Category Archive

I found some very cool news in my inbox this morning. One of our newest BattlePass clients, Xtreme Fighting Championships, has inked a very cool deal with MTV.

XFC President John Prisco and crew put on shows in Tampa to crowds averaging over 10,000, making him the largest regional promoter in the United States. In this deal, the XFC will host tryouts for the MTV reality show “Made”, the winning contestant will then train at the XFC training facilities, and the newly made fighter will debut on the April 18 fight card in Knoxville, Tennessee. The “made” episode will air in 2009.

John is a savvy promoter, so say the least. I encourage anyone in the marketing or public relations fields to read his Anatomy of a Fight Promotion series on mmajunkie.com. His strategy is pretty straightforward: tell an honest story, tell a compelling story, and aggressively court the “free” media to help you tell your story. This MTV deal is evidence of that strategy in action. How much free community exposure will John’s operation get when MTV comes to town and hosts tryouts? How much free national exposure will the XFC brand and franchise-able training facilities get when the show airs on MTV?

John knows the difference between commercials and media – commercials create awareness, media creates action. Oh, and media is a LOT cheaper.

This is where Elite XC got it wrong. They spent too much money too quickly and failed to establish a brand that could compete with the UFC. I don’t know if Prisco is interested in competing per se with the UFC, but it is apparent he has the foundation and skills to carve out a significant share of the market for the sport. And we’re in his corner.