Word on the street is that investors have finally come through for Fighting Entertainment Group. If so, a saga stretching back to the summer would be over, and the avid and cultish following of the Dream MMA and K-1 thai-boxing promotions will all be able to breathe a collective sigh of relief.
There will be more on this as the facts emerge. Japanese businessmen are notorious for being media-shy in times of crisis, and putting on a front. However, the blatantly downgraded cost-cutting budget presentation of the usually ostentatious K-1 World Grand Prix on Saturday did not go unnoticed, some Dream fighters still haven’t been paid for fights from 2009, and they’ve lost Omigawa. All the signs have looked ominous, so it came as no shock that Michael Schiavello (the excitable Aussie colour commentator) should have announced that FEG are safe directly after the event. That’s the Japanese way; DreamStage Entertainment were “fine” in late 2006, and continued – very publicly – to be “fine” right up to the point when zuffa bought them.
In this case, with the potential investors, IS being widely whispered though… and the fan in me wants to believe. So, fingers crossed!
Losing Dream would be a black eye. Losing K-1 would be a fatal blow to the heart. Let us hope PUJI have managed to find investors willing to make large cash injections to what is apparently a failing market these days.
If only they realised the potential worldwide market that would eat up their product…. what a shame
No comments:
Post a Comment