I hardly ever check MySpace anymore but I just hopped on randomly & saw Tim Sylvia's latest status update posted just 5 minutes ago:

"fight just got canceled". 
Mood: angry

I don't know if this is Mercer or Buentello... hoping it means Mercer.  Nobody needs to see that crap anyway.  I was looking forward to the Buentello fight tho, to see where Tim stands in the HW rankings these days...

http://www.myspace.com/timsylvia

I wanted to share with you my thoughts on the business strategy necessary for both Affliction and ProElite to survive, as well as COMPETE with the UFC.  I am hoping that this may reach the eyes of "the powers that be" and perhaps give them an idea or 2 to think about.

Simply put, competing with the UFC at this point requires 3 things:

1) a huge roster
2) getting in the public's face to build your brand name recognition (one show per month)
3) a global presence

All 3 of these things are right at the fingertips of Affliction, if they buy out ProElite.

First and foremost is the elimination of all these smaller organizations under the same ownership.  By combining the rosters of Affliction + EliteXC + King of the Cage + Cage Rage into one organization ("the new EliteXC"), you automatically have an MMA superpower on your hands.

Cage Rage is based in the UK.  KOTC holds shows outside of the US as well.  Immediately you have an international impact.  Put it all under one name.  The new EliteXC.

Why do I refer to it as "the new EliteXC", versus "Affliction" (since they would be the buyers) or "AfflictionXC"?  Because EliteXC already has better name brand recognition thanks to 3 shows on CBS (as of October 4th) and multiple shows on Showtime.  Affliction could easily continue markeing its clothing line by putting their logos on the ring and their t-shirts on the fighters.

Having all these MMA organizations' rosters combined into one ("the new EliteXC"), you have enough talent to hold one event per month, just like the UFC... the more you're in the public's face, the more they'll get to know you.

I realize that the talent isn't on the same level as the UFC.  But the general public (who we're trying to win over here) doesn't realize that, but the best fighters don't necessarily create the best fights anyway.  In the fight world, you make a name for yourself.  The new EliteXC wouldn't have to try and sign Chuck Liddell to win over fans... their current fighters will build names for themselves.

Furthermore, even if Affliction is the buyer here, they need to give up their ring and use EliteXC's cage.  Cages are marketable.  The general public wants to see fighters inside of a cage instead of a boxing ring.  It looks better.  And it makes the fights better (no starting over in the middle of the ring).  Plus, it's what they are already used to, thanks to the UFC.  So go with it, don't try to be different.

Now that's not all... ProElite has a working relationship with Dream.  Dream is also struggling financially.  Let's not forget about WAMMA, an organization that is trying desperately to legitimize itself.  Toss in a side helping of Golden Boy Promotions.  Do you not yet see the possibilities?!

"The new EliteXC" - staging MMA events once per month in the US/Canada/UK - building upon its working relationship with the biggest Japanese MMA promotion, Dream.  A relationship that could only help both organizations.  Now, consider WAMMA introducing more cross-promotional championship titles.  Imagine "the new EliteXC" heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko (Big Foot Silva is suspended) defending his WAMMA heavyweight championship belt against Dream's heavyweight champion Cro Cop/Overeem, in the first ever international cross-promotional champion vs champion superfight!  If you can't market that, you simply shouldn't be in the business.

Plus Golden Boy Promotions wants to build a partnership with them!  The combination of boxing and MMA in the same event has been received with a lot of negativity by many fans from both sides.  Obviously it doesn't seem like such a regular relationship would yield beneficial results to either the boxing or MMA bases in the end.  But what if it wasn't a regular thing?  How about one super fight event per year?  The equivalent to WWE's WrestleMania or the NFL's Super Bowl, where there would be one spectactular card on PPV promoting high level boxing fights and high level MMA fights on the same card.  Making it only once a year and describing it as a "super fight event" would make it more special and probably be accepted just fine by both boxing and MMA purists.  You could even scrap the cage for that event, and have the MMA fights in the boxing ring - thus giving the MMA "ring fans" something to look forward to as well.

The basic equation looks like this:

Affliction + EliteXC + KOTC + Cage Rage + Dream + WAMMA + Golden Boy > UFC

If Affliction actually has the finances to purchase ProElite, implementing such a strategy would be the kind of "ground breaking announcement" that would TRULY "change the world of MMA"... an announcement Dana White himself would LOVE to make if he weren't already Dana White.