Rizin's Mayweather Gambit May be a Bad Sign

[juanM3]

Cool Rizin

 

[Bobby Boulders]

Mayweather getting a stake in RIZIN seems logical. I like the rumor. It makes a ton of sense. Everything the man touches turns into gold. If he is part owner, RIZIN will turn into gold too. And he doesn't have to keep fighting. He uses him name to continue garnering interest in RIZIN, and just collects money while he's retired from competing. He wants to get into the Asian market, and Japan specifically. Owning a stake in RIZIN keeps him making money there. It's brilliant. I hope it ends up being true.

 

[Werdun]

Mayweather getting a stake in RIZIN seems logical. I like the rumor. It makes a ton of sense. Everything the man touches turns into gold. If he is part owner, RIZIN will turn into gold too. And he doesn't have to keep fighting. He uses him name to continue garnering interest in RIZIN, and just collects money while he's retired from competing. He wants to get into the Asian market, and Japan specifically. Owning a stake in RIZIN keeps him making money there. It's brilliant. I hope it ends up being true.

This. I really wish Floyd is invested in the promotion. He has some of the tools to help Rizin become number 1 in the ever growing asia market

 

[Bobby Boulders]

This. I really wish Floyd is invested in the promotion. He has some of the tools to help Rizin become number 1 in the ever growing asia market

Could you imagine how different the MMA landscape would be if this ends up being true? It would be a new day for MMA. Top fighters would be going to Japan again. It would be crazy for me, bc I've hated Floyd for years. If he saves RIZIN, he's ok in my book. Everything he touches blossoms, even if he doesn't have a stake in RIZIN hopefully RIZIN still prospers.

 

[AimedWithV]

So I'm not sure how known it is in here, but I worked in the industry for 10 years (just left last year to start my teaching career). I've been to 4 Rizin events, two of which to accompany Aliakbari as a handler for his managers. I worked with WSOF GC as a talent coordinator and handler, and before that Tuff-N-Uff as the matchmaker for fighters like Jamie Moyle, Khalil Roundtree, Aspen Ladd, etc... I also helped design a handful of the custom shirts and posters for the UFC, Lionfight, Rizin, etc... And I have to say that the Mayweather deal has me very concerned for the future of Rizin.

Usually in MMA you are losing money for the first couple/few years. It is just the way the whole deal operates. Yes, it may be easier if you had an entity prior... however if that entity was tainted by shady business, it kinda negates the positives. So operating at a loss is essentially expected, but there are good and bad ways to run in the red. I've watched many companies go down the tubes or be grinded into oblivion due to rash or incompetent decision making at the top... and one thing always stood true: If a big deal came out of nowhere that seemed astounding, it means the company felt it was time to swing for the fences rather than die a slow death.

Now, I'm not in the know about all things Rizin because I'm a Gaijin; however, I have been around enough to hear the inside rumors. One thing I know isn't a rumor is that Rizin has a backlog of pay that hasn't been given to fighters who already served on the show. It's not a crazy amount and it isn't exactly unheard of for how JMMA operates. But when you then consider Mayweather isn't bragging about the money he signed for, and couple it with the lack of payment to previous fighters you begin to wonder.

So how can Rizin afford to pay Money Mayweather when they are owing basic fistfuls to average fighters? There's two likely options.
(1) They signed him for an absurd amount of money and are hoping to pay it off via the sponsorship money that comes in after the fact. They don't want their investors to know the amount because it will scare the crap out of them and are holding their cards close to their chest.
(2) They gave up ownership to Mayweather OR he's taking essentially all the money up to a certain dollar amount, as Rizin puts an essential lean on themselves against the possibility the money isn't recouped and they owe him the expected return difference. Rizin is then hoping that his being on the show propels sales for future events that will recoup the losses they have to take in order to pay off Mayweather.


Either way it is worrisome. And maybe there's simply a third option I am not privy to. Maybe Mayweather decided to be a Angel Investor and just help them out.... you can certainly move some money around in Japan to help your books here when you know guys like Takada and Sakakibara. But I've got the notion there's a reason to be concerned for the future of Rizin unless the Mayweather gambit pays off huge. And to those who say "Of course it will pay off huge".... remember he isn't going to be fighting in the US or on US time. So the Rizin heads are essentially gambling on the fact that Asia and Europe will care as much about Mayweather in Japan against a Japan-famous 20yr old prodigy while the US will simply wake up to the results the next day. That's quite the gamble. It's like if the UFC paid $20,000,000 for the best Muay Thai fighter in the world to fight his debut against Stylebender (if stylebender had 10x the fans).



TL;DR: I am old and have been around the sport long enough to be concerned about this deal given the information we have now.

It doesn't make sense, logically, for Rizin to use Floyd just to go out with a bang.
It's too much of a bang.

Obviously they get now a lot of money from sponsors, a lot of fighters are going to want to participate in this card.
I'm sure Sak's office gets a lot of calls from MMA fighters' managers as we speak.
Media will expose them hugely - Pride never got a media exposure that Rizin will get.

And all this - just to fold after the event? When all eyes are on them? Every financial move of Rizin is going to be observed by boxing, MMA, kickboxing media. Tenshin's career will be watched.

I think it's actually their sign of breaking through. Big time.

 

[MilesAbove]

It doesn't make sense, logically, for Rizin to use Floyd just to go out with a bang.
It's too much of a bang.

Obviously they get now a lot of money from sponsors, a lot of fighters are going to want to participate in this card.
I'm sure Sak's office gets a lot of calls from MMA fighters' managers as we speak.
Media will expose them hugely - Pride never got a media exposure that Rizin will get.

And all this - just to fold after the event? When all eyes are on them? Every financial move of Rizin is going to be observed by boxing, MMA, kickboxing media. Tenshin's career will be watched.

I think it's actually their sign of breaking through. Big time.

Perhaps I didn't make the "go out with a bang" portion well enough. My point was that they might think "If we're dying a slow death we might as well take a big chance that MIGHT actually pay off. And if it ruins us because something goes wrong or it doesn't work out right, no big deal because we were circling the drain anyway."

I wasn't trying to say "they are damned either way and they chose this way." More like they can win with a hailmary... but it's a 80yrd hail mary and they just gotta hope it lands right.

 

[lukeuidswords]

One thing I know isn't a rumor is that Rizin has a backlog of pay that hasn't been given to fighters who already served on the show.

wait, IS or ISN'T? because your entire post hinges on whether you have or have not heard this to be the case

 

[lukeuidswords]

also if it is true, then I'm surprised fighters havent come out and said it, as they often do, to leverage public pressure, like some did during the collapse of Metamoris and K-1

 

[kingcillo24]

also if it is true, then I'm surprised fighters havent come out and said it, as they often do, to leverage public pressure, like some did during the collapse of Metamoris and K-1

If this is the case, fighters will be coming out right away after hearing about Floyd's 100 million purse. The same posters have been saying this since NYE 2016.

The new Japanese casinos will need combat sports content.

 

[MilesAbove]

wait, IS or ISN'T? because your entire post hinges on whether you have or have not heard this to be the case

I'm not in the know about the totality of the money owed. Yes, they owe fighters money.

 

[strongstylekarate]

With the Mayweather money, tv deals, sponsorships and top talents will come to Rizin.

Anything Mayweather touch, turns to cash.

 

[Dessyboy]

it is baffling

i just can't see Rizin getting value out of the deal

 

[Saku'sEar]

Anything that leads to less UFC is good in my book really.
Let's hope they can bring back the best fighters & talents to Japan, like it once was.

 

[Zanmato]

Mayweather getting a stake in RIZIN seems logical. I like the rumor. It makes a ton of sense. Everything the man touches turns into gold. If he is part owner, RIZIN will turn into gold too. And he doesn't have to keep fighting. He uses him name to continue garnering interest in RIZIN, and just collects money while he's retired from competing. He wants to get into the Asian market, and Japan specifically. Owning a stake in RIZIN keeps him making money there. It's brilliant. I hope it ends up being true.

I can imagine that his name being attached to the production would make it easier to get western sponsorships and TV deals but I don't really know how his involvement will really turn the product into gold. People tune in either to see his technical prowess or in the hope that he's going to get smashed, is anyone actually any more likely to tune in, to discuss or want to pay to see someone like Shintaro Ishiwatari fight just because Floyd Mayweather holds shares in the company? I can't imagine so.

I know Floyd is a different proposition to Amir Khan or David Haye, but I can't see that Khan's partial ownership of Super Fight League has made anyone on earth want to pay to see Abhishek Rana? Or does anyone tune in to see Ion Pascu because David Haye is at the mic?

Unless he's regularly fighting in squash matches to generate a bit of interest over there I'm not sure what he is even really bringing to the table other than a bit of western advertising potential. People that care enough to tune in to obscure Japanese MMA orgs in the first place are almost certainly not going to be influenced by someone like Floyd Mayweather

 

[Zanmato]

With the Mayweather money, tv deals, sponsorships and top talents will come to Rizin.

Anything Mayweather touch, turns to cash.

What Mayweather money? They are giving him a reported $88m for this fight when they put on 4-5 events a year in half-to 3/4s full arenas. They'll be lucky to break even on that deal in the next couple of years. The fight is not even on PPV

 

[Bobby Boulders]

I can imagine that his name being attached to the production would make it easier to get western sponsorships and TV deals but I don't really know how his involvement will really turn the product into gold. People tune in either to see his technical prowess or in the hope that he's going to get smashed, is anyone actually any more likely to tune in, to discuss or want to pay to see someone like Shintaro Ishiwatari fight just because Floyd Mayweather holds shares in the company? I can't imagine so.

I know Floyd is a different proposition to Amir Khan or David Haye, but I can't see that Khan's partial ownership of Super Fight League has made anyone on earth want to pay to see Abhishek Rana? Or does anyone tune in to see Ion Pascu because David Haye is at the mic?

Unless he's regularly fighting in squash matches to generate a bit of interest over there I'm not sure what he is even really bringing to the table other than a bit of western advertising potential. People that care enough to tune in to obscure Japanese MMA orgs in the first place are almost certainly not going to be influenced by someone like Floyd Mayweather

It will be Tenshin that people tune in to see. RIZIN already has the star to carry it. Loads of people who never knew who he was are already talking about him and the fight hasn't even happened yet.

Khan and Haye aren't anywhere close to as big as Floyd. It isn't even debatable. Basically everything with Mayweather's name attached makes a return. Some more than others, but a return, nonetheless.

 

[Zanmato]

Nobody is reaaally talking about Tenshin though are they, they're talking about Mayweather vs. him. If he was the star and attraction they wouldn't be paying Mayweather $88m!

They're not in the same league as promoters and 'trend setters' I guess but the point that people don't necessarily get drawn to a product just because someone they've heard of is part of it still stands. I mean what is the overlap in the sphere Mayweather is able to influence and the market that a Japanese MMA organisation are going for really?

There doesn't really seem to be a huge potential for overlap in bringing young American black guys who love boxing on-board with Japanese MMA.

Sounds like he just wants some easy money (recent reports indicate substantial gambling losses?) and the ability to claim that he was offered shares in an MMA organisation to fight, which is something McGregor was very vocal about wanting. Feels like he's doing it as a power-play "F-U" to McGregor and the UFC.

Mayweather won't be wanting for money or sleep if Rizin goes bust at the end of this deal, as long as he gets his PR and money

 

[rob mafia]

lolz @ 'everything he touches turns to gold' when he boxed conor because he owed the IRS

 

[leto1776]

It will be Tenshin that people tune in to see. RIZIN already has the star to carry it. Loads of people who never knew who he was are already talking about him and the fight hasn't even happened yet.

Khan and Haye aren't anywhere close to as big as Floyd. It isn't even debatable. Basically everything with Mayweather's name attached makes a return. Some more than others, but a return, nonetheless.

If Rizin truly already has the star to carry it, they’d be doing better ratings than they have been.

 

[Bobby Boulders]

If Rizin truly already has the star to carry it, they’d be doing better ratings than they have been.

You misunderstood the context. They have the star, now. The Floyd thing has brought alien eyes and heaps of praise to Tenshin, and if you need proof of this, bc you seem to feel the need to disprove everything, go to YouTube and browse the videos of boxing/Floyd fans coverage of the news from last weekend. There are thousands, possibly millions, of videos going around as we speak about the news, and these vids by people unfamiliar with Tenshin are showing his highlights, and are letting people know that Tenshin is a monster fighter. This news was also covered by literally every news media source in the world. Conor, with his large group of followers, also tried to make Tenshin look silly, and Tenshin ended up doing it to Conor, but the important detail is that Conor was talking about him, and now more people know who is Tenshin. If you don't think he is now an international star, it's kinda delusional, bud.