John Peretti: “When You Own the Fighters, You Own the Results”
Posted by Thomas Hackett on August 24th, 2008
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To coin a phrase, you may not know his name, but you certainly know his work.
One of the most important figures in the history of North American Mixed Martial Arts is unquestionably former Extreme Fighting and UFC matchmaker John Peretti. He can be credited with discovering a huge amount of martial arts talent, innovating rounds, gloves, and weight classes into North American MMA, and putting together some of the best matches in MMA history at a time when you might be rewarded with jail time for it.
He’s also always just struck me as one odd duck.
Listening to Peretti’s latest interview at Carson’s Corner did nothing to change that impression, but between hyping his bizzare and still unnamed new sport (which sounds like a strange brew of of MMA and an early Italian form of football) and startling his interviewer with brusque rebuttals, he also offered some interesting insight on the MMA game.
“I don’t know Dana personally,” Peretti responded when asked about the UFC’s current product. “I think the Ferttita brothers have done an amazing job. I don’t know anyone else who would have gone $40 million in the hole like they did — and they had the political clout to pull it off. I had partners who wanted to purchase the UFC prior to that, but they backed out of the deal, weeks before (the Fertittas) took it. My reason for leaving was Joe Silva, he was in bed with those guys, that was the position he coveted, so they didn’t need me to do that… also the idea of owning all the fighters, managerial-wise, I was totally against.”
Compared to Joe Silva, “I would do different job. Better is a judgement I can’t make. I come from a different perspective, a fighter’s perspective. Wallid (Ismail) and I are the only promoters who come from a fighter’s perspective.”
Pressed, he describes the dwindling resources of the UFC of his day, but then re-iterates what seems to be his biggest concern about the current relationship between the UFC’s promoters and the fighters’ management teams: “when you own the fighters, you own the results.”
Peretti casted aside Carson’s questions about Fedor’s dominance and Dana White’s disparaging remarks about Tim Sylvia, only saying, “if he’s not in the (UFC) anymore, that’s the logical thing to do.” He repeats, “if you control the fighters, you control the results. You don’t have to be a mind reader to know what the f— I’m talking about.”
Unfortunately, I’m not a mind reader, but I think his point is well taken regarding possible conflicts of interest between promoter and management. I just would have liked to have heard Peretti pressed upon for some more concrete examples. He also blasted the UFC of 2001, when ZUFFA was first taking charge: “I thought those shows were despicable. A real immaturity in terms of matchmaking.” I disagree there: UFC 33 was a lousy show but it had a wealth of interesting bouts that just didn’t come together as predicted. Peretti remembers his own matchmaking misfortune with Pat Militech vs. Mikey Burnett, another awful bout that seemed like a great idea at the time.
Peretti describes the sport he’s developing as a version of calicio storico (a rough & tumble 15th Century version of football, still played annually at one festival in Florence) which will be “as violent as mixed martial arts,” with rules “similar to mixed martial arts with the addition of a thousand other things which will occur on the field of play… You’ll see my promotional video in the next six months.”
Peretti explodes in manic laughter as criticism of his odd commentary style is mentioned. “It’s my opinion. F— ‘em.”
I don’t always see eye to eye with Peretti, but I know that he’s done for this sport enough to earn him the last word, even if here at Total-MMA.com and not TotalCombatFootball.com:
“I’m excited a sport I worked so hard on worked so well for the people involved. I hope my new sport is received and I make Mixed Martial Arts look like a sandbox game.”
Please note an earlier version of this story misidentified the base sport for Mr. Peretti’s new game as bocce, leading to several jokes about combative lawn bowling which are now irrelevant. I regret the error, and am replacing my computers’ speakers…
August 25th, 2008 at 1:19 am
That guy came a across as a raving lunatic in that interview.
August 25th, 2008 at 1:23 am
John Peretti is a huge dick.
August 25th, 2008 at 1:31 am
This is just hilarious. Combat Italian Lawn Bowling? If he does submission roller derby I think Alan and myself can sue.
August 25th, 2008 at 1:52 am
I can’t wait for this to merely be him running full contact jai alai or something. Also, John Peretti’s announcing at YAMMA was outstanding. His fetish for fighter’s ankles and calves was something else.
August 25th, 2008 at 5:57 pm
Bocce is a perfect game that should not be tampered with.
August 25th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
Mr. Hacket is MIS quoting me, I never mentioned anything about bocci(lawn bowling) it is based on a be violent Florentine game.everyone also laughed at my idea of NHB.
August 25th, 2008 at 6:54 pm
Well John, I think what it comes down to is NHB has a history in other countries as well as historical. Does this violent Florentine game have a history?
We obviously wish you well, but it does seem a bit far-fetched. Also, would you know anybody interested in submission roller derby? Imagine Volk Han on rollerskates doing flying leglocks. I bet you SpikeTV would air it.
August 25th, 2008 at 7:47 pm
John — is this Calcio, by any chance?
August 26th, 2008 at 4:05 am
Thanks for the correction, I heard bocce but a listen again indeed gives the sport’s model as calcio storico. My apologies. I’ll go ahead and correct the article.
Maybe I can return the favor: I noticed the claim that calcio storico is the “oldest ball game in history” but hurling’s got to have it beat, mentioned in the Táin Bó Cúailnge, etc… hey, a mix of hurling & eskrima might be pretty sweet if you think about it
August 27th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
I was hoping for regular 10-pin bowling with fighting involved.
Please reconsider, Mr. Perretti!