UFC president tells Khan to forget England UFC president Dana White has expressed sympathy for Amir Khan after his recent fallout with Sky Sports, insisting he knows from experience how difficult the British pay-per-view (PPV) market can be. Khan had been scheduled to fight Paul McCloskey in a pay-per-view encounter on Saturday, but Sky Sports pulled the plug after a lack of interest. Sky offered the Khan camp a switch to their free-to-air Sky Sports 3 channel, but Khan took his business elsewhere, moving to pay-per-view channel Primetime. The decision has angered boxing fans, but White understands Khan's decision. "That sucks that the PPV company didn't have faith in Amir," White told Boxing Futures. "I watched his last fight against Marcos Maidana on HBO and he's an exciting fighter, he's fun to watch. "He should have said, 'Alright I'll pull out and go to America and fight on PPV there'. It's too bad that England wouldn't put him on PPV, I've been over there and talked to the broadcasters, believe me it ain't easy." White has been looking into the pay-per-view market for future UK UFC events, knowing the extra revenue would allow him to bring the sport's top names over to Britain. The last UK card attracted David Haye to the O2 Arena as a spectator, and White admits he is hoping the Hayemaker defeats Wladimir Klitschko later this year. "I'm actually a big David Haye fan and I'm pulling for him to whip Klitschko's arse," said White. "He came out and sat ringside with me at one of our events in England, and he's such a great guy." http://www.espn.co.uk/ufc/sport/story/85740.html
Dana would know this best, as I'm a major MMA fan and the most I get is decent at best Ultimate Challenge cards and awful Cage Fighter show. I don't blame Khan. SBO should have kept him on. The undercard fell apart, but who was honestly buying it for the undercard? I can't get Primetime as I don't have a credit card, but would be willing to buy either just because I wanted to watch this fight. Khan was losing like 1million was he not? Of course he'd be pissed.
Because Sky took a whole heap of flak after the Haye v Harrison PPV. Its far too risky for sky to demand £15 and then the main event again is a total blow out with no decent undercard. You have to remember that this in all reality is a mis match and for me Sky were correct to pull it. What Dana White doesnt understand is the UK TV Market is not like America. While we have PPV for boxing and pro-wrestling its not every month. In the US they pro-wrestling PPV's, UFC PPV's, boxing PPV's all on a regular monthly basis. Its the norm. White would love to do PPV'spver here but its difficult when the masses are used to seeing all the biggest UFC fights for no PPV charge yet you then would like to charge them when the UFC comes to town. Thats never going to happen.
Yeah I get it, and understand that UFC PPV probably wouldnt work here. I wouldnt even buy half of them, as there are many boring fighters in it. But the problem with Haye Vs Harrison as from the get go, it was a joke of a fight, and it lived up to that. Khan Vs McCloskey is expected to be very easy for Khan, but McCloskey is a great boxer and this fight is heavily anticipated by all irish boxing fans and many Khan fans. Sky needs to realize that boxing fans are boxing fans, we will get the PPVs regardless of one bad night.
But they dont just want to attract the boxing fan. They want to get the floating subscriber who likes to watch a fight but is not always certain to pay for it. For that customer they want to offer them the main event and a decent night of boxing. U have to remember not many people know who mcCloskey is so they probably think its blow out. Haye v Harrison was a joke but it caught the imagination of the casual fan and Haye is a star. Khan's PPV record suggests not many people would of bought it.
I doubt we're going to see Khan fight in the UK for the next couple of years. He'll be marketed to the yanks as the next "Prince Naz", even though he couldn't be more different (apart from his skin colour). It's a shame because the Prescott rematch would have been great in the UK.
Khan not being back in the UK for 2 years is rubbish. We'll see him back in a years time. His next two will be in the U.S
They should focus on the boxing fan, because if they are losing boxers, the fans will go. Primetime, although I cant watch it, has Strikeforce (although I dont know how long for) and now Khan and Froch. Those are two big boxers. Imagine if Haye dropped them.
Why would Haye drop Sky? You know how money and exposure his getting. To the casual fan Strikeforce is the minor league to the UFC and to be honest once strikeforce's contract with showtime is up I think the UFC will be looking to change things and get strikeforce on a UK network which gives it more exposure. Dont be surprised if froch is back on sky sports very very soon. Sky have no viable competitor. All promoters want there shows on Sky and its going to stay that way unless ESPN got interested in boxing.
Yeah everyone wants to be on sky, but they seem to have propelry lost Khan, one of the big 3. Haye is equally as arrogant, so if anything like this happened with him he'd do likewise. Froch not being on Sky is just a joke.
If GBP put on a main event and undercard like the UFC would then they can take my 9.95, 11.95 or 14.95. However Khan wants 17.50 for absolute shite. I really re-sent him and his people because I like watching boxing, I like watching Khan but I don't like being mugged off. Primetime haven't marketed at all. It's literally just a transmission and on that basis it shouldn't be more than a tenner.
i dont understand really, id of expected white to say the opposite, they always base themselves on putting on good shows and that khan bill isa disgrace for ppv
I'm pretty certain that if Haye-Harrison did not **** off the amount of people it did, Sky would have been ok to keep Khan-McCloskey on PPV. That farce of a fight is forcing them to tread very carefully in future PPV shows, and unfortunatley for Khan, he's the one to feel it first.
yeah your right dana as gone against his word , dana usually says the fans just want to see exciting fights/exciting shows.. the show tonight isn't anything big so we shouldn't have to pay.
