The Weekly Wrap: Dec. 5 - Dec. 11

UFC 107 Run-Up

The UFC pumped its debut in Memphis with the usual slate of promotional activities this week.

A “Countdown to UFC 107” special on Spike TV provided a platform for some verbal fireworks between headliners B.J. Penn and Diego Sanchez. Penn was portrayed as the slightly-above-it championship athlete, while Sanchez chomped psychotically at the bit.

Penn was shown during his conditioning and nervous system training under Marv and Gary Marinovich, while Diego was shown meditating and doing yoga, including an unforgettable cartwheel where he blurts out “Yes!” as he rotated. Sanchez was also shown seated with an electronic head and leg massager attached to his body as well as oxygen.

The special also looked at Frank Mir vs. Cheick Kongo, and Mir spiced up the fight with some inflammatory remarks about Kongo’s all-around game. Mir, who mocked Brock Lesnar for weight training in the build-up for this past summer’s fight, talked about putting on 20 to 25 pounds though weight training for the fight. Mir weighed in at 264.5 pounds for the official weigh-ins on Friday. The remaining 21 fighters also all made weight, though a number of them -- including headliner Diego Sanchez -- didn’t achieve it on their first tries.

Business indicators are up for UFC 107, an encouraging sign as the UFC experienced something of a slump in drumming up pay-per-view interest. The “Countdown” broadcast drew an average audience of 618,000 viewers for its premiere airing, according to MMAPayout.com, the highest since the UFC 101 preview special in August. That card reportedly drew an eye-opening 900,000 buys for a B.J. Penn vs. Kenny Florian and Anderson Silva vs. Forrest Griffin bill.

The card had sold about 12,000 tickets to the 18,000-seat FedEx Forum going into the weekend. The event was originally booked to feature Memphis native Quinton Jackson vs. Rashad Evans; Dana White and Jackson said this week that fight will happen in 2010.

The card may suffer a bit from the lack of a preliminary fight special on Spike TV the hour before the pay-per-view goes live. Spike TV will not air any prelim fights as it has for every card since UFC 103 because it will air its 2009 Video Game Awards, which will feature appearances by Slice and Forrest Griffin and a preview of the UFC “Undisputed 2010” video game to be released next year.