Sloan: You mentioned that in your opinion UFC are “idiots.” … What are your thoughts on this ridiculous UFC media ban, that they’re preventing all mixed martial arts media from attending their events?
Sloan: In my opinion the UFC has done something smart for the sport, at least for the short term, with the Ultimate Fighter reality series. What are your thoughts on that? Even though they’re not exactly the best fighters in the world, the Ultimate Fight Nights that have been on Spike have been fantastic, especially the one last week. That was one of the best UFC events that I’ve seen in quite some time. When the Ultimate Fighters came out, seasons one and two, what were your thoughts at first and what are your thoughts now?
Shamrock: I thought the first season was really good. I thought the second season was a little bit weak, just from a production stand point. I look at things abstractly in that way, because I’m involved in that business. They’re not the best fighters in the world, but they’re great talent. I think that the UFC is doing something very, very smart in pushing and propelling the sport to that level. But I look at it from my side, are they pushing the sport and propelling it for everybody in the sport or for their own good? And the truth is, they’re just in it for the money, which is great, but I’m in it for the art, so we bump heads in that way. I think it’s been a tremendous asset in promoting the sport. I have profited from it. My student base has skyrocketed. Everybody is interested in the sport. It’s brought a new level of interest, which it helps everybody in that way I was there from the very beginning. I know the deal, how they got the show, the whole nine yards. I followed their ridiculous media, how they talked about how they changed the rules and all this other crap. I was there when Jeff Blatnick rewrote the rules. It’s all bullshit and I get it and I just laugh, because it’s like they’re just marketing to a new crowd who doesn’t know anything. But if they’re telling the truth, they put themselves over and blah, blah, blah. So that’s why I don’t do business with them, because I think they’re idiots in my opinion. I just sit back and go, “Wait a minute I was there to when Jeff wrote the rules!” There is no doubt that it has helped the sport tremendously to be on mainstream television and it’s revived a world of martial arts that’s spilling over into the film industry.
Sloan: And that for the sport is always a good thing. Well, I wouldn’t say always, but usually always a good thing.
Shamrock: It’s usually a good thing. But I was also there when the last UFC was banned from cable and I remember the marketing that went into that and I remember the attention that we got. The energy we rode on and that marketing that was it was cockfighting, cage fighting, somebody’s going to die. I think they’ve got a better plan to their marketing now, but is it a similar or same concept, yeah maybe, but it sure is entertaining, I’ll tell you that much.