I can't believe how they are compairing him to Don King? I mean seriously he's done alot more then what Dana has done. Dana takes over the fights and contracts not someones money.
  4. HAHA
    4. Posted by HAHA Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:49 pm EDT

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    yea who cares if the germans dont appreciate a real MAN's sport
    do u think randy was blown when he got paid all that $ for those 17 shots?
    i hate when people try 2 make other stuff sound all bad and then jus make themselves look like clowns
    that us u mr german newspaper reporter, you my dude, are a clown
  5. Darkness!
    5. Posted by Darkness! Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:45 pm EDT

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    so basically, they defended Couture (hmmm... isn't he German?) and more or less called Brock a bully, for doing exactly what ur supposed to do when ur opponent goes down and is vulnerable? If Couture had KO'd Brock and pounded him for 10 secs. until the ref. stepped in- he'd be an underdog hero. And they attacked Dana White for living the American dream of rags to riches, while still being a fan of the sport he promotes... prob. it's biggest fan. I don't know Dana personally; but he seems to me, if anything, as though he's one of few rags to riches stories (especially in the public eye) that the $ hasn't changed him- he's still a real person... that's my favorite thing about the guy. In the spirit of the great Dana White: F**k Germany! A boring Liddell/Couture fight between two washed up old-timers is the only fight they deserve... f**k 'em.
  6. mrdumbass2you
    6. Posted by mrdumbass2you Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:27 pm EDT

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    Well I'm hoping the views of one writer aren't a reflection of the views of the rest of the country. Its always a shock to me when i read such negative articles about MMA. What else does the UFC have to do, to win over these "haters". I guess a better question is does it need to when these people over? I would love to see how much of an audience is watching from these 100 countries around the world. And its times like these that make me hate the antics going on in the house, it not only looks bad on the fighters it looks bad on Americans. Feeds right in to the general worldwide view of how we behave as Americans. It may very well slow the expansion of the sport into some of these other countries. Fighting is a concept that does cross language barriers but that alone doesn't mean the UFC will go worldwide with success as quickly as they are hoping. And if season 8 off The Ultimate Fighter is the first taste of UFC these countries are getting...... Wow, I am embarrassed as a hardcore MMA fan and as an American.
  7. ZULUZEROSIX
    7. Posted by ZULUZEROSIX Thu Sep 03, 2009 11:02 pm EDT

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    To hell with Germany, we should give it back to the Russians who nearly had it at the end of WW2. A good friend of mine is from Germany, he says they don't teach in schools what happened with the Holocost. A once proud and poweful Germanic people seem weak to me given their political "turn the other cheek" stance on terrorism. Granted, GSG-9 is a most brutal anti-terror force-that is about the only thing Germany has going for it. That and Shinken smoked ham. Just a bunch of Euro-hippies to me.....
  8. The Great White
    8. Posted by The Great White Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:27 pm EDT

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    zzzzslepper - If you don't know the whole story then go back to sleep. The Feritta brothers bought the UFC and were going to sell the company BUT Dana fought for them not to. It was HIS business decision to go on TUF and put on a "reality" based fighting show that more or less spawned "today's" UFC. He didn't get lucky and the Ferittas didn't "give" Dana anything. He has worked for what he has and has given us all MMA fans something to watch and follow. Dana has his faults but for YOU to say the ONLY reason the UFC has made it is its fans and the fighters is completely idiotic. The UFC was floundering and near collapse before the Feritta's bought it and Dana managed it into the titan it is today. Give credit where it is due even if you don't like the guy. Darkness is right, Dana is one of the only guys I have seen that money hasn't changed. I don't agree with everything Dana says or does, but he deserves the credit for where the UFC is today.
  9. colin c
    9. Posted by colin c Thu Sep 03, 2009 6:50 pm EDT

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    And here i thought Great WHITE was Dana.
    Ok he may still be (he?!?!?)
  10. jtakeo11
    10. Posted by jtakeo11 Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:43 pm EDT

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    The Great White.....Who are your picks for UFC 92? I'm bored with these blogs. I'm taking Evans, Nogueira, Silva, Dalloway and Al Turk
  11. IDGAD
    11. Posted by IDGAD Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:27 pm EDT

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    Ditto on Dana's competence. He's even entertaining at times, like when I'm blitzed. Most times, actually. I really hope those peoples over the waters (both of 'em) don't take Dana as typical American. That would really keep me up and partially awake at night. If we can get the new prez to endorse MMA, unlike that old man he beat, maybe the foreign people in those foreign places will like it.
  12. Clint
    12. Posted by Clint Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:27 pm EDT

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    This article about Dana White is right on. He is great to people when he wants something. But when you want something or are against him (Elite XC, Affliction), or a fighter asking for a better contract (J. Fitch), Dana is an a**hol*! He is a bully and not a businessman. He better change or it will catch up with him....and the UFC. The Ferritta's are going to get tired of saving his disrespectful and unprofessional a**!
  13. Darkness!
    13. Posted by Darkness! Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:45 pm EDT

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    why is it that anyone who Isn't anti-Dana White either gets accused of being Dana White himself, or being "under his desk", or something like that? Just cuz ur a UFC fan, that means ur not a "Real" mma fan? Or just cuz u don't hate Dana white, it means u don't appreciate the fighters? That's ridiculous! It simply means that some people choose to recognize Dana and the UFC for being the best thing that ever happened to mma. Seriously- how big would mma be if not for Dana White and "today's UFC"? Look at all the other so-called big mma organizations. Affliction is only as big as they are (and a distant 2nd to UFC at that) cuz of the name recognition of their clothing line (first worn by UFC fighters) and a few UFC has-beens on their roster (not including Fedor); then there was EXC- do we really have to bring an organization whose biggest name was Kimbo into the conversation? But again- if there were no UFC, EXC would've never bothered trying to compete with them, so they would've stayed in about the same range as strikeforce, which can't even pull ratings with a show live from the Playboy mansion! There'd be no WEC, cuz there'd be no Zuffa. Maybe Pride would still be in business if not for the UFC, cuz they were based out of Japan, and I think mma would thrive there regardless. But then there'd be no DREAM for jtakeo to rave about. Like him or not- Dana White is the Godfather of mma; and deserves at least some level of respect from anyone that considers themselves an mma fan. And the UFC is undeniably the biggest promotion in mma- which means they're doing something right. That's why the UFC is the big-time in mma: if ur not in the UFC, don't bi*ch that u don't get the recognition u deserve (Fedor fans), cuz if ur good enough, Dana White will offer u a contract. If u decline a reasonable UFC offer, then u have no right to bi*ch about lack of recognition, lack of competition, etc. (Fedor fans). These anti-UFC fans sound to me like the kind of ungrateful little kids who whine cuz they got a white bike for christmas when they wanted a blue bike. Like Dana White would say: hey kid, u got a new f**king bike... be happy with it, bi*ch.
  14. Karl A
    14. Posted by Karl A Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:47 pm EDT

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    There isn't alot to say here about the subject except screw the Germans. They're lucky we they're not pledging allegiance to the Red White and Blue.
    ZULUZEROSIX...you said it well except for one thing you left out....beer. They make good beer.
  15. The Great White
    15. Posted by The Great White Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:27 pm EDT

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    Darkness - I was going to "try" to paint the UFC picture but I couldnt' have done it better. Props. If someone still wants to discredit Dana for what he has done after reading that, then they will never understand. The fact that UFC was floudering and NOT pulling ANY ratings before the Feritta's bought it and then Dana talking the Feritta's into NOT selling the UFC and the fact that other organizations (not being WEC) are floundering MUST tell you all you need to know. Dana IS a loud mouthed bully, but that is what makes Dana good at what he does. It takes a shrewd, loud mouthed, bully type to run most businesses. Successful businessmen for the most part are not nicey, nice, pat on the back people. They are take no shiat, cut the fat, make decisions that will upset many, businessmen. Which is exactly what Dana is.
  16. Darkness!
    16. Posted by Darkness! Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:45 pm EDT

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    Great White-
    thanks for the props. now if I could just figure out why this droppinbombs kid wants to fight me all of a sudden (from the blogging pranksters blog), I'd be fine. Kids, I guess...
  17. Nutcracker
    17. Posted by Nutcracker Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:22 pm EDT

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    Dana got so mad coz what herr journalist said was true.. white is a don king mini me, only king pays his fighters better. he is as controlling, manipulative and greedy as any of em.. boxing may be dead, but it still out pays ufc in main event ppvs almost 4 to 1 on average for 'mega' fights. of course, odlh pacquiao will blow them all out of the water.. dana was a retarded boxer, trainer and wanna be promoter. he was a funny little dink. still is.. without the fertittas he would be working the door at some no name vegas strip club..
  18. Darkness!
    18. Posted by Darkness! Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:45 pm EDT

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    oh Nutcracker-
    how I've missed arguing with u... so here we go. Can u please stop with the "mma doesn't pay their main event fighters as well as boxing" drivel? We get it- the 1% of boxers who make it to main event level are paid better than the 10% who make it to main event level in mma. Maybe it's cuz the talent level of main event caliber fighters is higher in mma than boxing, which would explain why mma as a whole can put on at least 5-10 major shows a month, while boxing puts on a major show that someone might be interested in once every few months. On the other hand, the undercard fighters are paid much better in mma; so all in all, u have a much better chance of making a living in mma than u do in boxing. Both sports are great athletically, so I won't get into that pointless, endless debate with u. Some prefer boxing, some prefer mma, some like both. But seriously Nut- u referred to urself as an mma fan- so even u have to give Dana and the UFC some credit for bringing mma to where it is today. And if fighting twice a year for a living makes u enough $ to live like a king, then ur doing ok (regardless of the actual numbers); so I could care less what the fighters make... cuz it's obviously plenty. And did u actually just admit that "boxing may be dead"?
  19. Nutcracker
    19. Posted by Nutcracker Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:22 pm EDT

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    Darkness... 5-10 major mma events a month?? oh really?? like what and when?? and on any ppv card, the guys on the co main and under usually out earn the equivalent on any ppv mma card. do the math darkness and you will see the light.. i am a mma fan, but i do find dana white funny. i knew of him back in the day when he was a boxing flunky so maybe my opinion is not a fair one.. undercard fighters on any ufc mma event are paid peanuts darkness. i dont know where you get those figures. undercard boxers on any main ppv out earn across the board.. and if it happens, i got silva over le by death....
  20. Darkness!
    20. Posted by Darkness! Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:45 pm EDT

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    Nutcracker-
    first of all, I like the pun: do the math darkness and u will see the light... that was funny. At least u finally admit ur unfair opinion of Dana White. And while I don't have time to look up the actual numbers (it's time for me to go home), I can tell u from my perspective that I'd be happy with just a fight of the night or sub or KO of the night bonus, upwards of 50 k- in addition to the salary. Not necessarily that every UFC fighter is driving Hummers and Ferraris; but again- I doubt any are struggling to make car payments, pay rent, living on foodstamps, etc. like most people in the u.s. are... that's what I meant by mma fighters being paid "generously". I'll be glad to continue this debate with u tomorrow Nut; but let me leave u with this thought for tonight: This month's mma schedule- a WEC event, a TUF finale (both this week), a Strikeforce event last week, 2 upcoming UFC ppv's, another UFC superfight within 30 days of that, Fight For The Troops free on Spike, and (I think) another Affliction event in the next month. Also weekly replays of UFC ppv main events on Spike. Not that all of those are "great" events; but there IS much more exposure... see my point?
  21. The Great White
    21. Posted by The Great White Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:27 pm EDT

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    Damn nut, do you ever win a debate?
    Darkness - i was going to jump in and choke nut out AGAIN, but you did it so well. I have more stats for the misinformed, dillusional, boxing super freak if you need em.
    But you are right, at least Nut is starting to give in on several points. I feel a tap coming...........
  22. Nutcracker
    22. Posted by Nutcracker Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:22 pm EDT

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    I willnever tap!!!! darkness and great white are a tag team but i got lesnar on the buckle, ready to jump and take you both down like bowling pins... and i am taking bets on lesnar vs. nog... lesnar will be more improved and too much for nog to handle... so put that in your boxing hater hats... have any of you guys ever see maggie hendricks?? i am just curious what she looks like......
  23. colin c
    23. Posted by colin c Thu Sep 03, 2009 6:50 pm EDT

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    Never met a German? I lived in Praha the past year, been in munich, frankfort, berlin ect. this year.
    Germans are boring, and love Poo porn, which i am shocked to say about any porn, is just nasty. Except during Oktobefest, then they get fun.
  24. Nutcracker
    24. Posted by Nutcracker Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:22 pm EDT

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    Met a few in Asia.. They are more perv than most foreigners and are always getting popped for trafficking in xtacy and roids.. A mild generalization but for the most part accurate..
  25. Ican2
    25. Posted by Ican2 Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:39 pm EDT

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    Hughes is a badass soilder he built the UFC...He did more for the UFC then Dana White will ever do...Riddle me this Dana White Ball sukers..Did He ever Bleed..I thought not...He has Fertita protection that's it...

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