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Mark Shapiro TKO
TKO president and COO Mark Shapiro explained why the UFC decided to turn down a fight between Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano.
A women’s featherweight fight between Rousey and Carano headlined the MVP MMA event on Netflix this past weekend. But before the fight was promoted by MVP on Netflix, it was offered to the UFC president Dana White, who declined to promote the bout under the UFC banner.
Now we know why.
Speaking at the JP Morgan Global Technology and Media Conference, Shapiro offered a detailed explanation of why the UFC chose not to promote Rousey vs. Carano. Shapiro is the president and COO of TKO Group Holdings, a mega-company that formed following the merger of UFC and WWE, so ultimately, he has a lot of say in what the UFC does and what kind of fights it promotes.
According to Shapiro, both White and UFC CBO Hunter Campbell agreed the bout was a mismatch, so they decided to pass on it and let Netflix promote the bout, instead. Given the fight ended in 17 seconds, it appears they were right.
“It was pitched to us and we did turn it down. That’s to take nothing away from Netflix. They are a great partner and clearly they know what they are doing across the board. They’re in the big event business. They want big spectacle events, and they saw that this is a big spectacle event. We’re in the true MMA business on a meaningful and consistent basis. When we looked at this potential match-up, keep in mind there is a real art and skill to match-making,” Shapiro said (via Fightful).
“When you ask Hunter Campbell and Dana White what they think of that matchup prior to it happening, the answer was, ‘That fight will be over in 20 seconds.’ They were off by a few seconds. I don’t think a fight like that, just the way it played out, is really good for MMA. Especially because it’s Netflix and they have an incredible global audience. For them to go to that fight and think that’s what MMA is, I don’t think is good for the sport long-term. We saw it that way and decided to pass on it. Taking nothing away from the legend of Ronda Rousey and the win she got. I guarantee incredible viewship numbers. For us, it was more of a stunt than a meaningful MMA event.”
TKO President Mark Shapiro says Carano vs Rousey wasn’t good for MMA long-term.
“It was pitched to us and we did turn it down. That’s to take nothing away from Netflix. They are a great partner and clearly they know what they are doing across the board. They’re in the big event
In the lead-up to the MVP MMA card, Rousey went on a tear against Campbell for the comments he made about not promoting her fight with Carano, though she let White off the hook from her anger, as they are close friends. The comments seemed to come a bit out of nowhere, as only hardcore MMA fans know who Campbell is. But now that we know he played a big part in blocking her return to the UFC against Carano, her vitriol towards him is starting to make a lot more sense.
Adam Martin Adam Martin is a sports journalist with over 15 years of experience. He has a speciality in MMA, while also covering the Big 4 Sports. Adam is currently a contributor to Heavy.com, with previous experience working for The Toronto Star, Sportsnet, theScore, Bookies, BJPenn.com, and MMAOddsbreaker.com. More about Adam Martin
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