The UK Sun's resident sports entertainment icon Paul Heyman has brought up some truly interesting questions regarding Donald Trump's involvement in potential UFC competitor "Affliction Mixed Martial Arts."

 

"Does Trump have the time to battle Dana White, who lives, eats, drinks, sleeps, and breathes UFC?" Heyman, the former WWE and ECW creative visionary,  wrote in his weekly blog that you can read in entirety at this link: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/article1287649.ece.

 

Heyman continued, "Does Trump have the time to get on the phone and persuade fighters, networks, or video game companies that doing business with Affliction means doing business with the Trump brand name?  Is Trump going to take the time to demonstrate "the art of the deal" with DVD distributors, magazine publishers, pay per view and satellite companies with whom Affliction needs to conduct business on a daily basis?  Come to think of it, what IS Trump's involvement in the Affliction promotion? Is he a consultant? Is he handling negotiations with production companies and possibly assisting in the pitches to television networks? Is he simply lending his name, like he has done in the past with other projects, but is really "hands-off" on any or all day-to-day decisions and operations?"

 

Heyman raises some very interesting questions regarding the real estate mogul's involvement in MMA's newest challenger to the UFC empire. The former lead writer for World Wrestling Entertainment's Smackdown and ECW on Sci Fi franchises also states, " I am not suggesting Trump is only in the MMA game for the short run. Some people asked similar questions when shipping magnate George Steinbrenner bought into the New York Yankees. Maybe The Donald is so enamored with MMA, or at least Tito Ortiz and Jenna Jameson, that he's really going to make a go of it. Maybe Trump wants, needs, or craves the excitement that an exploding industry can provide.  Maybe Trump wants to create a new style MMA television program and put Ivanka in charge, the same way Vince made his daughter Stephanie in charge of creative and talent in WWE? Hey, you have to admit, there are more than a few similarities between Stephanie and Ivanka, and that's not an insult to either."

 

It's a very interesting look at Trump's investment of money and also his investment of time in the  Affliction MMA promotion. Heyman, who has both lambasted and defended WWE Chairman Vince McMahon in his blogs, seems to be of the opinion that for Trump to really make a difference, he's going to have to be more than just a public face for the Affliction promotion. 

And he compares Ivana to Stephanie McMahon, too. Heyman knows how to make his blogs extreme!

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