2012-03-24
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NEI A History Part 1

Meat\\\'s Slaughter House II, Fight Organization, London
Company profile by Speedy Gonzaitev

am seated at a bar in downtown London seated next to the somewhat infamous, or should i say famous? I honest don't know but anyway, I am sitting next to the owner and CEO of NEI Jolon Williams doing a comprehensive history on London's fastest rising organization, currently 4th in the city.

The first event NEI: Ignition 1 was hosted in Wild Bob's bar in London garnering a 69.52 ranking while filling the arena with 750 crazed fans out for blood as Gregory Matice earned the first ever KO of the night award with a KO (Slam) in the first minute of the very first round. The first ever submission of the night award went to Oliver Kahn for his slick guillotine choke 50 seconds into the first bout in NEI history. FOTN went to the first main event in NEI history Shane McMahon vs Trevor Busta with a (KO) Punches at 4:28 of the first round.

Alexi: First off, before we get started, thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule for this interview Jolon, what was your reaction to the first event in your org's history?

Jolon: It was a mixture of emotions, actually. On the bright side, the event had been quite satisfactory. Everyone showed up, we scored a decent rating and sold out the venue. I could feel it then, that it was the beginning of something quite great. But on the less triumphant side of things, there was a mix up with ticket pricing which jeopardized our revenue. Sadly, we failed to make a profit therefore that day....a costly business mistake that has never happened again since. The man responsible was quite unceremoniously handed his walking papers.

The second event in org history, NEI Ignition 2, was also hosted in Wild Bob's Bar this time with a 85.78 rating and 659 attendees. KOTN went to Jerome Styles for his KO via Punch of Dave Cossack on the undercard at 1:38 seconds of the first round. SOTN went to Willie McGee for his submission of the winner of the first ME in org history, Shane McMahon at 1:02 of the very first round with a very nice triangle choke. FOTN went to Oliver Kahn and Gregory Matice for a 2+ round war where Kahn was dominating the fight with his top game before he locked in a nice kimura at 38 seconds of the 3rd round.

Alexi: With two events in the books and a 3rd event on the way, how did yo think the org running was going for you?

Jolon: Well, with an even higher event rating and quite a tidy profit, I was definitely far more pleased with our second event than our first. Hearing some of these names makes me quite nostalgic. People like Matice, McGee, Styles, they were NEI originals and it was from their talent that NEI was slowly but surely coming into it's own. I was confident at that point that NEI would continue to flourish as long as such individuals, who displayed the loyalty and enthusiasm that they did, would continue to fight for us. And Kahn, of course, is still with us today. Truly a staple of his division.

Alexi: It is always refreshing to see fighters staying loyal to organizations rather than just org hopping their way to a title shot.

NEI took a step back with NEI Kismet 1 only getting a 49.4 rating with 439 attendees and no awards given out for this event. The car was very hurt by a no contest in the featured main card fight of the evening. Very disappoint for an event full of exciting finishes. Cody Pedro KO'd Marko Torre with a devastating superman punch, Bobby Brown pulled of a slick armbar in the main event of the evening.

Alexi: With Kismet 1 in the books and the org not yet a month old, what did you think of how your roster was shaping up at this point?

Jolon: Well, I can't recall our exact status at that point, but I do remember that once we started growing, we started growing fast. Despite the fact that we weren't as reputed back then as we are now, we quickly grew to become one of the largest organizations in London. It was actually due to this quick growth that I introduced the prospect that would become Kismet. We had a deep talent pool, and we needed more chances to showcase them all accordingly.

Alexi: I get it now, it was born out of necessity rather than spite.

NEI rebounded slightly in their 4th event, dubbed NEI Kismet 2 in Paddy O'Malley's on the 31st of July. The event brought in a 58.27 rating and 640 attendees. No awards were given out at this event, Bobby Brown pulled off another armbar victory in the main event of the evening with just 19 seconds remaining in the fight. Another no contest on the card but luckily it was on the undercard so it didn't hurt as much as the previous NC. Brent Davidson set the record for fastest KO in NEI history with his 5 second KO of Marko Torre in the very first fight of the evening.

Alexi: With two straight events with NC's, were you upset wsth the managers at your org, if so, did you have anything to say to them?

Jolon: Upset was an understatement. Frankly, I was furious. I could withstand it if it were a erred business conclusion on my part that caused the setbacks, but I heavily dislike it when circumstances beyond my control affect my proceedings, my pocket and my bottom line. With our ratings and our financial status suffering from continuous NC's, I made it clear to our talent that such things were heavily frowned upon in NEI and would not be met without consequence. And frankly, it's just good business to make sure they know that, despite what some might regard as over-bluntness. End of the day, those who cause NC's on my cards are bad for business. I couldn't trust them, and I'm not ashamed to say that they had far less opportunities to earn their paychecks in comparison to the other fighters whom I knew I could trust.

Alexi: I cannot disagree with any of your reasoning on that point. I had the same issue when I briefly ran an organization.

At NEI Ignition 3, also at Paddy O'Malley's in London, NEI came back with the second best event rating in organization history to this point with a 81.96 rating and 700 attendees. KO of the Night went to Shane McMahon for his TKO of Pvt. Mullen at 2:22 of the 2nd round, that's a lot of 2's! Sub of the Night went to Goran Spaten for his arm triangle choke finish of Josip Tukic at 3:02 of the very first round. Fight of the night went to Francis Lambert vs Trevor Busta, unfortuantely for Busta, while it is his 2nd FOTN award, he has been on the losing end both times. This fight was a MT purists dream as almost the entire fight took place in the clinch where Lambert threw 191 punchs, 6 elbows, 12 knees to the head, 11 to the body, landing 169 punches, 5 elbows, 5 knees to the head, 9 to the body. In return, Busta threw 65 head punches and landed 11 and did not land anything else in the clinch.

Alexi: Given all the success your Ignition cards are having, how are your prospect fighters handling their supposed second rate status?

Jolon: Second rate status isn't the term I would use. Those who fight on our Heatseekers' cards, for example, are exactly that. Heatseekers. The fighters who have not yet had the opportunities that our top tier fighters have had to prove themselves. But by doing so, they earn the right to fight on Ignition which, yes, I will admit, is where our top talents shine.

Alexi: Replicating the model the UFC uses, that makes sense.

Kismet 3, hosted in Paddy O' Malley's Bar yet again brought in a 55.54 rating and 545 attendees. No awards yet again but some exciting fights, Sherlock Holmes solved the riddle that was Japanese sensation Ji Hong Cheng with a TKO victory in the ME of the evening and Mario Berkovic put down Kyle Bisping with a TKO in the co main event of the evening. Andres Bonafacio pulled off a nice anaconda choke on his poor opponent Johannes Liechtenauer at 1:35 of the 3rd round.

Alexi: Whats the reasoning behind no awards on your Kismet cards? Also, how was the org business treating you to this point?

Jolon: Again, I'm not ashamed of that. Every fighter who competes on those cards, have earned their place there, one way or the other. It's called fighting one's way up in the organization. I believe it gives everyone something to strive towards. A little encouragement goes a long way, no? Which brings me to your second question, being that our financial gains only continued to grow with each event. As we continued to sell out each venue, I decided it was time for us to move to a bigger arena.

Alexi: I wouldn't disagree with you on that point Mr. Williams.

At NEI Ignition 4, NEI broke the 100 event rating barrier for the first time turning in a 107.86 rating and 750 attendees at Wild Bob's Bar in downtown London. KO of the Night went to Hong Kong Phooey for his lethal looking head kick KO of Eric Drake at 31 seconds of the very first round. Sub of the Night went to Juho Pennanen for his armbar submission victory over Willie McGee, that fight was also the Main Event of the evening and also received FOTN honors.

Alexi: With Ignition 4 being the biggest event in org history, how did you react to breaking the 100 barrier for the first time in your 7th event?

Jolon: Triumph, certainly. That pretty much solidified my intent to move to a bigger venue.

Kismet 4 recieved the highest rating in Kismet history as it earned a 84.84, 4th highest in org history at this point with another packed arena. In the main event, Marko Berkovic TKO'd Cain Smith at 1:59 of the 2nd round, Willy Wallace won a decision in the co main event on the evening. There were 4 first round submissions on the card, 3 decisions, 2 TKO and 1 submission outside of the 1st round.

Alexi: With Kismet 4 being your most successful edition of Kismet yet, how were your feeling after the event knowing that your org is just barely beginning to mature?

Jolon: Kismet definitely turned out to be an idea that paid off. My main concern with it was whether it would generate income or not, and it has actually proved to be quite the moneymaker for us. Money which we could then use to begin to sign higher rated talents, even whilst nurturing our own. It was proving to be a formidable formula, and one that I am, today, quite proud of.

With Ignition 5, we saw a new best event rating in history as NEI headed to The Underground for the first time in org history filling the place with 1000 crazy Britons eager for the show of a life time. Boy did they get one! with a org record 121.4 rating, Ignition 5 was a huge success as both attendance and event rating records were shattered in one night. KO of the night went to Jeremy Cornish for his TKO slam victory over Gergory Matice at 1:32 seconds of the 3rd round, this fight also received FOTN honors. Sub of the night went to Bobby Brown for his great guillotine choke finish of Goran Spaten in the co main event of the evening at 3:23 of the very first round.

Alexi: With your first event in the 1000 seat arena, what was going through your head and who were emerging as possible champions in your weight classes?

Jolon: Our move to a larger venue proved an incredible success. Highest ever rating to date, and an incredible, unprecedented financial gain. Once I saw that, I knew we were ready, and I wasn't going to wait as long to move to our next venue again. Our talent pool was deepening constantly, our fighters were gaining fame and acknowledgement from the press, which in turn continued to benefit NEI via association. Everything started coming together around then, that was when it wasn't only me who knew, but everyone in London as well who knew anything about anything knew....NEI was coming. As for our champions...as I said, our pool was constantly deepening and increasing, so I was in no rush to name anyone at the time.

Kismet 5 took a slight step back after the previous high but still turned in 77.74 rating with 930 attendees at the Underdog in London. Willy Wallace won the Main event of the evening with a narrow decision win over Franko Begbie. In the co main event of the evening, Kerry Lawson TKO'd Cain Smith at 1:50 seconds of the very first round. Other highlights include Bongo Bongo earning a TKO victory via some devastating knees. Yet another NC plagued the card in the featured main card bout which brought down the rating quite a bit.

Alexi: With your 10th event in the books and your org just barely 2 months into existence, what did you think of how the org had done so far?

Jolon: Stupendously. We emerged on the scene with a bang and simply continued to grow. Once the first couple of kinks were sorted, there was frankly no stopping us.

Alexi: You were 10 events into existence yet no champions have been crowned to this point, any reasoning as to why you did not crown any champions in your first 10 events?

Jolon: There is a side to this business that the public sees, then there's a side that the public doesn't see. And the side the public doesn't see is the actual business side of the business. I won't go into incredible detail, as that would no doubt bore everyone. But to put it simply, a lot of that involves your relationship with your fighters. Too many times have I seen organizations rush to name their champions and their representatives to the public, only for it to bite them in the ass one way or the other, whether it was due to the financial encumbrances they took on so rashly by forcing themselves to so quickly pay a champion's salary, or whether it was due to the champion leaving them in his wake, leaving them in the dredges of a dust cloud. I was determined not to make that mistake, so I bided my time, built relationships with my fighters, ensured that I would not make the same mistakes.

Alexi: Entirely understandable for I made the same mistake, as in naming champion too soon and ended up having my 205 belt held hostage. At this point, what were your goals for your org in the coming months?

Jolon: Continue to grow. Nurture our talent. Become the greatest London has ever seen. That was always the primary goal. Put MMA back onto the map in the UK, and become a global threat. And with my business savvy, trust me, it's happening.

Alexi: Any closing thoughts Mr. Williams?

Jolon: Ignition 18, ladies and gentlemen. Burn the words in your mind. For it will be breaking the historical London event rating records. It will be the greatest MMA spectacle that the UK has EVER witnessed. Courtesy of NEI. In March....we go global.

Alexi: Thats all the time we have for today, tune in next week for another segment of NEI, A History.

 

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