UFC Primetime: GSP vs BJ Penn

To build hype for the UFC's Super Bowl weekend card, headlined by Georges St-Pierre vs BJ Penn II, the UFC has launched a three episode special with Spike entitled "UFC Primetime" that will look at the training and preparation that both GSP and Penn are taking for their super fight. The production cost of the three episode arc is steep -about $1.7 million.

If this concept of hyping a big match with a multi-part special sounds familiar that's probably because UFC Primetime is basically a replica of the 24/7 series that HBO boxing used to great success initially to hype the Oscar De la Hoya vs. Floyd Mayweather fight and then to hype subsequent fights.

It's interesting to note that UFC President Dana White made some unflattering comments about boxing just last month in a interview with the Long Beach Press-Telegram.

"I used (boxing) as the blueprint of what not to do. Boxing
doesn't do what I would do if I was running one of these cards."

I guess that blueprint just excludes ripping off good idea's from boxing like say, creating a series that shows the training of the fighters, shows the polarizing personalities of the combatants and builds intrigue with plenty of trash talk.