Why Alberto Del Rio has suddenly become a sought-after MMA fighter

[Pliny Pete]

http://www.mmafighting.com/2014/12/...as-suddenly-become-a-sought-after-mma-fighter
Heres a few paragraphs but the whole article is pretty good and worth a read

The name Jose Rodriguez wouldn't even be known by the most ardent MMA fan.

Yet, Rodriguez, who turns 38 in May, perhaps before he would even fight again, is the subject of a significant bidding war for a multiple fight deal.

And nobody is even certain if Rodriguez even wants to fight.

The craziness revolves around a strange period in MMA, and the unique apparent cross-section relationship with American pro wrestling. It's a situation that both sides are vehement in public denying exist, and for good reasons on each side. But business practices tell a different story than public words.

Rodriguez is better known by his pro wrestling name, Alberto Del Rio. In the past week, Bellator promoter Scott Coker has publicly stated that they are in the running for the former World Wrestling Entertainment star.

Rodriguez was a strong amateur wrestler, most notably placing fourth in the Pan American games in Greco-Roman wrestling at 211 pounds in 1997, at the age of 20, after placing third in the world that year in the Junior (20-and-under) world championships. He was training for the 2000 Olympics, but instead, went into the family business of pro wrestling. While wrestling in Mexico, he did 14 MMA fights between 2001 and 2010, compiling a 9-5 record against mostly unknown competition, past his famous head kick knockout loss in Pride to Mirko Cro Cop. He did almost all of his fights wearing a mask, using the name Dos Caras Jr. It should also be noted that he was never a full-time MMA fighter, just did real fights under his masked persona in Mexico, Honduras, Japan and Spain, where his father and uncle were huge stars, while still working full-time as a pro wrestler.

With Latinos making up an increasingly large percentage of the U.S. population, and with Mexicans traditionally supporting both boxing and pro wrestling at more than double the level of their non-Hispanic counterparts, the idea of a genuine Mexican idol, who is fluent in both English and Spanish, was understandably high in WWE priorities.

That's the same reason he's in demand in MMA right now. The idea is that he, between the family, promotional ability, and celebrity status with the Hispanic media in the U.S. and Mexico, that he could get a promotion a level of publicity in an untapped market that nobody else could. But still, he was not a world beater in his first run in MMA, and age is not on his side. Unlike C.M. Punk and Dave Bautista, he never gave the impression he wanted to return to fighting. He can probably make in the range of $500,000 or more annually in a pro wrestling world with greater odds of long-term success.

How this relates to MMA is that every MMA promoter is aware that the Mexican-American audience has carried boxing for the last decade, and supports pro wrestling in large numbers. It should, by all rights, be similarly large for MMA. But aside for a short period of momentum for Cain Velasquez after he beat Lesnar to win the UFC heavyweight title, and until his loss to Junior Dos Santos, the feeling is MMA has only scratched the surface with that demo--a demo that will increase in size and importance in this country in future years.

There is a feeling that what can conceptually work for a company that isn't the UFC, is to take advantage of UFC's weakness in building around a genuine Mexican marquee idol.

While he won't be able to use the Alberto Del Rio name he's best known for, and Dos Caras Jr. really doesn't work in a real sport, Rodriguez is now a symbol of standing up for Mexican pride, the sympathy of losing his job because of it, and has a strong level of notoriety.

At least three major fight promotions, all of which have existing television deals, are after him. Sources close to him have said UFC has not made an offer, and Bellator, through Coker, is the only one that has publicly come out.

 

[Joonbugg]

Nice

 

[BOTTICELLI]

I didn't know

COOL

 

[faustian]

Dos Caras Jr would wreck shit in the watered down UFC

 

[Gohel]

He's under contract with AAA and he's one of their best-paid guys, so this is not happening.

 

[Cap_reD]

He's also booked fro Ring Of Honor for awhile. Which would imo limit his earning potential due to how bush league their advertising and infomercial like tv show come off.

 

[Master Shonuff]

Submitted more opponents via armbar than R3

 

[meatpuppeteer]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhfeDUCIQzQ http://youtu.be/Xq0-Ia6n15o didint he have these joke matches?

 

[eiyuu]

If he signs with Bellator, expect Dos Caras Jr PRIDE fights to be shown on FS1 and for free on UFC Fight Pass billed as Alberto Del Rio fights.

 

[sprucelees]

wow didnt know that was him

 

[Pliny Pete]

If he signs with Bellator, expect Dos Caras Jr PRIDE fights to be shown on FS1 and for free on UFC Fight Pass billed as Alberto Del Rio fights.

ADR is owned by WWE so they wouldnt be able to use that name but Im sure the Cro Cop knockout would be shown on a loop

 

[Pancake Sprawl]

I remember him breaking a few guys arms with lateral drops.

 

[pick999]

because he beats wwe refs up

 

[papasmurf999]

He apparently was a fairly established mma fighter before going to wwe. Bellator is a good place for him to ply his trade before retiring.

 

[Sinclair75]

 

[irish_thug]

Came to post this.

 

[JBC]

Makes sense to me. Charismatic performer with a sizable name value and legit MMA background.

He'll probably use some variation of his Alberto "El Patron" name and I'd say given his value that he has significant leeway with the deals he's signed with AAA and ROH since his WWE release.