July 17, 2006 Observer Newsletter: UFC 61, RVD/Sabu

There were two major business questions after the 7/8 show at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. The first is, How much damage did the show do? The second, and far more important to the industry on a world-wide basis is, What is going on with Pride and UFC?

Neither question can be easily answered at this time.

The afternoon of the show saw the buzz for the event hit a fever pitch. It’s personalities and grudge matches that draw, and Tito Ortiz vs. Ken Shamrock had the greatest combination of both, plus better television build-up, than any MMA fight in U.S. history. It’s pretty clear UFC officials were aware going in the match that the bout itself couldn’t match the hype. It was put in the middle of the show, with the heavyweight championship match with Andrei Arlovsky vs. Tim Sylvia put in as the main event. Everyone expected a win, and probably an easy win, for Ortiz to build up a match even bigger with Chuck Liddell. During the final week before the fight, with the live event sold out, UFC opened three closed-circuit locations in Las Vegas. 

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