MMA Prophecies part 1, UFC two team attack

THE BOOK OF MMA PROPHECIES

A look into the many possible futures of MMA.
Prophecies translated by Andrew McGuigan.

“The bald headed monster continues to fight across the globe, but cannot be in all places at once, and the world shall weep, impatient for war. A second identical head is grown, and conflict is increased two fold.”

UFC two team attack

Where are we now?

Every year Dana White and Co. reach further abroad to find new countries and venues for UFC shows. Although the frequency of events has increased over the years, the UFC is still a one team show. Joe and Goldie, Buffer and the ring girls- familiar voices, faces and bodies to all fans.

Unfortunately constant global expansion can leave previously romanced countries impatiently waiting for more love and feeling jealousy toward each new conquest.
‘When are they coming back to us?’
‘I thought they said we were getting two shows and a Fight Night this year?’
With Brazil, Sweden, Philippines, China and Japan expected to be colonised by the UFC within the next few years, the problem of events being spread too infrequently across too many territories is only going to get worse.

Take for example the UK UFC event history. There were three UK events in 2007, three in 2008, with two in 2009 and another in Ireland. There was only one UK UFC in 2010, and only one is rumoured so far for 2011. Ireland has done without since 2009, with a rumoured UFC 112 return cancelled when the Abu Dhabi debut went ahead. Could one show per year in each overseas country become the new standard? This pattern is already starting to emerge in Germany, UK and Australia.

A cynical person could think that the UFC’s plan is to roll into every country, get the fans hooked with a few shows before moving on to conquer another country. Perhaps the long term profit comes from instigating TV deals, and encouraging PPV customers, with the live shows serving as bait.

There is no doubt it is a tough balancing act for the UFC, they have to be very careful not to overreach, even as they remain number one.
Producing and advertising for a foreign show is extremely expensive, especially when missing out on American PPV dollars. Overseas cards are often free to view, a consequence of unsocial opposing time-zones, and line-ups that are sometimes percieved by casual fans to have a lack of ‘Star Power.’

Massive growth in the sport of MMA is not just an issue for event hungry fans either.
Dedicated MMA gyms and teams are rising up around the world with increasing numbers of young fighters looking to compete beyond regional shows. When comparing the amount of smaller MMA shows ready for new fighters and the spaces available on the limited UFC ‘big shows,’ we see a wide-based pyramid that is counter-productive to making use of the next generations best fighters.

Is the UFC truly aiming to be a mainstream sport brand installed around the world, or is it limiting itself by being a one show pony?

What will change?

We don’t know exactly how Zuffa’s buyout of Strikeforce will affect MMA in the long term. The UFC of the future will certainly require more than one production team, could the Strikeforce staff be it? A second team could concentrate on putting on regular Fight Night shows, or be dedicated to touring Europe, allowing the current classic team to stay in America or journey abroad for the important fan impressing ‘honey-trap’ shows in new territories.

It is a complicated plan to execute, and certainly not just a case of throwing a new Octagon in a truck with new commentators and camera men and hitting the road. The UFC brand and production values need to be identical so that ticket buying fans do not feel cheated.
Purist fans will initially cry out for Buffer, for Rogan and Goldie, but there are many great existing MMA pundits available for work, as well as fighters who always bring a unique point of view when commentating. How great would it be to hear Bas Rutten, Stephen Quadros or Mauro Ranallo on a UFC show, partnered with Jens Pulver, Kenny Florian etc?

In reality, for the home fans actually attending an event, the main difference would be the presence of Bruce Buffer. The live fan does not get to hear the televised commentary, and ring girls lose a lot of important aesthetic detail when viewed from the cheap seats. Bruce Buffer is of course, an irreplaceable UFC institution, but there are other seasoned masters of ceremony available for additional pro, including Strikeforce’s own Jimmy Lennon Jr, and of course UK MMA legend Ian Freeman.

One secondary benefit will be the need for the recruitment of substantially more ring girls. This will no doubt prompt sparkling debate from men around the world concerning their relative strengths as personable human beings.

Likelihood and timescale

At the present rate of expansion the UFC surely has to consider using multiple touring Octagons and production teams within two years. All of the hard work Dana and the Fertittas have done to bring MMA to new countries and audiences will start to unravel without at least semi-regular events in main cities.

It may not end at two teams either! Countries like Brazil or Japan will obviously benefit from home grown presenters and commentators to avoid language and culture complications. With this team already assembled, and venues waiting nearby, all that are missing are the cage, cameras and production team. Look 20 years into the future and think how much more consolidated the UFC brand will be. It is easy to image every country having its own UFC production team, the ideal staging ground between independent regional MMA, and the big time all-star championship show.


Andrew McGuigan

A dedicated second division under the UFC

The time is right for a dedicated two league system of MMA.

Too many fighters get cut from the UFC only to find themselves out of the TV spotlight and looking for regional shows.
Too many fighters lose valuable career months being caught up in contracts that stop them from competing for rival organisations.

Conflict between promotions gets us nowhere as a sport. Affliction vs UFC, Strikeforce vs UFC…..it all just creates bickering, and the belittlement of great fighters by promoters- just because they don’t fight for their organisation.

That helps no-one, it’s not good for the sport and only fuels forum trolling.
Put aside all pointless promotional loyalty, and think about it from the perspective of fighters, fans, and the future stability of MMA. Nobody wants to see a potential promotion battle that ends with only one survivor. That is not good business.

If it can be acknowledged that the UFC have the largest world foothold in MMA (the most shows, most countries, widest world TV coverage) then they are the League One of MMA.
If the UFC are League One, Strikeforce would obviously be League Two.

If the idea of Strikeforce being League Two fills you with anti Zuffa-shill rage, please feel free to place an imaginary organisation as the League Two promotion. It doesn’t matter to me, I am using them because I think that bias aside, they are the logical second position huge promotion.

This is not just a case of ‘Why can’t we all just get along.’ This is not Co-promotion, or an attempt to look down on League Two fighters either.
Championhip football teams in England are supported with no less passion than Premier League teams. It is simply a necessity in a sport that is expanding quickly, that there is a more logical structure to the two biggest shows.

There has to be a more dedicated step below the UFC and above regional shows, and there are numerous benefits in having a definite league one, league two approach.

Great for the fighters: revolving doors at the bottom of the UFC and the top of Strikeforce. Two separate organisations commentary teams could actually mention and compliment the other’s fighters without it being perceived a threat to personal business. An agreement between promotions regarding smooth contact transitions means fighters would keep food on the table.

Great for both organisations: The UFC has a constant supply of winning fighters who have proved themselves in League Two, who are known to fans. Strikeforce have a constant supply of fighters who there just isn’t room for on UFC rosters. Fighters that have not peaked yet, or have peaked but still have a lot of great fights in them.
League Two will also showcase more exciting new stars who are on their way up.

Great for the fans: Instead of struggling together, two separate organisations could streamline a fighter’s career path and put more energy into MMA expansion.


So there it is.
Unlikely to ever happen, as companies rarely cut through the bull for the benefit of others, and very unlikely Strikeforce would accept the role of League Two.

That aside, do you agree that it could work as a system? Perhaps with another promoter as a dedicated League Two?
If you are a fighter, would you welcome a defined two league system?

GUEST POST: Fedor Emelianenko Takes On Fabricio Werdum in a Joint Strikeforce/M1 Spectacular By Alexia Krause

The Strikeforce event on June 26^th is bound to be one for the books as Strikeforce mixed martial arts joins up with M-1 Global to bring some of the toughest fighters in the world together within one caged ring. This is an extra special event because it combines Strikeforce MMA with M-1 Global, which allows it to be a complete world showcase of some of the world's best fighters. This showcase has a huge title card as Fedor Emelianenko (who is actually a co-owner of M-1 Global) takes on Fabricio Werdum in a heavyweight bout that promises to entertain.

Fedor Emelianenko- also known as "The Last Emperor"- holds a record of 31-1. His only recorded loss comes from the fact that his fight with Tsuyoshi Kohsaka was stopped when Emelianenko suffered a gash in the opening seconds of the fight. Even though he has a loss to tarnish his undefeated streak, "The Last Emperor" understands that numbers don't mean anything when you're inside the cage.

Fedor has been at the top as the best heavyweight in the world for the better part of the last decade. He has taken down Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipović, Mark Coleman, and Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira on his way there. On June 26^th, he goes up against Fabricio Werdum (the number 9 heavyweight in the world) for a showdown that's bound to define the two fighters and the event.

Even though Emelianenko is among the top heavyweights in the world, he will have a lot on his hands going up against the jiu-jitsu technician, Fabricio Werdum. Werdum is known as "Vai Cavalo" or "Leading Horse" which speaks to his wild and free nature in the ring. It looks like Emelianenko will be tasked with taming Werdum if he wants that victory.

Despite this exciting main card, the June 26^th Strikeforce will feature much more heated action. In fact, many more people are looking forward to the top woman in the world, Cris "Cyborg" Santos taking on Jan Finney. Most feel that Cyborg will take out Finney pretty easily and glide on to an effortless victory (even more so considering that Finney's nickname is "Cuddles"), but Finney has been known to be scrappy making the fight a good one to watch. 

With some of the best male heavyweight and female featherweight fighters clashing on the same night, the June 26^th Strikeforce event is destined to be an exciting evening for MMA fans.

Alexia is a lifelong fan of sports and fitness. Recently, she's been obsessed with MMA. As a result, she has joined forces with MMA Industries- purveyors of widely popular MMA gloves and shirts. Alexia has been writing about the latest developments in MMA training equipment for the past few years, and continues to bring you the latest news in the mixed martial arts world.