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Thursday, May 14, 2009
MMA Live Talks Atencio vs. White, Rashad Evans, and More
MMA Live recaps all the news of the week, including Tom Atencio war of words with Dana White, Chuck Liddell's uncertain future, a highlight reel KO at Bellator, and much more. Also, interviews with UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Rashad Evans and UFC Hall of Famer Dan Severn.Labels: Chuck Liddell, Dan Severn, Dana White, ESPN, MMA Live, Rashad Evans, Tom Atencio, UFC President
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 6:37 PM
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Atencio Gives Up "Reckoning" PPV Numbers....Sorta
MMAInsider spoke with Affliction Entertainment Vice President Tom Atencio on Wednesday evening as he returned from a meeting with executives from Golden Boy Entertainment. The spectacled promoter said his team is working on logistics with the boxing promoters for future shows. At the time, he doesn't know whether the idea of cross-breeding MMA and boxing will materialize. His guess for the alliance's next event ranged from June to July.
But enough of all those question marks--MMAInsider wanted to know what the pay per view numbers were for "Day of Reckoning."
Published reports citing Golden Boy CEO Richard Schafer have put the figure between 150,000-200,000 buys, giving the promotion a low estimate--at $44.95 a pop--of between $6,742,500 and $8,990,000 in net revenue.
Atencio, citing his company's desire not to discuss money a la the UFC, put it this way: "We did 50% better than our last event."
MMAWeekly.com was the first to report his estimate for Affliction's first event, "Banned," in which he said the broadcast "did well over 100,000 (buys)." That was before the partnership with Golden Boy; Atencio said his company got a better deal than the standard 40 percent of net revenue doled out to the promoter of the event. A conservative estimate of a $2.4 million take was "within the ballpark."
In an interview with MMAInsider following the second event, Atencio claimed he was not privy to the pay per view deal secured for "Reckoning," as Golden Boy was dealing with Showtime pay per view.
But assuming the standard 40 percent take for promoters in a pay per view event and a 50 percent improvement from 100,000 buys, a low estimate for Afflction/Golden Boy's pay per view take would be $2,697,000. Combined with total gate receipts of $1,429,557, the event could have produced $4,126,557 in gross revenue, excluding other sources like merchandising and sponsorships.
The total on-the-books payroll for the event was $3.3 million. Fedor Emelianenko, who pummeled Andrei Arlovski in the main event, received $1.2 million less than his Belarusian counterpart, but it is widely believed he was given an off-the-books bonus north of a million dollars.
As you would expect, there are a lot of variables in Affliction's equation of profitability. The two companies are private and are required only to disclose the salaries paid to their athletes. There are staff costs, venue costs, taxes, advertising--a litany of expenses that subtract from revenue. And as speculation indicates with Emelianenko, the true numbers of the event's payroll may never be known. Those, in addition to live gate receipts, are a very limited picture of success.
Then there's the possibility that Atencio and Golden Boy have been misleading about the true numbers--not a far-fetched scenario in the world of fight promotion.
Still, even at low estimates, the raw pay per view and gate numbers are impressive for a non-UFC promotion in this economy.
The sustainability of Affliction/Golden Boy's business model is likely the main point of future meetings.Labels: Affliction, Andrei Arlovski, Fedor Emelianenko, Golden Boy Promotions, Tom Atencio
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 1:07 AM
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
CSAC Releases Official Gate Revenue for Affliction's "Reckoning"
The California State Athletic Commission on Tuesday evening released the final numbers for Affliction Entertainment's second show, "Day of Reckoning," held on Jan. 24.
13,318 fans watched the event at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. Though the number of paid attendees was not released, the total gate revenue for the event totaled $1,429,557.
The revenue is slightly less than a number reported on Jan.26 by Yahoo! Sports, that said the event produced $1,512,750 in revenue from 8,946 paid attendees.
In a press release issued the day after the event, Affliction Entertainment claimed that 12,335 were in attendance for the evening.
The total payroll for the event, as first reported by MMAWeekly.com, was slightly north of $3.3 million.
Vice President of Affliction Entertainment Tom Atencio said preliminary pay per view numbers should be available within the week.Labels: Affliction, CSAC, Tom Atencio
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 9:29 PM
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Atencio's "Reckoning" Post-Mortem
 MMAInsider: So, how do you feel about the second show?
Atencio: It was work. (laughs) I can honestly say that without the guys that helped me here, Tracy and Shannon and everyone else that's involved, it would have never happened. But aside from that, we made it through, and I'm extremely happy. The fights were awesome, and the event seemed to go pretty well. There were a few glitches, and this is only my second time. As a team, we're still learning.
MMAInsider: Then you've got this Larry Merchant throwing some crap your way.
Atencio: Yeah, it's just like anything else. You have people who are completely myopic and they're not open to anything, and I think that was his way of trying to hurt us, because (allegations of a $5 million payoff to Oscar De La Hoya) are completely false.
MMAInsider: What are some of the roadblocks you encountered on the way to the show?
Atencio: I think it's just the B.S. of rumors, and having to squash that. And they're so minimal, it really doesn't matter, but it's wasted time. Like the ticket sales, the whole 1500 seats sold, then I heard Arlovski broke his hand the week before. It's just petty little rumors.
MMAInsider: You ever feel like you're damned if you do, damned if you don't?
Atencio: I always feel like that. Always.
MMAInsider: There was a report on Yahoo! Sports that your paid attendance was 8,946 for a live gate of $1,512,750. Are those numbers accurate?
Atencio: Not to my knowledge. As far as the numbers, I don't really get into the numbers.
MMAInsider: Is the characterization that Golden Boy does logistics, runs the show, deals with athletic commissions, and Affliction finances the fighter purses, is that accurate?
Atencio: No, that's not accurate. There's definitely things they do, there's things that we're learning, and that's why we brought them on board. Things that they're going to have expertise on that we're just learning.
MMAInsider: How does this partnership work, then?
Atencio: They're handling the back end, the deals, the negotiations when it comes to things like Showtime, and pay per view, and we're doing the marketing -- what we do well. The matchmaking we do because they come from the boxing industry. If we start doing boxing shows, they'll handle the matchmaking for the boxing.
MMAInsider: Is Affliction in charge of the fighter purses?
Atencio: Yes, we are.
MMAInsider: What are the chances of putting on Arlovski vs. Sylvia now? It would seem like those two have a built in storyline and rivalry.
Atencio: It definitely does seem like one. I'm still trying to catch up on my emails alone. I have 500 emails that I have to catch up on. I've got a lot going on.
MMAInsider: Is Fedor vs. Barnett a lock?
Atencio: I'd like to think so, but I haven't even sat down with them and discussed it yet.
MMAInsider: Will your next event be in July?
Atencio: We're shooting for it, we haven't finalized it though. I take it one fight at a time. I just want to focus on each show at a time until we become seasoned at this, and then I'll be able to feel more comfortable to give dates. I like to take things slow. I want to make sure we’re doing everything right, and when we're not, to fix whatever we're doing wrong.
MMAInsider: Well, you mentioned seasoning, and one of the main things that people are looking at is your payroll. You've said in the past you want to make sure fighters don't look at you as a cash cow. You have most of these guys to three-fight deals, and originally, you said you wanted to put on three fights and no more. Is that one of the things you want to look at moving forward as a promotion?
Atencio: Well, just to correct you, I absolutely choose to stay in this. But the reality of it is -- whether we do -- it really comes down to finances. But having said that, the shows are successful in other ways than just that. Our plan is to have four fights a year with Golden Boy, M-1, and Mr. Trump, that's our plan right now. I'm just taking it easy because I want to make sure that each event is methodical on our side. I just don't want to get ahead of myself, get cocky, get arrogant, because I've seen what happens when people do that, and I like to learn from other people's mistakes. Hopefully, I can continue to stay grounded and do that.Labels: Affliction, Andrei Arlovski, Tim Sylvia, Tom Atencio
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 10:02 PM
Lindland Suspended 45 days Following KO Loss To Belfort
Team Quest original Matt Lindland says he's doing fine after a brutal knockout loss at the hands of Vitor Belfort last Saturday at Affliction's "Day of Reckoning."
"(I'm doing) fine, he just got me with a good shot," Lindland told MMAInsider via text message.
According to Lindland, the California State Athletic Commission has suspended him for 45 days, after which he will be able to compete again. His fight with Belfort was the second of a three-fight contract with Affliction.
"I'll be back whenever," he wrote.
At least for now, Affliction VP Tom Atencio has indicated a return date of July for the next co-promotion between the clothing/entertainment company and boxing promotion Golden Boy.Labels: Affliction, Matt Lindland, Tom Atencio
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 7:57 PM
Friday, December 5, 2008
FOX News Fight Game Talks Affliction with Tom Atencio
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 4:00 PM
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Affliction VP To Fitch: Come On Over
 UFC President Dana White's comments on Wednesday about welterweight Jon Fitch's dismissal from his company perked up more than a few ears in the industry.
One party interested in Fitch's services: Tom Atencio, Vice President of Affliction Entertainment. White named the "t-shirt guys" as a potential home for the American Kickboxing Academy fighter in the wake of his unemployment.
MMAInsider spoke to Atencio Thursday afternoon, where he confirmed Fitch would be welcome to fight for Affliction.
"Yes I am," Atencio said of his interest. "Does that mean we're going to get him? Don't know."
Atencio commended Fitch for standing up to the proverbial 800lb. gorilla.
"I think if you don't agree with something, than you should stand up for what you don't agree with," he continued. "And I've got to give it to him, he's got balls for doing it."
Though he admits Affliction's welterweight division is thin at the moment, he says the problem can soon be fixed, and Fitch could sign a non-exclusive deal with the company.
"We're still working both ways," Atencio said of Affliction's contracts. "There's some guys that want to fight in Japan and want to fight in Canada. Until we get going full bore and get 12 fights a year or whatever we'll end up doing, it's really hard for us to hold these guys to anything and make them sit on the bench. If they're not making money, they're not paying their bills. If they're not fighting, they're going to get ring rust. I don't want to do that to them."
As the number two ranked welterweight in the world, it's likely Fitch will soon have several suitors.
"I think he's a great fighter," Atencio said. "He's at the top of his game."Labels: Affliction, Dana White, jon fitch, Tom Atencio, UFC
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 2:47 PM
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