Interview with Joe Cavallaro World Championship Fighting Promoter
NR - Hey Joe, could you tell our readers a little about your background with mixed martial arts?
JC - I came out of boxing, actually. I’ve been around martial arts since I was a little kid, a lot like everybody else. I think when I was 7 or 8 years old, I started karate, and it was something that I enjoyed. I then did kenpo karate for a number of years and then evolved from that into kickboxing and into boxing.
While I wasn’t a tremendous boxer, a lot of the guys that I worked out with were very, very good. One of the guys that I worked with was Dana Rosenblatt, who was the middleweight champ of the world at one time back in the 90’s. So, I got a good experience being in the gym working out with the guys like Dana, and Marcus Davis, as far as the fight business. I thought, here is a guy that I train with everyday, and he went on to be the world champ. So, I’ve always been a fan of business in general and would ask the business questions. Why are you putting that in? What are you doing that? In boxing there are a lot of different things that you can negotiate. So I would always ask those questions and was fascinated with that end of the business. I was involved in boxing for years and years, and Dana White is a dear friend of mine. When Dana got involved in the UFC, I started working with some of the fighters in mixed martial arts, which had always been my passion, and I just kind of fell into it.
NR - You have had some impressive fight cards in the past including fighters like Jon Jones, Sam Hoger, and Danny Lauzon, who went on to be stars in the sport. Can you tell me about someone on this card that you consider as a star-in-the-making?
JC - One of the things that we are very fortunate to have here in the northeast is the caliber of the fighters. I tell people all the time, I can go out and book these venues and events, but it’s the fighters that make the events. The reason that our brand has been so successful is that we have the best fighters in the northeast. The guys that want to come in here and get tested have the opportunity to come in here and push themselves. We are very fortunate to have a lot of the top camps in the country right here. You have Mark Dellagrotte’s Sityodtong, Marcus Davis has a gym, Kenny Florian has his martial arts center, Jorge Rivera has got his, Tom Hafers has US MMA, there’s Renzo Gracie New Hampshire, and the list goes on and on.
On this next card, in particular, there is a guy named Noah Weisman. He is a young, up-and-coming kid who just had his first loss in a very, very tough fight. He just said to me “I want to move right up the ladder”, and he went in there with one of our top fighters, a guy named John Benoit and gave him all that he could handle for the whole fight. It was a very exciting fight.
NR - I know that you like to see your guys like Jon Jones and Danny Lauzon make it into the UFC, but is there a part of you that would rather see them stay and fight on your cards?
JC - Would I like to have had Jon Jones for another five fights? Without a doubt. I think that it’s great. One thing about our organization is we like to leave them with aspirations to do big things.
My thing was to have a show in Boston, which is my hometown, and also to have the best fights in our area. I think that we do that. We put on a very professional show. I understand all of these aspects that make the event run well, but it’s a double edge sword. I want to see the guys do well and want to see them get the opportunity to get on pay per view and make a lot more money. The other side of that is that you would like to have the guys stick around a little longer.
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NR - What do you see as being the most challenging issues when dealing with the lead-up to the fight?
JC - We have a new athletic commission here in the state of Massachusetts and they have been great. They’re number one concern is public safety and I completely understand that.
One particular challenge that we have had with this particular event (World Championship Fighting 10) is the boxing commission in Massachusetts doesn’t regulate amateur mixed martial arts. We usually do one show a quarter but we haven’t been able to do that. So, some of the fighters that we usually have fight with us have gone and fought on some other cards to stay busy. That means that we are dealing with some new camps on this card.
NR - Being a fight fan yourself and as the promoter of a flourishing mid-level promotion, do you have the opportunity when the fights come around to sit and relax and actually watch the main fights?
JC - I wish that I did. It’s funny, if you get into the business and expect to be able to sit and watch the fights yourself, that’s not what it’s about. I’m working from the minute I get there until the minute that I leave. It’s a good solid four days of setting up. It’s a lot of work and its very rewarding, I get to watch the tapes afterward, but I don’t get to sit as much as I’d like to. I keep telling myself that one of these days I’m going to, but it hasn’t happened yet.
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NR - What do you look at after the event when evaluating whether you had a good event, ok event, or lousy event?
JC - The numbers are obviously important, it is a business, but at the end of the day, my first and foremost concern is to make sure that nobody gets hurt. Everybody knows that when they come to our event, they are going to get a nice event.
I want my show to be somewhere where you can bring your kids. I do have to make sure that the fans are happy and everyone is having a good time. For the fighters: that everybody gets treated fairly, get paid on time, and my staff treats them well and they treat my staff well; those are very important things to me.
Obviously revenue, we need to put some butts in the seats. We typically sell about 4,000 seats, so we are one of the biggest promotions in the northeast.
We also need good fights, but that kind of goes without saying. My matchmaker makes some interesting fights and we get some good fights.
NR - What do you have planned for World Championship Fighting in the near future?
JC - Right now we are working and I have two different verbal commitments from two different venues in New England area. I’m one of those guys that really tries not and say something until I do it. But, we have two different verbal commitments from two different venues to do two shows in the New England area.
I’d like to do eight shows this year maybe. I’ve been very careful on coming out and making bold statements but we do need to do more shows and keep the guys that are loyal to use busier.
I would really like to do some belts. That’s the key. We bring in a guy and keep him busy. It’s really about building stars. That’s what the UFC does so well. Like the Rashad and Rampage fight. Everyone that watched that fight picked a side, whether you liked Rampage or Rashad, it really didn’t matter. They really got you interested in the fighters, and that’s what we need to do a little more of on the regional level.
NR - You have stated that you would like to eventually get to that pay-per-view level and bring belts into the organization, is there anything else in the long-term plans?
JC - Those are the keys. I mean, you always have these new organizations saying that they are going to knock the UFC off the block, and it looks easy, but it’s a different type of business. You have to be committed to doing it and there is a lot to understand. I remembered when I first started Dana said to me “you don’t know what you don’t know”, and I kind of gave him this look. He was absolutely right. There is just a lot of stuff that you just don’t know. It’s a learning experience, it’s been a blast, it’s been fun, but there has been a learning curve.
NR - You have had stars at some of your past events like Kenny Florian and Rampage Jackson. Do you expect any of stars at this event?
JC - I know Marcus Davis is coming, Jorge Rivera is going to try and come down, I think Danny Lauzon is going to be there. I have an invitation out to Kenny (Florian). I have an invitation out to the Celtics. Some of the Celtics came out to the last event. (Rajon) Rondo, (Kendrick) Perkins, (Glen) “Big Baby” (Davis), so depending on what happens with the series, they have an open invitation.
That’s a fun thing to bring those guys into our fights. We had Dana at one of our events, we had the Tapout guys come out and film, we have really been fortunate to have a lot of cool people come out. I think the fans enjoy it.
NR - Ok Joe, I know that you are busy with the fight coming up, so I would like to thank you for your time. I really think that your organization is on the way up and you have an understanding of what it takes to succeed. Thanks again.
JC - No problem, if you’re ever in the area and want to come to our event, you have an open invitation.
By Nick Russell
ProFighting-fans.com Senior MMA Staff Writer