WEC's Unusual Marketing

**SpringHeeledJack** · Posted On: 6/27/2007 4:39pm

Originally Posted by El Macho

Yep, I think it was on Monday. Major needs to cool the **** down and eat some humble pie, and the tapout guys need to get rid of that halloween ****.

Exactly.

**maurice** · Posted On: 6/28/2007 11:36am

The IFL found out the hard way why Zuffa stubbornly retains the right to produce its own shows. After the stretcher fiasco, the president of the IFL apologized, and they immediately moved Bas to the broadcasting side to clean up the mess.

The Versus shows, OTOH, are still a mess. Thank god for my DVR. With Tapout, I can scan past the circle jerk on a bus (90% of the show) and get to the training and the fights. I wouldn't record it at all, but they entice me with promises of Greg Jackson, et al. The WEC show has a lot of promise, but they have one announcer who doesn't know squat about MMA and another who knows a ton but has very little broadcasting experience right now.

**kwoww** · Posted On: 6/28/2007 2:50pm

I hate the WEC for two reasons:
1. the name and marketing imply pro wrestling more than MMA
2. Uriah Faber is a total douchebag

On the other hand, they have weight classes under 155, so props for that.

**PointyShinyBurn** · Posted On: 6/28/2007 3:09pm

Originally Posted by kwoww

2. Uriah Faber is a total douchebag

Maybe so, but he's a pretty awesome fighter.

**kwoww** · Posted On: 6/28/2007 3:21pm

Originally Posted by PointyShinyBurn

Maybe so, but he's a pretty awesome fighter.

Which is why I hate him, because there's nothing stopping his ego from growing, short of Faber vs. Emelyanenko.

**Scott Larson** · Posted On: 6/28/2007 3:50pm

What do you think would happen if Gomi v. Faber? Would that suffice to stop his ego?

**NasalInfection** · Posted On: 6/28/2007 8:09pm

If they turned TapouT into a more fight focused show it would be great but I would be remiss in dismissing the show altogether. I like seeing not only what up and coming fighters see, albeit in only some small part, but also the interaction that clothing sponsors have on the fighters and their gyms.

WEC I dig because their fight format just flows. The fights seem more packed together without a lot of the background filler of the UFC. It is also free, which is a big plus since I haven't found a local sportsbar showing the PPV fights yet. WEC has a lot more appeal than BoDog or IFL for some reason.

**kwoww** · Posted On: 6/28/2007 9:19pm

Originally Posted by NasalInfection

WEC I dig because their fight format just flows. The fights seem more packed together without a lot of the background filler of the UFC. It is also free, which is a big plus since I haven't found a local sportsbar showing the PPV fights yet. WEC has a lot more appeal than BoDog or IFL for some reason.

I totally agree, but the WEC's marketing is really bad. The IFL definitely wins my vote for least gladiatorial MMA organization, with Pride probably being the most.

**NasalInfection** · Posted On: 6/28/2007 9:28pm

Ironically I just saw a Bodog ad, very classy. It has a narration stating I am not a thug, a killer, I don't fight on the street. I am a boxer, a wrestler, a skilled jujitsu practioner. I am an athlete. All the while fight clips showing and the end showcasing some good hard fighting. I think they are talking to the right viewers while still broadcasting their message.

On a sidenote, it is odd how these old stereotypes of UFC 1 still prevail. My good friend thought arms were broken every fight, that tapping did nothing, and couldn't understand the visciousness of the sport. I sat his ass down during TUF 5 Finale and his opinion changed.