Michigan promoter reveals own highs and lows during state's drive toward pro MMA
For every wannabe Dana White in existence, Joe Donofrio has a warning: Be careful what you wish for.
Donofrio is the promoter of record for the Jan. 30 "Malice at The Palace" event in Auburn Hills, Mich., one of the first regulated professional mixed martial arts shows in Michigan's history, and he knows well the process of taking the sport to an unregulated market.
But Donofrio warns aspiring promoters that there are a variety of potholes on the paved road to promotional success, not the least of which is the rules adopted by the agency when it begins regulation in the first place.
"When Marc Ratner retired as the Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director, and was about to start his new job with the UFC, I told him, 'Listen, you've got to come to Michigan,'" Donofrio recently told MMAjunkie.com (
www.mmajunkie.com). "'We need the UFC in Michigan. I think it's a great market.' He said, 'We're coming there in two weeks to speak before the Senate committee.' I said, 'I'll be there.'"
A longtime boxing promoter, Donofrio saw the growing popularity of mixed martial arts and was hooked. He wanted to be involved, and he attended the hearing that would eventually result in the organization of the Michigan Unarmed Combat Commission to oversee the sport in the state.
Donofrio credits the UFC with helping Michigan regulators realize the importance of bringing the sport to the state, but he also feels the sport's biggest promotion may have added a few regulations that make true grassroots growth of professional MMA very difficult.
"It wasn't exactly as I hoped it would be," Donofrio admitted. "There were so many stipulations that would make it difficult for a small-time promoter to be successful. One of them was you have to have a minimum of 30 rounds (on a card), which would be 10 three-round fights. You can't have a pro-am card. The fee to do the show is $2,000 compared to $125 for boxing. And then the fighters have to have a CT scan and EKG, all that stuff.
"So it's kind of difficult for anybody to be profitable doing a professional show here in Michigan. That was probably by design."
Donofrio, who is the first to admit he's not a medical professional, thinks perhaps the extensive testing could be reserved for older fighters and those who have shown previous reason for concern. Nevertheless, the promoter admits fighter safety is of the utmost concern, and simply hopes the commission will at least revisit the fees one day in the future.
In the meantime, Donofrio is pleased that unlike a handful of states still looking to pass regulation, Michigan will no longer have to concern itself with unregulated events.
"I think the regulations in Michigan are pretty strict, but I think the rogue promoters need to be put in check," Donofrio said.
From Joes to pros
While Donofrio was waiting for the regulation of professional MMA in Michigan, he took to promoting amateur events. But before he put his product out for the public consumption, the promoter had to first envision it in his mind.
"If you see my show, I use the same stage as they do for rock concerts," Donofrio said. "I have that stage, and the fighters come up from behind. I've got all the lights, the smoke, the flames, the pyrotechnics. I've got all of that. They walk down the ramp to the cage. I've been doing that for three or four years.
"What I did, is about three or four years ago, the WWE was here at Ford Field. I went to watch them for one reason: to see how Vince McMahon does it. For them, it's all entertainment. But for me, I said, 'If I get into mixed martial arts, and I end up with some bad fights, I need to give people a night of entertainment.' So I did this big show. As it turned out, I had 11 fights, and they were all fantastic. So above and beyond doing a huge, big show, the fights were good. I got lucky."
Donofrio partnered his creative vision with that of a major venue, and he believes the relationship has been a key component of his success.
"I partnered with The Palace of Auburn Hills, which is where the Detroit Pistons play, and it was a very lenient financial arrangement," Donofrio said. "The kind of deal they did with me, they wouldn't do for anybody else. They're great, great people to work with, and it's an honorable building. The owners and the people that run it are honorable, straight-up people, and in this business of MMA, that helps me to be the best I can be."
Donofrio says giving back to the community is also a key factor toward becoming a successful and responsible business leader.
"I do several fundraisers for Leader Dogs for the Blind and Multiple Sclerosis," Donofrio said. "My next show, part of the proceeds are going to the Haitian victims."
Donofrio's next show, "Malice at The Palace," was to be his greatest achievement. Instead, in a twist that shows just how cutthroat the promoting world can be, he's been forced to play second fiddle.
"I had planned for this for three or four months to be the first pro show in Michigan, and to have it be a big show," Donofrio said. "In November, I announced that Jan. 30 was the opening date that I had, then these other guys decided to do a small show in a bar. It kind of took the wind out of my sail.
"They snuck in with the small show, and unfortunately, it's just something we have to live with."
The show must go on
Despite the setback, and as any promoter will tell you, the show must go on.
Donforio, who has drawn as many as 10,000 fans to his previous shows and expects a similar number on Saturday night, did just that. In the headlining role, Donofrio secured an experienced professional fighter and current TV host, Jimmy Smith (5-1) of the Discovery Channel's "Fight Quest."
Outside of the broadcasting realm, Smith is notable for his wins over "The Ultimate Fighter 9" winner James Wilks, fellow television personality Jason Chambers, and current MMA manager Matt Stansell.
"Smith is popular, and he's got his TV show," Donofrio said. "He's very well-known, and he speaks well. He presents himself well, and I needed to have a face to identify with the event on Saturday. I needed to have a spokesperson. That was him.
"We got a kid here in Michigan to face him that's real, real tough, and I think it's going to be an exceptional bout."
Time well tell if Donofrio is right, but there is little opportunity for him to worry about that now. With fight day rapidly approaching, there is still much to be done.
"I'm a one-man show, so it's been 60 days, from 7 a.m. to midnight, Monday to Sunday," Donofrio said. "The only time I take time off is to go to church on Sunday. I haven't seen my family in probably three weeks.
"Everything is on the backburner when I put on a show. My friends know not to call me. I'm on lockdown."
Donofrio isn't sure what the future holds for professional MMA in Michigan. With the UFC leading the charge for regulation, a return visit for the first time since UFC 9 in 1996 would seem a near certainty. But Donofrio believes he might continue his focus on amateur MMA as well, and he believes more promoters across the country should consider doing the same.
And it's not just promoters that Donofrio believes could benefit from the change.
"MMA is in its infancy stage right now," Donofrio said. "I've been doing boxing for years. When a boxer turns pro he could have between 20 and 150 amateur fights. You don't see that in MMA. I've got a kid an my card that just turned pro. He had one amateur fight. Is he ready to turn pro? He's a great fighter. But people that experience in the cage, there's some survival skills there.
"To me, and this is just my opinion, I think they should have a minimum of 10 amateur fights. That's just for the safety of the fighter. I might get booed and heckled when I say that, but I think some of these amateurs need a little more experience before turning pro."
While those changes may someday come, for now Donofrio will just worry about Saturday. Entering into his 16th MMA event, Donofrio insists he has yet to turn much of a profit – something aspiring promoters will certainly want to note. Instead, the veteran Michigan promoters says he's simply engaging in a labor of love.
"It's been a great undertaking and a great challenge," Donofrio said. "I know we won't make any money with this show, but we'll see where it goes. I'm looking forward to it.
"I think I've earned a good reputation for providing quality shows in both boxing and MMA. Mixed martial arts has been a challenge, but it's my passion."
