Mark Cuban doesn't plan on starting just another MMA promotion, the Dallas Mavericks and HDNet owner said Wednesday during a conference call.
"Where other promoters are looking for a TV outlet, we
are the TV outlet," he said. "We have Magnolia Entertainment [a DVD outlet]. We own Landmark Theaters, and we're looking to broadcast events live, experiment with 3-D. We're vertically integrated."
Cuban's MMA events, as well as other promotions such as the Art of War and the IFO, are expected to supply weekly fight content to HDNet Fights on Cuban's HDNet cable channel.
Headlining Cuban's inaugural card on Oct. 13 in Dallas will be
Erik Paulson. The former Shooto champion will return after a seven-year layoff to fight
Jeff Ford.
"I've been holding pads, getting beat up and dreaming of fighting," the 40-year-old Paulson said of his decision to compete again. "Thanks to
Randy Couture (Pictures), it seems to be more feasible to come out and actually fight."
The Paulson-Ford main event may disappoint some observers who were hoping Cuban might have already signed the top heavyweight in the world, free agent
Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures).
Regarding the Russian, Cuban said his team is "trying to come up with a win-win solution. We know we're competing with the UFC for his services. We have certain strengths that he likes, and so does the UFC. He's trying to decide where he wants to go."
Guy Mezger (Pictures), a UFC veteran and the head of Cuban's MMA division, said one problem is finding someone to fight Fedor.
"We're in conversations with
Josh Barnett (Pictures)," Mezger said. "We're talking to a lot of guys."
Both Mezger and Cuban stressed that HDNet Fights will be a "fighters first" organization, with non-exclusive deals and an emphasis on courtesy toward the athletes.
"Some of the Mavericks were treated like part-timers [when I came on], and the same thing is happening in MMA," Cuban said. "Once you get past the top four or five guys, it's difficult for them to make a career. The up-and-comers are not being treated like pro athletes."
"What we're doing is not really revolutionary to the sports business, but it is for the MMA business," Mezger said. "Instead of being organization-driven, it's athlete-driven. There are a ton of unbelievably experienced athletes fighting.
Leopoldo Serao (Pictures), he's got 20 fights, but no one in the U.S. knows him. We're getting these guys on TV and creating a new market for them."
Cuban said he is willing to work with promoters as long as they meet his standards for treating fighters. "Everyone is trying to own fighters," he said. "When we sign fighters, we'll make them available to others."
One possible collaboration involves the WWE.
"They have an interest in MMA," Cuban said. "They realize there's concern over having them promote MMA events. But having people as strong as they are in putting on pay-per-view events, they're good at it. That's a strength we haven't developed yet. [We'd like to have] them help us."
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