Tuesdays With Brock: No Holds Barred by Clyde Gentry (Part 2)

Returning with part 2 of my review of No Holds Barred, Clyde Gentry's history of American MMA, today we focus on the second part of the book, chronicling the modern era of MMA.

What I took away from the latter part of this book is the fascinating story surrounding the acquisition of the UFC by Zuffa (which, by the way, I learned means "brawl" in Italian). It's a bit of a complex tale, but bear with me, because it's worth it if you want to learn how the fight game is played at the highest level, where the combat takes place inside the boardroom, not the Octagon, and billions of dollars, not thousands, are at stake.

Fact: the UFC was illegal in Nevada (read: Las Vegas) the Promised Land of American fight promotions and, more importantly, of American gambling (which is important for a sport's popularity -- see the NFL).

Fact: cable networks refused to televise the UFC because it was illegal in Nevada.

Fact: the UFC was losing money because it had no cable deal.

Fact: the UFC hired a lobbyist to work on legalizing the UFC in Vegas.

Fact: legalization required a majority vote from the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

Contested Fact: according to Bob Meyrowitz, former owner of the UFC, the lobbyist got a 3-2 vote in favor of legalization lined up for April 1999. According to Lorenzo Fertitta, current owner of the UFC and member of the Commission at the time, legalization of the UFC was never up for a vote; legalization was just a discussion item.

Fact: according to Meyrowitz, at about that time he received a fax from Tito Ortiz stating that Dana White would be Ortiz's new manager. The fax read "From The Office of Lorenzo Fertitta".

Contested Fact: one member of the commission switched sides, and the vote in April of '99 went 3-2 against. Alternative explanation: there was no vote.

Fact: Lorenzo Fertitta resigned from the Commission in July 2000.

Fact: Lorenzo Fertitta and his brother then purchased the UFC for $2 million on January 9, 2001.

Fact: the Commission then legalized the UFC in Vegas in July 2001.

Fact: the UFC then got a deal with SpikeTV to televise MMA, primarily through The Ultimate Fighter (TUF).

Fact: TUF became a hit show, thereby making money in its own right and more importantly creating characters, stories, and marketable stars for the UFC.

Fact: pay-per-view buys for the UFC then skyrocketed.

Fact: the UFC then got a network TV deal with FOX.

Fact: the UFC is now generating profits and is worth over two billion today.

Meyrowitz contends the fix was in on that Commission vote. Fertitta denies it. As Gentry states, "no one will ever know the truth", so I'll leave it up to you to connect the dots.

But I know what I think happened. I think Lorenzo Fertitta voted no on legalization to suppress the value of the UFC, enabling him to buy it at a favorable price. Is that wrong? Well, one might argue that Fertitta corrupted the Nevada State Athletic Commission, a governmental entity, by acting in his own interest and not the public interest. But so what? Who did he hurt? Bob Meyrowitz, the former owner? I'm not going to cry for Bob Meyrowitz, who comes across in Gentry's history as a rich man not adverse to using hard business practices to his own advantage. UFC fans? Not so -- maybe the UFC's debut in Vegas was delayed by a couple of years, but look where Fertitta has taken the UFC compared to what Meyrowitz had done with it. Under Meyrowitz, the UFC was a dying sport you could barely watch on PPV. Under Fertitta, it's available for free on FOX and is poised to leapfrog hockey and become the 4th major sport in America. No question, Fertitta's ownership has been a net good for MMA fans. And this is the big leagues, this is big business, this is how you acquire, keep, and use power. Go read your Machiavelli, son. Lorenzo Fertitta certainly has.