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ALL BUSINESS: Spilt Milk Might Still Taste Sweet - UFC 112's Controversies May Be Good For Business
Apr 14, 2010 - 5:10:25 PM ALL BUSINESS: Spilt Milk Might Still Taste Sweet - UFC 112's Controversies May Be Good For Business

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By Alvin Benjamin Carter III, MMA Torch Specialst

Originally, I was going to follow up with Part 2 of my previous article, but I decided that I had to discuss UFC 112 for a number of reasons. The first, and to me most monumental, reason is BJ Penn lost his belt. Second, the event was technically a success. Third, Anderson Silva. ALL BUSINESS: Gyms, Trainers, and Fighters - Analysis From The Mats: Pt.2 will go up shortly, so I appreciate your patience while I jump to another topic.

UFC 112 is a milestone event for the Ultimate Fighting Championships. Having their first event in the Middle East opens up an even higher level of world visibility, and it is a strong assertion of market expansion power and dominance. A number of stars had to line up in order to make this event happen. The UFC had to setup a partnership with Abu Dhabi's Flash Media, work out broadcasting logistics, and build a stadium just for the event. Calling this undertaking difficult would be an understatement. The only thing left to chance for the evening were the actual fights. The stage was set, and it was time to see one of the biggest cards that the UFC had put together this year. Fans around the world were expecting a great show, but the unscripted drama that unfolded left most flabbergasted.

BJ "The Prodigy" Penn was relatively close to clearing out the UFC's Lightweight division seemed unstoppable after his systematic destruction of Diego "Nightmare" Sanchez. Penn's challenger, Frankie Edgar, went into this bout sporting an impressive resume; but I was shocked when he won the title. My shock was more rooted in the fact that he won the fight based on the judges score cards, not form finishing Penn. With the way the Lyoto Machida vs. Maurcio "Shogun" Rua fight went, it seemed like you really had to beat the champion before the five rounds were over in order to get the title. The aftermath of the Machida vs. Shogun fight was full of lopsided amount of sympathy for Shogun, but Edgar's huge upset that has fans supporting and questioning the outcome a bit more evenly.

This change in champions opens the door to more exciting fights in the division. If BJ Penn does not get an immediate rematch, Edgar could fight Gray Maynard to avenge his loss. This would be a great fight for the hardcore and casual fan alike. It also means we will see BJ Penn either re-destroy the lightweight division, or move up in weight. While the latter is most likely the case, either option should prove enjoyable. Personally, I think Kenny Florian might have an opportunity to hold the belt in the near future. The division is opening up because of Penn's loss. Lightweight pay-per-view match up options are going to be exciting. The division has a number of routes to choose from, and not giving Penn an immediate rematch might be the right one in order to get two or there pay-per-view main events out of the division before the end of the year. (The first PPV main event/co-main event would have Edgar attempting to defend against Gray Maynard or Kenny Florian, the second would be BJ's first fight after losing the belt, and then most likely the Edgar vs. Penn II or current champion vs. Penn.)

Now let's skip past the 185 pound elephant in the room named Anderson for just a moment to look at the actual event as a whole. Logistically, the event went very well. Approximately 11,008 tickets were sold bring in a total gate of $3.5 Million. This is the second highest gate the UFC has seen in in the past 14 pay-per-view events. The only event of those 14 to earn more at the gate was UFC 111 which featured George St. Pierre defending his Welterweight title against Dan Hardy, and Frank Mir getting devastated by Shane Carwin. This type of event shows the UFC's new partners that they can deliver, they know how to put on a show, and that people in the Middle East will go to the events. The only hitch that night was Anderson Silva.

Anderson Silva is pound-for-pound one of the best, if not the best, fighter in the world. He retained his UFC Middleweight Championship belt at UFC 112, but many people are appalled at the fashion in which he did it. Among the most appalled is UFC President Dana White. He was so upset he even mentioned the possibility of having a title holder (Silva) fight on an event's preliminary card. This sounds ridiculous, but it might be a boost for the UFC if Anderson Silva defended his belt on a Spike TV aired prelim fight. It is something to think about as a marketing strategy more than a punishment.

Understanding that what went down in the cage between Anderson Silva and Demian Maia was unsportsmanlike, I will say that there was a sense of dominance displayed by the"Jedi mind trick" dancing and dodging performed by Silva. While he should have engaged and finished the fight, I initially took his playfulness as a head game that would eventually be followed by a limb-to-chin knockout. This was not the case, and the MMA world is up on arms. Some fans have completely lost faith in Silva's ability to give an exciting performance. Silva does not believe he needs to apologize for his actions and chalks his the whole scenario up to a respect issue with Maia. While fans and the UFC brass are not ready to move on just yet, this could be an opportunity. This actually sets an interesting stage for Silva and the UFC, and it points to the other elephant in the room- the lack of title contenders in the 185 pound weight class with a strong chance of taking the belt from Silva.

There are a couple of heavy hitters in the middleweight division like Vitor Belfort and Chael Sonnen, and those possible opponents are generally not favored to beat Silva. He needs some serious competition than these two fighters. Dan Henderson is one person that could have definitely been a test with his wrestling and knockout power, but that is really it as far as complete and proven threat is concerned. I would say let's have him fight Chael Sonnen or Vitor Belfort as soon as possible, and despite the out come move Anderson to 170 pounds for a fight with George St. Pierre. If Anderson defends his title again he will go down in history with 7 consecutive title defenses. If he loses, then that makes switching weight classes a no brainer. I honestly do not think he will lose the middleweight belt based on the current contenders; but I can see Silva fighting GSP, moving up to light heavyweight full time, and even heavyweight. (Anderson Silva vs. Cain Velasquez would be phenomenal.)

Instead of harping on how inexplicable Silva's actions were in his fight against Maia, the bout can be used as an opportunity to push him into a different realm to create superfights and exciting match ups. If something is inexplicable, let's stop trying to explain it. The fact of the matter is Silva is one of the best fighters in the world, and we might see some fireworks if he fights another pound-for-pounder. I venture to say the breakdance workshop Silva gave would not happen (at least not to the same degree) if he was fighting GSP, Lyoto Machida, or Brock Lesnar.

Anderson Silva is the only one that can be held accountable for his specific actions, but maybe this is what happens when a champion gets bored. With this "cry for help" performance, maybe the UFC will seize the opportunity to move Silva around. The sooner they can get Silva in front of an opponent that poses a challenge, the sooner they help rebuild their champions brand. Silva's brand might be taking some hits at the moment, but that will change as soon as he gets back to hitting people with the intent to finish.

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Alvin Benjamin Carter III is an MMATorch Specialist columnist focusing on the business and statistic side of the sport of MMA. He trains in SanDa / Shan Shou (Chinese Kickboxing) and MMA. He also has a business background in music production, management, and clothing. He has launched two companies which cater to niche markets, giving him experience in examining trends and attitudes that can affect a particular business model, which he applies in his weekly column for MMATorch to the sport of MMA.