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Written by Doug Jeffrey |
 The eyes are the windows to the soul.
Many years ago, a shidokan practitioner told me that. At first, I didn't even know what he was talking about. After he explained that the eyes reveal emotions, however, it all made sense.
I've kept that thought in the back of my mind for all these years, and it comes into play all the time, especially when I talk to an MMA warrior. Their windows-for sure-are always wide open, and I experienced it the other day at the press conference for UFC 63.
This one particular warrior had fire burning in his eyes. Burning out of control, engulfing everything in sight, ravaging every last thing. The confidence was oozing, the enthusiasm was building and there was no doubt that this gladiator could not wait two more days for the action to begin. Let me introduce Mike O'Donnell.
UFC Goes Yard
The reason you haven't heard of Mike O' Donnell is because you don't work for the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim. If you did, you'd know that he's the GM. That's right. He's not a fighter, but that does not mean he's not a warrior.
At the press conference, Mike talked to us about the upcoming show with a gleam in his eye. You would have thought this guy was jumping into the Octagon to face B.J. He was amped and explained that he and the rest of the personnel at the Pond have been after the UFC for quite some time.
"[Prior to getting the UFC in April], we had been talking to them for 18 months," he said. "We could see where it [MMA] was going, and we were courting and courting them. We wanted to be sure we were on their radar screen. If they launched, we wanted them to know this is the place to do it."
The UFC launched alright, and the Pond's revenue went right into orbit. For the first show, which was UFC 59 on April 15, they recorded $2.6 million in ticket sales, he said.
"That is higher than Madonna or U2," said O'Donnell. "That was the homerun of the year for us."
Above and Beyond
When UFC prez Dana White took the podium at the outset of the press conference, the venue was the first thing he mentioned.
"We love being here," he said. "These guys go above and beyond. There are a lot of arenas throughout the country, but the Pond does it best. We love it here."
As do the 16,000 who attended. And it wasn't necessary to look into their eyes to determine emotion. The rafter-shaking, wall-reverberating cheers said it all.
Until next time.Show comments (0) - Add comments to this article: |
