Exclusive: Frank Trigg – The Growing Pains of Mixed Martial Arts Part II (3-7-2008)
By Dave Carpinello
PDG: Is that PRIDE fighting show that you did for Fox Sports ever going to be released on DVD?
Frank: I don’t know because Fox Sports owns that show and they can pretty much do whatever they want with it. When the UFC bought PRIDE it pretty much killed that show and so we stopped taping it last July. I would definitely like to get another show going with Jay though, we have a lot of fun working together. We have a few things in the works and so we’ll just have to see what happens.
PDG: It doesn’t seem like the UFC has much interest in releasing the PRIDE videos.
Frank: No, they just want to use it for their own stuff like highlight reels and for promos.
PDG: You would think that they would have wanted to release the OWGP from 2006.
Frank: Yeah, you would think so but who knows. I don’t ever try to figure out the rhyme or reason behind anything the UFC does……on one hand you just want to say that is “fucking stupid” but then on the other hand you have to say “look they just made another $10 million dollars”. Its retarded and I just don’t understand.
PDG: Do you think Dana and the UFC are sweating a little bit with the TV deals that the other organizations are getting?
Frank: I am sure they are and they have to be panicking a little bit. Their big announcement before UFC 82 was the Budweiser sponsorship. Everyone in Vegas has known for months that was going to happen. THAT’S YOUR BIG NEWS? EliteXC gets a CBS TV deal and your reply is that Budweiser is now a sponsor of the UFC. That really doesn’t compare. The problem is that every time there is an event Dana always has this BIG news. At the beginning when Dana and the UFC were the new kid on the block you could understand why they always wanted to hold press conferences and announce news. When he announced that Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock were going to be on free TV… I stayed after the weigh-ins to hear that news because they announced there was BIG news coming out. After that, any of these other announcements have no point. They are still acting like the new kid on the block even though they are the senior statesman. These are the guys that are at the top of the heap. Do think every time Major League Baseball gets a new sponsor they hold a fucking press conference? The UFC gets blue collar sponsors, that is what they do. They don’t need to tell us about it. They have the best fighters, best match-maker, best everything… THAT IS WHAT THEY DO!!
PDG: Last month it was Harley Davidson.
Frank: Exactly, why are they telling me that. Now when they have a BIG announcement, who gives a shit?
PDG: A lot of people knew that Mark Coleman was going to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. Why didn’t they have an announcement about that?
Frank: That’s what I am saying. Its kind of strange.
PDG: So what are your thoughts on Coleman getting inducted?
Frank: I like it and I am surprised it didn’t happen before. I don’t know why Coleman wasn’t inducted when they inducted everyone the first time around. Why wasn’t he a part of that group? I just don’t understand unless they wanted to wait for a second group of fighters to induct. It didn’t make any fucking sense to hold a guy like Coleman out.
PDG: He also has a huge fan base in Ohio, so you would think that they would have wanted to take advantage of that.
Frank: I know and that makes it worse. I said earlier though that when you question what the UFC does, all they do is turn around and makes millions more.
PDG: Thanks for your time.
Frank: Thank you.
Post your comments directly below! You can also discuss the latest MMA and Video Game News in the PunchDrunkGamer Forums and don’t forget to Follow PDG on Twitter @PunchDrunkGamer and Like the PDG Official Facebook Page!
