Lt. Al Giardello 0 Report post Posted January 13, 2008 I figure this is worthy of a thread to expose scumfucks of the MMA world... http://mmajunkie.com/2008/01/12/plug-pulle...w-in-san-diego/ The fledgling World Cage Fighting organization, which was supposed to make its big splash onto the MMA scene with tonight’s once-star-studded lineup, has been forced to cancel the show. Once billed as a 12-fight event that included notables such as Mark Kerr, Joe Riggs, Renato “Babalu” Sobral, David Loiseau and Ricco Rodriguez, “WCO: The Return” was set to take place tonight at the San Diego Sports Arena, a 16,000-capacity venue located in San Diego, Calif. However, just hours before the event began, California State Athletic Commission Executive Director Armando Garcia forced its cancellation due to funding issues that could have left the night’s fighters unpaid. Two sources who represent fighters on the WCO card yesterday told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that there were rumors of the show’s pending demise. Both expressed doubt as to whether their clients would be paid if the show did materialize. According to a report from Sherdog.com, WCO officials missed two of today’s deadlines the CSAC had set to prove that the fighters’ pay was secured. Additionally, according to MMAWeekly.com, “Several fighters indicated that they were approached to tear up their current contracts and sign new agreements that would pay them $100 for fighting on the event and then sign a separate agreement that would make up the difference between the $100 and their originally agreed upon purse in what would be dubbed an appearance fee to be paid at a later date.“ The event was canceled soon after. The cancellation comes just one day after a weigh-in event plagued with problems. The event stretched to five hours after a series of delays, including one scheduled fighter going MIA. Additionally, as agent Ken Pavia wrote in yesterday’s column for MMAjunkie.com, Riggs was involved in a car accident on the way to the weigh-ins (but he still expected to compete on tonight’s card). The show, which was going to be available on a live Internet pay-per-view feed, was promoted by Valor Fighting. Sobral and Vernon White were set to clash in the night’s main event. Refunds are available for anyone who purchased tickets. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RavishingRickRudo 0 Report post Posted January 13, 2008 Once billed as a 12-fight event that included notables such as Mark Kerr, Joe Riggs, Renato “Babalu” Sobral, David Loiseau and Ricco Rodriguez, “WCO: The Return” was set to take place tonight at the San Diego Sports Arena, a 16,000-capacity venue located in San Diego, Calif. None of these guys are notable. You'd think the WFA's demise would teach people a lesson in regards to "stacking" a show with guys who won't draw what you're paying them. From Loretta Hunt: A required minimum bond of $20,000 was secured by the promoter to reserve the event date, though Garcia said the organization could not produce documentation later to prove it had be able to cover the purses, which totaled over $200,000. With 20 fighters on the card, that means at least $10,000 per fighter. I like how people cried out for Zuffa to raise fighter pay, stating that competition was great because it inflated the fighter payroll. In reality, the best thing for the sport was for inflation to stay low as long as possible. Fighters making big money doesn't help the fans, it just closes the doors of promotions, sometimes even before they open. This stuff only hurts the smaller, dumber shows. Which is to say, everyone other than the UFC. I don't think there's a single guy on that card that could bring in $10,000 dollars worth of business, let alone all of the big "notables" that stacked this show put together. Short of Bas Rutten running out singing his "theme" and expecting everyone else to know the words, WCO couldn't have possibly been more delusional. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
