Enjoy it while you can

[Sissypants]

It would appear that my worst nightmares for MMA are coming true.

2008 will be known as the year the cross promoters took over the sport. Say goodbye to matchmakers like Joe Silva being able to create competitive matchups with the best fighters on the planet year in and year out.

Say hello to Gary Shaw, Monte Cox, Mark Cuban, and now Donald Trump himself. Ahh the wonderful world of prize fighting in the cross promoted model. For all the ignorant fools that have been preaching cross promote your about to get what you asked for. I cant possibly see the affliction show failing anymore. If Fedor beats Timmy than Randy vs Fedor will be enormous, both fighters will make millions, and the competitive matchmaking that we see today to develop contenders and up and comers will completely vanish being replaced by the "slow buildup" model. With that kind of money no fighter with potential will sign with a top down matchmaking system anymore, fighters will be flocking to promoters like Gary Shaw who will protect and feed them weaker opponents to build their value for the big prize fights that Fedor vs Randy will prove can exist.

Say goodbye to future MMA video games being able to market and build familiarity with entire stables of up and comers and contenders, instead you'll get to play 5-6 big names and a mass of computer generated persona's. There will be no Madden phenomenon in MMA, there will be no Fighters Association in MMA. Prepare for a world of MMA where the only names that get promoted are the top 2-3 in their weight classes, and consequentially prepare for the weight classes to nearly double. Individual agents and promoters will soon be flocking to MMA to cash in, finding their own Kimbo Slice's to feed, build up, and brand their champion. The contender and up and comer ranks will de-evolve into regional circles due to the lack of national promotion simply due to the ability to make money out of local favoritism and inability to get a national scale prize fight due to risk-reward disparity, relevant contenders wont take a tough matchup from a virtual unknown.

More importantly, say goodbye to competitive style matchups for champions. MMA has a built in cop-out for strikers with so-so ground defense not to take wrestler matchups in that its "not exciting" or its "boring". If PBF's handlers can masterfully bob and weave his career through perfect matchups whether it be style, age, or relevance expect to see this kind of care 2 fold in MMA.

So I say to you, enjoy it while you can. Fedor vs Timmy is going to be great, as will most of the other fights on the affliction card along with their next 3-4 events. The next 9-10 UFC and WEC cards should all be enjoyable and competitively sound. In the year following Randy VS Fedor however, all this disparity and competition that once existed in MMA will begin to disappear, and so will I(I doubt I'll be missed).


The bottom line is, the face and structure of MMA itself is going to change dramatically over the next year and a half. I will not be surprised if the Fertitta's do in fact sell the UFC in the fall or spring, as Dana wont operate in a boxing type cross promotional setting.

If you read it, discuss. If you disagree, tell me why so I debate it.

[GreenDinosaur]

i read it. i agree.

[HowitZer]

The UFC is dominating the MMA landscape.

[bchen03]

Cross-promoting makes sense for these orgs cause they don't have enough good fighters in their stable. If any of these orgs ever got enough good fighters for themselves, they would stop cross-promoting...

[Sissypants]

Originally Posted by HowitZer

The UFC is dominating the MMA landscape.

That landscape is changing.

If Timmy vs Fedor is even remotely successful, that will set up Cuban and Trump to take Randy vs Fedor and turn it into the fight of the century.

When Randy and Fedor both make anywhere from 5-10 million from one fight, you can bet your ass the top names in MMA will be flocking to guys like Monte Cox, Gary Shaw, hell I'm willing to bet you Don King, Golden Boy, and other boxing promoters will start signing on fighters to market and cross promote with.

Idiots will see this as a good thing, but what it means is no more revenue will be going into a governing body, and much less revenue will be going back into growing the sport. The strength of MMA wont be based on the strength of the SPORT anymore, it will be based on the strength of its fighters popularity. Guys like Gary Shaw have mastered the art of building up a fighter's value and popularity. I'd say Dana White mastered the art of building up a sport, but that'd be inaccurate as I feel Joe Silva is 10X more responsible for the UFC's brand quality than Dana is.

[Sissypants]

Originally Posted by bchen03

Cross-promoting makes sense for these orgs cause they don't have enough good fighters in their stable. If any of these orgs ever got enough good fighters for themselves, they would stop cross-promoting...

Exactly.

Cross promotion is like communism. In theory its supposed to be the best possible government for the people, but in practice it never works the way its supposed to. Cross promoting creates so many problems, most notably in competitive integrity and in growth.

[heavymetalnick]

Originally Posted by Sissypants

Prepare for a world of MMA where the only names that get promoted are the top 2-3 in their weight classes

This would really suck

[Archaelleon]

If UFC gets a TV deal soon they may be able to thwart this. If EXC got such great ratings, a UFC show with legitimate fighters would be huge. If they get ratings like that they'll start getting big time sponsors (see Bud Light) and be able to pay the fighters more. That plus the mainstream exposure could save them.

[antKNOX]

You do raise a point & I don't doubt that it'll ever happen.

[Hydroburger]

If the UFC gets a network deal within the next 6-12, which isn't entirely unlikely, your entire theory is worthless.

No offense.

Sure, EXC received good ratings, but could you imagine a UFC show on NBC, ABC, or FOX?