–>International Fight League (IFLI) closed down 1.00 at $10.25 a share Wednesday. To someone who is unedumicated in stock trading (like me for example), it might look like it’s down because of all the negative feedback stemming from Monday’s network debut. But I’ve actually been watching the stock for a week or two now (I’m considering investing) and it seems to fluctuate drastically for whatever reason. There was one day where it was up 25%, then down the next day. So, who knows?
–>Speaking of that negative feedback, IFL Commissioner Kurt Otto appeared on MMAWeekly Radio and humbly apologized to the fans who were disappointed with the show. Now, as someone who used to cover pro wrestling, this was shocking because usually when people complain about that product, the fans are told to “suck it.” To be fair, a lot of wrestling fans have a tendency to whine about some of the stupidest things (particularly da’ net nerds, who think whatever Dave Meltzer tells them to), but it would still be nice to feel like someone is at least pretending to listen.
Otto didn’t just pretend. Here’s what he had to say:
“I would like to apologize on behalf of the IFL and MyNetwork if we upset or disappointed anybody in the MMA world. We’re all about MMA being seen in a positive light. In this instance, we dropped the ball and we promise to make everybody proud. We realize as a group that we made a mistake with some parts of the show, but we will learn from this and grow. We want to make this the best possible platform for the sport as possible. The IFL would also like to apologize to our athletes and our coaches. We promise that it will be corrected and we as a group will learn from this.”
He also pointed out that Battleground is supposed to be more documentary style, where the FSN show is going to be the actual fights. But he also made it clear that this week’s show is in no way indicative of what the shows are going to be like down the road. So, two kudos to Kurt Otto.
–>April 13th is going to be another big night for the IFL. The New York Pitbulls are set to do combat with the Portland Wolfpack, and for the first time ever, it will be shown the same night on Fox Sports Net. The live show begins at 8:00 the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut. The FSN broadcast will start at 11:00. These two teams are coached by MMA legends Renzo Gracie and Matt Linland, so it should be a great show.
–>This Sarturday night, the IFL debuts at The Forum in Los Angeles. Bas Rutten’s Anacondas will take on Frank Shamrock’s Razorclaws in one contest. Marco Ruas’ Condors take on Ken Yasuda’s Sabres in the other.
If you plan on attending either of the two shows I just mentioned, or the upcoming shows in Chicago, Moline, or Reno, and would like to do a report for Inside Fights, let me know. Maybe we can send you a free t-shirt or something for your troubles.
