As always, proud to feature your work at the Draw, Zach. And as always, I learned quite a bit. The Shapiro vs Khan dynamic is THE central dilemma for TKO going forward.
Ilia, of course, is a SUPERSTAR now, but I don’t think he’ll get the homecoming he wants. As you noted, it’s about “Government Contracts”. The Spain/Madrid tourism board don’t need to pay a company (UFC/TKO) a fee to come. Spain is the second most visited country in the world by international travellers.
Remember that McGregor never got his Croke Park homecoming. He only fought once under the UFC banner in Ireland.
We could be entering a “new golden era” with Ilia & Tom heading the way.
On a side note, the level of sponsorship on the broadcast is fascinating. Anik read a piece about thanking the troops for their service, while showing a feed from a military base of service men/women enjoying the event….. then said thanking the troops segment brought to you by “Monster”. 😂
Also there must have been a V V VIP tix package as 2 dudes were in the cage as Dana presented the belt to Ilia. Ilia did his Rogan interview & corner pics. Steve Reed (Bald UFC Head of Security) brought them to Ilia to each have their photo taken. Fantastic access (expensive, but great).
As always, proud to feature your work at the Draw, Zach. And as always, I learned quite a bit. The Shapiro vs Khan dynamic is THE central dilemma for TKO going forward.
Super getting an article from MMA DRAW today.
UFC 317 was top drawer. Fighters were sublime.
Ilia, of course, is a SUPERSTAR now, but I don’t think he’ll get the homecoming he wants. As you noted, it’s about “Government Contracts”. The Spain/Madrid tourism board don’t need to pay a company (UFC/TKO) a fee to come. Spain is the second most visited country in the world by international travellers.
Remember that McGregor never got his Croke Park homecoming. He only fought once under the UFC banner in Ireland.
We could be entering a “new golden era” with Ilia & Tom heading the way.
On a side note, the level of sponsorship on the broadcast is fascinating. Anik read a piece about thanking the troops for their service, while showing a feed from a military base of service men/women enjoying the event….. then said thanking the troops segment brought to you by “Monster”. 😂
Also there must have been a V V VIP tix package as 2 dudes were in the cage as Dana presented the belt to Ilia. Ilia did his Rogan interview & corner pics. Steve Reed (Bald UFC Head of Security) brought them to Ilia to each have their photo taken. Fantastic access (expensive, but great).
Mark Shapiro won't be satisfied until every UFC and WWE broadcast is a visual and verbal parody of Idiocracy