MMAPredictions

Thanks to an extended and unintentional stopover in Los Angeles International Airport today, I had the pleasure of being able to sit and transcribe Jay Larkin’s opening statements on a call directed towards investors in the IFL. As Dana White has set the precedent of being a public leader of the UFC, you may enjoy learning about the background of the IFL’s new chief executive officer.

Good morning everybody, thanks for joining us. This morning we issued a news release announcing that Gareb Shamus has stepped down as chairman, CEO and CFO, and from the IFL board of directors. Effective immediately the board of directors has named me as CEO. In addition to my title as president, Michael Keith, our EVP and general counsel, who is with us here today, will be helping me by serving as the acting CFO until we complete our ongoing search for a new CFO.

On behalf of the IFL I’d like to express our appreciation to Gareb. His vision in cofounding the company, his passion. With Gareb at the helm the IFL accomplished a great deal in its first year and a half. It’s emerged as a legitimate contender and widely accepted brand in the MMA business, and it’s a solid number two factor in the industry. The IFL has attracted name talent and sponsors to the sport and has promoted a terrific series of events. The company now has domestic broadcast cable and international television deals in addition to producing its first live broadcast event in the US and Canada. We are very greatful to Gareb and he has our very best wishes.

As for me, I’m honored to have been chosed to lead the IFL. I eagerly look forward to taking the IFL to the next level and beyond. Permit me to tell you a little bit about myself.

Over the past twenty years, I have produced hundreds of live events for television, many for of them for cable broadcast and interntaional TV. I have been honored with a prime time Emmy nomination, I have produced a Tony Award-nominated show in the 2005 Broadway season. However I am perhaps best known for developing SHOWTIME championship boxing and my association with them. I was the executive producer and primary dealmaker in bouts featuring Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Julio Cesar Chavez, for some of the biggest boxing events in the history of the sport.

I have also staged some major concert events around the world, and participated in them as a television executive. I have done shows with performers like Elton John, Frank Sinatra, Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones, even the Spice Girls and yes, Britney Spears. My experience has taught me how to produce exciting live events, including fights in particular, and most importantly how to market them to gain the greatest revenue. Thus while the event itself is important, we as a company need to be focused on generating major revenue from ticket sales, television sponsors, and licensing, both here and abroad. That is why I chose to come to the IFL.

I believe there is a great growth opportunity in mixed martial arts and that the IFL is well-positioned to take advantage of this opportunity. Gareb, Kurt Otto, and the rest of the IFL team have done a tremendous job building the IFL brand within the MMA universe in establishing relationships with some of the great MMA legends. Renzo Gracie, Matt Lindland, Pat Miletich, Bas Rutten, and Ken Shamrock to name a few. However, there are a number of things we need to do to improve our cash flow and enhance investment value in the IFL.

While I am new in this position, more planning still needs to be done. We will, and the board is in support of our decision in this, that making changes to the league, and we are reorganizing our events to reduce costs. But also, to improve them as well.

We will focus more on producing exciting television shows for broadcast in domestic and international markets. We will also be actively listening to what the people, fans, and people we know in the fight business have to say: what they like, and what they don’t like.

We are just about finished formulating our 2008 event broadcast schedule, a process that has been underway these past few weeks since I joined the company. We should be able to announce this program within the next few weeks.

We’re also very aware that many of you have invested in the IFL, and you should know that the lines of communication are open. This is our first conference call to discuss quarterly results. We plan to hold these calls every quarter and we will, as we plan to shortly, be available to answer your questions.

If you’re interested in the business side of MMA, you may want to check out the IFL’s stock history. The full audio of today’s entire conference call can be found here.

- Caleb

Want text messages of MMA fight results sent to your cell phone for free? Register now!