Winter MMA Schedule Looks Lackluster

by Benjamin.Zeidler on Feb 2, 2009 4:19 PM EST Comment 26 comments

As busy as January 2009 was for ardent and casual MMA fans alike (two UFCs, one WEC, one Affliction, and two Texas-sized title fights), it’s about to get equally quiet. Much of the excitement layoff stems from poor long term scheduling. Every UFC champion with the exception of Anderson Silva has fought in the past two months, rendering the bulk of the UFC’s draw useless until the spring. Anderson Silva will mark the UFC’s return to pay-per-view notoriety at a UFC 97 event, but that’s still two months away.

Until then, it’s nothing but ex-TUFers, debuting fighters, and guys two or three wins away from the title picture. A Fight Night event next weekend bring Joe Lauzon and Jeremy Stephens to the forefront of the card while fan favorites Mac Danzig and Anthony Johnson round out the card. Yes, it will be interesting to watch these prospects further develop their skills, but we won’t be treated to any fights of the year.

The next numbered event comes in the form of UFC 95, a interesting albeit meaningless matchup between Diego Sanchez (at his natural weight) against former contender Joe Stevenson. The winner should move into the top 5 picture within the UFC lightweights, but for now, the impact of this main event is minimal. Personally, I’m more interested in seeing Chael Sonnen make his UFC debut against submission wizard Demian Maia. The winner of this bout should be able to make a case for title contention, but it’s obvious that the card is no UFC 92.

The mediocrity continues at UFC 96, which is scheduled for March 7th. The main event, again, is interesting, but considering the remainder of the card, I wouldn’t pay $20 to see it. After Jackson vs. Jardine, which is likely intended to propel Jackson to a title shot, this card offers nothing. From the way the fights are shaping up, it appears that Mark Munoz, Jim Miller, and Mike Patt will make the televised portion of the evening. That’s not pretty.

Instead of falling directly into what could be a strong UFC 97, the UFC has decided to put on yet another Fight Night, this time pushing Carlos Condit to the top of the batting order. Condit vs. Kampmann should be a fun tune-up for the ex-WEC star and as a longtime fan of the sport, I can say that I’m looking forward to this fight. However, anyone outside the inner circle of MMA knowledge will likely abandon this free event.

Finally, the MMA world will reach UFC 97, scheduled for April 18th, over two months from today. While the card has a title fight (Silva vs. Leites) and a match for the casual fans (Liddell vs. Rua), it’s still no UFC 92 or 94. For that, the fans will have to wait until UFC 98, when the Heavyweight title will be on the line in addition to a grudge match between Matt Hughes and Matt Serra. I expect the UFC to hold its champions until its 100th show, although I wouldn’t be downright shocked to see them pull out another title fight to complement Silva’s all-but-assured middleweight defense.

Unfortunately, with the downfall of EliteXC and the spacing of Affliction shows, the UFC can afford to ration its talent and make the fans wait for the big shows to happen. And from the looks of the remaining winter schedule, it appears that we will have to do just that.

The FanPosts are solely the subjective opinions of Bloody Elbow readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Bloody Elbow editors or staff.

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I agree with the majority of your fanpost. However,

Yes, it will be interesting to watch these prospects further develop their skills, but we won’t be treated to any fights of the year.

I don’t think it’s necessary to have two ‘name’ fighters involved for a fight of the year type fight to take place.

by Kelvin Hunt on Feb 2, 2009 4:29 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I agree. They don’t have to be brand names, necessarily, but I think that more talented fighters have a better chance of putting on a great show as opposed to…Steve Bruno vs. Matt Riddle.

by Benjamin.Zeidler on Feb 2, 2009 5:03 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Three words:

Japanese. Featherweight. Tournaments.

DREAM.7 on March 8th, Sengoku VIII on March 20th.

by Chris Nelson on Feb 2, 2009 4:34 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Bellator FC will also be having their tournaments.
March/April is also suppose to be the return of Strikeforce, New EliteXC, etc.

Plenty outside of the UFC.
Also, the MFC is putting on a GREAT card on HDNet.

by MMASuPreMaCy on Feb 2, 2009 4:36 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

DREAM

Hey, I’d love to a see a featherweight tourney, but with DREAM’s reported financial troubles, I’ll believe it when we get a little bit closer. Even still, that leaves us until March 20th.

As far as Strikeforce and new Elite….I think the words “supposed to be” say enough.

by Benjamin.Zeidler on Feb 2, 2009 4:40 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

What financial troubles? Show me. And I don’t mean “DREAM pays Nick Diaz late”, that is not a real indication they’re in trouble.

The FWGP is official, along with the rest of DREAM’s 2009 schedule. DREAM 7 and Sengoku VII might be the best MMA cards this spring, considering the weak UFC lineup.

by smoogy on Feb 2, 2009 4:49 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

not just Diaz, it’s happened over and over: http://mmajunkie.com/news/13326/reports-of-dreams-fighter-payment-woes-continue-to-surface.mma

I love DREAM as much as the next guy, but they need to get their internal act together if they’re looking for longevity.

by Benjamin.Zeidler on Feb 2, 2009 4:53 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Here’s Kid Nate, saying that Dream is “on the ropes.” I think that they’re less “on the ropes” following some great shows, but I wouldn’t say they’re in the clear.

http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2008/8/26/601985/japanese-mma-in-big-troubl

by Benjamin.Zeidler on Feb 2, 2009 4:55 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

There are rumors that Dream is about to lose their major sponsor.

http://www.japan-mma.com/2009/01/what-happened-to-dream-sponsors.html

by Michaelthebox on Feb 2, 2009 4:55 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

All rumors and nothing concrete.
DREAM is supposed to have a huge announcement in the next week or so.

WVR is blowing up at the same time.

by MMASuPreMaCy on Feb 2, 2009 5:03 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

We’ll see.

by Michaelthebox on Feb 2, 2009 5:10 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Heiwa is indeed sponsoring DREAM 7, so Japan-MMA just jumped the gun on the preview banner.

Kid Nate admitted he was totally wrong about DREAM before, so take his post with a grain of salt. DREAM is still on TV, and Meltzer obviously isn’t paying close attention to Sengoku. They now have a highlight show on TV Tokyo, a full 2009 schedule and are signing lots of fighters.

Like I said already, the late payment stuff is not necessarily a sign of financial trouble. Josh Gross has stated that this is hardly a new phenomenon for foreign fighters competing in Japan.

All indications are that DREAM and Sengoku are in for the long term. DREAM in particular draws larger live crowds and TV Audiences than UFC on a regular basis.

by smoogy on Feb 2, 2009 5:37 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I’m genuinely asking this because I genuinely don’t know: wouldn’t DREAM be on PPV if they could generate Japanese buys that way?

by subo on Feb 2, 2009 5:41 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

DREAM is still on PPV in Japan as far as I know, though they’re usually delayed by a few hours. They also air edited versions of the shows on free TV.

by Chris Nelson on Feb 2, 2009 5:50 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

The shows that aren’t aired on TBS usually get a live PPV on SkyPerfectTV. But, like the UK and a lot of other markets, Japanese are not accustomed to buying PPV events, so the return on those events is surely below what they get for TV and sponsorship fees on a prime time TBS show.

An interesting shift has happened recently, as well. Before, you could order the live PPV for most of these shows, even if an edited, tape-delayed version aired on TBS hours later. For the most recent event, you could not order the PPV until after the TV version ended. This would seem to indicate that either TBS or DREAM are taking a more serious stance on exclusivity, which is probably a good thing. It could portend positive movements in the TV landscape, like Sengoku or even UFC landing a decent TV partnership.

by smoogy on Feb 2, 2009 6:06 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Hey, if they’re making more money not doing PPV, it makes sense.

by subo on Feb 2, 2009 11:27 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Technically, the remainder of the winter schedule looks lackluster. The first half kicked ass.

by Michaelthebox on Feb 2, 2009 4:44 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I realized after the most recent UFC ppv that even if a show looks amazing on paper, it could still blow. And vice versa.

So..

by lbk on Feb 2, 2009 5:32 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

-Every champ was once a young/debuting fighter. This is where they come from, so pay attention.
-How do you know we won’t see any fights of the year? Remember Guida/Griffin on the under card of Franklin/Okami?
-Diego/Stevenson meaningless? The winner is likely to get the next title shot after Florian. This is a big fight for both guys.
-Jim Miller is a great fighter to watch. I’m not sure if you are looking for exciting fights or just familiar names.
-Why are you complaining so much about the the free events? I just dropped $ for 3 ppvs, so I am all about some free fights right now.

If you're not submitting, you're just rolling around with another guy.

by BJJDenver on Feb 2, 2009 9:57 PM EST reply actions 0 recs