EXCLUSIVE: Frank Trigg: New UFC Owners Don’t Understand MMA
Frank Trigg doesn't think WME-IMG knows what they got into with the UFC.
On FightfulMMA's Thursday episode Trigg told host "Showdown Joe" Ferraro about his concerns of the new owners at UFC. WME-IMG purchased UFC from Zuffa last year, WME-IMG being an entertainment company while Zuffa built UFC up from the fringe. Trigg says the new owners have a lot to learn about the company they purchased.
"The new owner at the UFC do not understand mixed-martial arts, they don't understand it. They don't understand how the sport actually works. What they do understand is how to make money and how to put out an amazingly good product. I think the product is going to get better, overall production, overall package, overall sellage. I think after we get through the Mike Goldberg debacle, once we clear ourselves of that process, it's gonna become an amazing product. The problem is they really don't understand fights, they don't understand how the fighting game really is," said Trigg.
Trigg would ask Ferraro about Amanda Nunes defeating Ronda Rousey, the two agreed the betting odds did not reflect what was most likely to happen in the bout. Trigg said new fans had bought into the marketing of the UFC and placed too much stock in Rousey's chances. He then said the new owners may have bought into the hype as well.
"The new owners believed Ronda was gonna win, they really believed it. 'Oh she's gonna crush this girl, it's gonna be amazing and great, we're gonna have our champ back. it's gonna be amazing' They really thought she was gonna win. And like, you guys don't know how the sport goes, you don't get what's happening here. If you're really believing that hype, then you don't understand this is not what's going to happen. They have a lot of growing to do, as every new owner of any company," said Trigg.
Each week, Trigg and Ferraro discuss current events in the world of mixed-martial-arts. This week they discussed Georges St-Pierre's return, Fedor's fight in Bellator on Saturday, and UFC's upcoming fight card in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Trigg appears each Thursday on FightfulMMA's podcast which streams live.
