Oh right, I have a blog: Back to work

Once again I am forced to open a blog with the old “has it been this long since I wrote?” and “this will never happen again” statements.  Yet, this post is different I’ll open it with reality. This will happen again. I will likely get caught up in work and be late to write.  You know what, that’s ok.  I own it. The 9-5 will dictate when I have time for the hobby.

With that pseudo explanation finished, let’s get down to what has gone down the last few weeks:

Nick Diaz missed a charity super fight at a grappling tournament.  Shocking. I have nothing to add as I think nothing of Diaz.

Urijah Faber is now fighting for an interim belt. The rubber match with champion Dominic Cruz is now on hold as the champion is sidelined with an injury.  In order to keep a title fight on the books, the UFC will have Faber fight for an interim championship belt.  This will lead to the eventual unification bout with Cruz as, let’s face it, he is the only challenger for Faber in this weight class.

UFC Prime Time: Dos Santos vs Mir has begun.  This is by far more interesting than the Jones-Evans videos ever were, so please tune in.

Critics assaulted UFC on Fox ratings.  People need to calm down.  Not every event is going to break records.  Especially if the card does not have a “big name” billed to the top of card.  Fight fans may know Miller and Diaz, but let’s be honest – the average Fox viewer will not.  As such, we need to expect that some cards will have fewer eyes on them than others.  Rather than “call out” after the fact, fans could be telling their friends to tune into the “smaller” cards to help build fighter profiles.  Let’s be honest, word of mouth sells almost as much as sex does in marketing.

Fedor is talking retirement.  After being irrelevant the last few years, “the Last Emperor” is now talking potentially, “last fight.”  This would be against another falling heavyweight star, Pedro Rizzo.  We’ll have to see what actually happens.

Tom Lawlor gets a win! Poor Tom Lawlor is usually only known for his funny ringside antics and not his physical talents. Well, they were on display last night knocking out the former “TUF killer” Jason MacDonald.

Korean Zombie is Set for Aldo.  With a submission win at UFC on Fuel, the Zombie is next in line for a shot at Aldo. Yes, I’m aware Aldo has another contender first but let’s all be honest…Aldo is keeping the strap for a while.

Dana White sidelined with medical issues.  Dana white missed his first UFC event in over a decade last night due to ailments from Ménière’s disease. I obviously think very highly of White, and wish him well. MMA as an industry would be at a loss if he needed to step back (even slightly) from his duties at the head of the UFC.

Stephan Bonnar looking to go 360. Keep your eyes to Facebook and Twitter. The “American Psycho” is looking to come full circle and return to The Ultimate Fighter – but as a coach.  He wants to square off against Forrest Griffin as a tribute to their first season and of course, to get the rubber match on the books. This would be a marketing dream, but in terms of the division, not sure if this fight makes sense. If both are looking to retire, it could be hell of a way to go out.

More to come as I try to be more consistent here in my posts.

UFC 148: Let the Hype Begin!

With “The Reem” pushed out of UFC 146, I must be the only person excited to see Frank Mir step up and take on reigning champion Junior Dos Santos.  Why? Because this poster is already circulating for a July PPV.

Two title fights lined up, two grudge matches to build.  It will be an interesting ride from now until July to see what the UFC marketing machine will pump out

Don’t worry Frank, I’ll still tune in to see if you can become a 3x heavyweight champ…

UFC 145: The Aftermath

Can anyone stop Jon Jones?

This is the question that everyone keeps asking.  The answer is – yes. There is always someone that can beat someone else.  Matt Hughes ruled the welterweight world until Georges St Pierre emerged, Rich Franklin is but a memory compared to Anderson Silva’s rule, and up until Jones the light heavyweight title changed each card.  The real question is what can Jones do while on top?

The reality is that Jon Jones has the potential of being a true face for the UFC organization.  Stop comparing him to Anderson Silva and start thinking in line with St. Pierre. Young, charismatic, and can work the camera/microphone.  Assuming Jones’ ego does not grow with his legacy, he could become a marketing juggernaut.

That is about all I have to say about this one.  Partly because I’m suffering some major writer’s block of late, and partly because this was a real dud of a PPV.  It hardly lived up to the hype of this pretty awesome infographic the UFC shared with Mashable leading up to show time.

What did you think of UFC 145?

November Can’t Get Here Soon Enough

 

GSP return clock: Roughly 6+ mos…..

MMA Deal of the Day: Knockout Merchandise

The MMA world may be all-a-flutter with the fact that Jon Jones will be sponsored by the UFC this weekend.  However, I could not care less. Why? The UFC should have its champions showcasing its merchandise.  As champion you are an ambassador to the sport and ultimately the UFC brand.

That said, I’m never a fan of shirts that costs as much as a monthly mobile phone payment.  Not too long ago I wrote about the new clothing brand Knockout Merchandise.  I recently saw the following deal on their Facebook page:

Ten t-shirts for almost the same price as one from other companies.  If you have a team looking to coordinate walk in shirts, I’d jump on this deal before it disappears.

Here Comes The Pain…

Don’t let the pic of ol’ Brock fool you. I’m not here to discuss the former UFC heavyweight champion’s return to pro wrestling. Nope.

The pain this weekend will come to Rashad “Suga” Evans.  Cutting through the garbage of feuds, the he said-she said battle they are engaged in, and just basing the title fight on pure skills – I predict Jones wins by TKO in the second round.

Let’s see what happens – I’ve been wrong before. Full analysis after the event.

The Great Poke Off: Use Your Networks to Help, Not Just to Complain

This post was originally written for BostInno, then carried in SLICE.  However, I thought the message worked well and I should share it here as well.  Enjoy:

Working at an Agency provides you the ability to work with a number of great brands and experiment with social media tools in a variety of ways in order to help them reach their target audience.  Sometimes this gives you an awe inspiring look at creativity and human interaction. Sometimes it gives you a sad look at how nasty people can be to one another, or witness how a simple communication tool can be warped into a funnel for complaints.

However, what touched me recently was not the act of a large company or marketing team but the creativity of two friends looking to make a small difference in their own personal networks. This weekend I was given another affirmation to the true power of social media.  How with a simple act, people can engage with their networks – not for fame or attention – but to help one another.

As I was scrolling through Facebook I came across a competition between my cousin Dan Andersen and his friend John Clinton. The two were participating in a poke-a-thon on Facebook. The concept had been John’s brainchild the year before and I vaguely remembered them participating… but this year was different.  This year there was clearly an emphasis by both men to take a playful competition and use it to make a difference.

Here is what caught my eye, a new timeline cover and invitation via status update:

Friends, Countrymen, People Who I haven’t talk to since high school or EVER: It’s that solitary time of year when I call you to action for charity, but wait, I don’t want your money! All I want is that long-lost Facebook function that (hardly) anyone ever uses anymore….the poke. Last year, we raised $234 for This American Life and $158 for Heifer International. This year I hope to accomplish the following:

1) Raise more $$ for This American Life
2) Beat John Clinton again

Here’s how it works – every time one of you pokes me (on FB), I give $1 to This American Life (up to a later specified amount)…plus I get to brag about it to John in the Internet locker room.

If you’ve never poked anyone before, you are probably not alone AND good ol’ Mark Zuckerburg has been moving stuff around lately – FB timeline has actually hidden the poke option in the drop-down widget menu just below the right-hand corner of my cover photo.

So please, take 2 seconds out of your FB surfing and poke-a-bro. I promise to return the favor when this is all over. Thanks!

Here is John’s timeline graphic:

As the competition picked up steam and both men started receiving pokes, The Chicago Booth Follies was also added to the mix for donations. (Their graduate school’s annual variety show –which they had learned its funding was dramatically slashed this year.)

This challenge was issued in late March with a deadline of 4/8/12. (Ok so he can get mad at me for taking this long to notice…) Through humorous Facebook updates, offers to give gifts and challenging Meme shots (see Harry Potter here); Dan and John both received pokes from friends, family, coworkers – and the networks of each group.  Some of my friends here at SHIFT have even found themselves poking these gents.

At the time of the competition’s close at midnight on 4/8/12, Dan had received 274 pokes and John received 205.  This means $479 was donated to This American Life and $479 to Booth Follies.

This is the true power of social media. People from various backgrounds staying connected, communicating about goals and helping each other.  This isn’t a complaint campaign to change some trivial policy or product feature, it isn’t the RT of some celebrity – it is just two friends looking to raise money for an organization they feel passionately about.

Can you imagine if we all just stopped every now and again and thought along these lines?  I know I tend to use my own social media tools for sarcastic thoughts and movie quotes.  I think the problem is we all imagine that in order to make a difference we need to think of the next million dollar charitable campaign. No. You don’t. Even the smallest donation can make a difference to someone so long as it is to an organization, group or movement you believe in.

Consider yourself poked.  Now what are you going to do with it….