The Weekly Wrap: Nov. 15 - Nov. 21

Newsworthy

• A blow-up between UFC brass and the American Kickboxing Academy touched off a firestorm of back-and-forth snipes and broad criticism of how the industry leader handles its entry into new merchandising markets. Word emerged on Nov. 20 that the UFC had cut Jon Fitch, a world-ranked welterweight, and heavyweight Christian Wellisch after long-standing tensions between camp managers and UFC President Dana White boiled over during a discussion to license AKA fighters to appear in a UFC video game. The company also planned to cut the AKA-based Josh Koscheck and Cain Velasquez once their deals expired or after they lost another fight, according to Yahoo! Sports. At one point, White denounced and threatened to cut the entire AKA camp. The threats were considered serious after Zuffa’s recent cuts of Fabricio Werdum, Marcus Aurelio, Paulo Filho and Josh Hendricks.

Fitch -- who in several interviews claimed White told him he had to sign an agreement to appear in the video game or be cut -- was back with the company by week’s end after speaking with UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta. Fitch told MMARated he agreed to terms that left the door open for him to get out of a lifetime commitment to the video game deal if he wished. Fitch will likely fight Akihiro Gono at UFC 94.

The episode touched off a wide-ranging discussion about fighters signing deals to license their likeness exclusively to the UFC, an issue about which fighters have split feelings. Several interviews indicate that the UFC hastily asked fighters to sign a contract that gives the company exclusive rights, in perpetuity, to market their likeness in video games. White, who routinely rips on MMA agents, specifically those linked with AKA’s firm, Zinkin Entertainment, believes the entire dustup was rooted in the posture of AKA managers during negotiations. Fitch was uncomfortable relinquishing his likeness to the UFC forever and was hoping for a shorter-term agreement. There have also been holdups in the past about fighters wanting the right to audit UFC merchandise sales figures to ensure they are getting the cut they are promised.

• There may be four televised UFC events set between now and Jan. 31, but the UFC launched a UFC 94 public relations blitz, with Georges St. Pierre and B.J. Penn hitting Toronto and Honolulu to hype the bout. The principals and White held press conferences before hundreds of fans in both cities. St. Pierre framed himself as the superior athlete with better skills, while Penn professed to have no strategy coming into the fight and claimed he planned to feel out the welterweight king when the bell rings. Only St. Pierre’s belt will be on the line. The match’s pound-for-pound implications led some to ask about the possibility of the winner facing middleweight champion Anderson Silva; White said St. Pierre could face Silva if he wins, but he thinks Penn’s frame is too small to compete at middleweight.

The appearances were odd in the sense that they took place in markets where the UFC still has to secure government regulation. White promised to “attack” Canada once the sport’s regulated in New York and Massachusetts, even promising to buy real estate in the Great White North so he can personally hound decision makers on a daily basis. The attention to Canada makes sense; the top six markets for UFC pay-per-view buys are routinely Canadian cities, with Honolulu in the top 15, as well. White has told media that a tax imposed by Hawaii regulators makes running a show in the state cost prohibitive. White, who said the St. Pierre/Penn fight could rival Lesnar/Couture in magnitude, claimed only 2,000 tickets were left for the event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas by week’s end.

The company also announced it will stage UFC 95 on Feb. 21 at the O2 Arena in London. No fights have been announced, but tickets for the event still went on sale Nov. 21.

• The planned auction for the assets of the shuttered Pro Elite was postponed, but, according to a new filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company only has two more weeks to find a financial backer before the auction goes forward. Pro Elite claimed in the Nov. 19 filing that it’s still working to secure financing that would allow it to pay back the $6 million in loans it owes to Showtime. The filing claims Pro Elite believes Showtime had “no right” to schedule the asset sale. Meanwhile, EliteXC fighters have been exercising their options, though the status of their contracts with Pro Elite remains unclear. Scott Smith accepted a fight with Terry Martin at Strikeforce “Destruction” on Nov. 21; meanwhile, EliteXC welterweight champion Jake Shields told MMAJunkie he considers himself a free agent now that 30 days have passed since he informed Pro Elite of his intention to exercise a portion of his contract that would free him from his deal if the company could not prove it could pay him in that timeframe.

• New numbers emerged that paint a specific, somewhat surprising picture of where two of the sport’s top fighters stand as drawing cards. The World Extreme Cagefighting event headlined by Urijah Faber’s loss to Mike Thomas Brown on Nov. 5 drew only a 0.5 share rating on Versus, which translates into 497,000 viewers, according to The Wrestling Observer. That’s less than half the audience that tuned in for Faber’s fight against Jens Pulver, which drew a Versus-record 1.54 million viewers in June. The Nov. 5 number seems to indicate the heavy promotion and dynamic of Faber/Pulver was just as much of the draw as the charismatic “California Kid” himself. Faber wants to return at WEC 38, scheduled for Jan. 25 in San Diego, according to MMAWeekly. Faber’s manager said he has returned to training and desires an immediate rematch with Brown, though the new champion’s rib injury will likely prevent such a quick turnaround.

Another elite fighter seeking to establish box office appeal, UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva still struggles to attract pay-per-view buys. The Wrestling Observer reported that typically reliable trending data shows that UFC 90, headlined by main event between Silva and Patrick Cote, drew between 275,000 and 325,000 buys. That’s well below the standard the UFC has established for events that do not emanate from the UK in an awkward afternoon time slot. Heavy advertising promoting Silva as the world’s pound-for-pound best fighter prior to his Spike TV match with James Irvin in July was expected to lead to broader interest in “The Spider.” According to fighthype.com, Silva has started to train under legendary boxing trainer Freddie Roach, who also trains former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski.

• With all eyes in Japan looking towards year-end extravaganzas, a fight for World Victory Road’s top star, Hidehiko Yoshida, was announced for Sengoku 7 on Jan. 4 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The Judo star will face Sanae Kikuta, a Pancrase, Pride Fighting Championships and DEEP veteran who holds a victory over another high-level Judoka in Makoto Takimoto. Sengoku 7, which carries with it a live network television special, will also feature a lightweight title bout between Takanori Gomi and Satoru Kitaoka and a middleweight championship fight between Jorge Santiago and Kazuo Misaki. Hiroshi Izumi, a 2004 Olympic silver medalist in Judo, may also make his MMA debut on the show. In another New Year’s Eve development, K-1 announced it has added Shinya Aoki and Hong Man Choi to its “Premium Dynamite!! 2008” show on Dec. 31. Opponents have yet to be announced.