How scared is the UFC of the WFA?

[Ripped Fetish]

I got a call this afternoon from an MMA insider who told me that the UFC kicked Jeremy Lappen, the CEO of the World Fighting Alliance, out of last night's show. So, I decided to call Lappen to get confirmation and find out what he did to get kicked out.

“I had just sat down in the front row seats given to me by Ken Shamrock and security told me I had to leave,” Lappen told me. “I showed them my ticket and asked why I was being kicked out. They said it was because I did not have a credential. I told them that nobody in that section had a credential, but a UFC official and 3 security guards escorted me out of the venue, out of the casino and into the cab line. They put me in a cab and made me leave the casino.”

That’s it. According to Lappen, he did not do anything other than use a ticket given to him by a headliner.

Well, actually, Lappen did do something else. He signed Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Bas Rutten, Matt Lindland, Kimo Loeplodo, Jason “Mayhem” Miller, Lyoto Machida, Ricco Rodriguez, Ron Waterman, Vernon White and "Razor" Rob McCollough to fight in the WFA’s July 22nd card. Plus, the WFA has the nerve to be on the verge of signing a deal with Showtime to air its fights.

In light of this incident and the UFC’s lawsuit trying to shut down the IFL, it seems painfully clear that the UFC is deathly afraid of competition. Not surprisingly, Lappen agrees.

“I have been told that [UFC matchmaker] Joe Silva is calling our fighters telling them to leave us," Lappen said. "They are so scared of the WFA, they are so freaked out by what we are doing that they can’t have me in their venue. Look at the Wanderlei/Chuck announcement. That would never have happened if the WFA was not around. We have caused Pride and the UFC to work together to stop us.”

When I asked Lappen if any of this has put a dent in the WFA's upcoming show he replied, “No, the preparation is going real well. We are gearing up for the final two weeks of promotion, we have the count-down show on Showtime and it's going to be a great event.”

So, it looks like the UFC topped off last night's poor show with continued poor management style. Poorer than most people know since Lappen is not the only ticket holder rudely booted out of last night’s UFC show.

The UFC better hope that it becomes a raging, unstoppable success becase this kind of arrogant managment style will only be successful for as long as the UFC remains close enough to a monopoly that people have to accept its bullying. But, at some point you have to believe that the competition will catch up enough that the UFC will be able to use a helping hand from the same people it is stepping on right now. Will it get that helping hand? It remains to be seen what will happen, but I would not expect to see the MMA community go too far out if its way to help the UFC.

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[I_own_you]

Yep, I agree and heard the same thing about them making a deal with showtime who is killing HBO in ratings, this is huge. I must say though Pride is not hurting for money, they have big bucks regardless of them being dropped from Fuji TV as they had those fighters prior to their TV broadcasts, UFC is the one that went out of their way and sucked the Pride pecker to get the international exposure as Pride does not need the money.

What should really happen is that WFA should get Melvin Manhoef (but that won't happen) but what is realistic is the WFA being able to buy some Pride HW's. I don;t care how old and washed up peopel claim Coleman is, if WFA picked him up, I'm there. Barnett just got there and will not leave, they should try and snagg Nog, if they can pay him he should be willing to leave, kinda like Heath Herring, he weighed his options and went fuggit, I am in this sport to hold a belt and let's face it, you're not taking it from Fedor. Nog or Cro Cop may do the same thing if the opportunity was presented to them.

UFC is probably concerned right now, if the stacked WFA cards continue and they get Showtime TV exposure, UFC will as Dana White said in the Chuck vs Rampage fight be "horrified".

Dana must realize organizations are playing 1 uppee right now and UFC better come with some ish if they want to contend becasue right now, of the payperviews from the other top ranked organizations that held a venue within the past 2 months, UFC's has been the worst one.

Good stuff, thanks for this thread!