- Joined
- Mar 3, 2004
- Messages
- 1,065
- Reaction score
- 1,630
So HW is the attention grabber and you've got a young interim champion, two aging fighters probably at the end of their careers supposedly set for what is likely both of their last fights and the best HW in the world in another promotion and unlikely to need to come back because he made bank in boxing and has a huge beef with Dana.
Does TKO need to do absolutely everything they can to keep Tom happy especially if Stipe/Jones both retire? Would the winner of Stipe v Jon, especially if it is Jon coming off injury, be willing to face Tom and possibly get face planted into retirement?
Could Tom be lured into a match against Francis outside of the UFC and how much damage would that do to the UFC? Could Tom look at Tyson Fury and say "Time for me to make bank and possibly even be the first ever UFC & Boxing champion plus line his pockets?
I'm one that thinks casual interest in the UFC is WAAAAY down. i used to see shirts or talk to guys like my electrician and dentist that loved the sport but I don't find that to be the case anymore. I think the ESPN partnership has really hurt the visibility of the sport putting most of it behind a paywall, at least where I am, you couldn't even get the prelims free and I rarely see any past fights highlighted on anything but their HD which has an additional charge I'm unwilling to pay on my system. Plus Disney/ESPN itself is struggling to stay relevant and might not want to pony up big money in the future.
i think the recognizable stars of the past who might have crossed over into popular culture, dancing with the stars kinda stuff, no longer exist or have become toxic ala Connor.
So if I were a deep pocket Saudi sheik with a love of combat sports or a rival promoter with a sugar daddy investor, now would be a time to reach out to Tom Aspinall and say "What would it take?" I know Sherdogs know the sport deeply and can name 15 or 20 lighter fighters that they love, but how many people on the street can now versus when Randy Chuck & Tito were carrying it or even the Ronda Connor days?
Thoughts?
Does TKO need to do absolutely everything they can to keep Tom happy especially if Stipe/Jones both retire? Would the winner of Stipe v Jon, especially if it is Jon coming off injury, be willing to face Tom and possibly get face planted into retirement?
Could Tom be lured into a match against Francis outside of the UFC and how much damage would that do to the UFC? Could Tom look at Tyson Fury and say "Time for me to make bank and possibly even be the first ever UFC & Boxing champion plus line his pockets?
I'm one that thinks casual interest in the UFC is WAAAAY down. i used to see shirts or talk to guys like my electrician and dentist that loved the sport but I don't find that to be the case anymore. I think the ESPN partnership has really hurt the visibility of the sport putting most of it behind a paywall, at least where I am, you couldn't even get the prelims free and I rarely see any past fights highlighted on anything but their HD which has an additional charge I'm unwilling to pay on my system. Plus Disney/ESPN itself is struggling to stay relevant and might not want to pony up big money in the future.
i think the recognizable stars of the past who might have crossed over into popular culture, dancing with the stars kinda stuff, no longer exist or have become toxic ala Connor.
So if I were a deep pocket Saudi sheik with a love of combat sports or a rival promoter with a sugar daddy investor, now would be a time to reach out to Tom Aspinall and say "What would it take?" I know Sherdogs know the sport deeply and can name 15 or 20 lighter fighters that they love, but how many people on the street can now versus when Randy Chuck & Tito were carrying it or even the Ronda Connor days?
Thoughts?