In the aftermath of their featherweight tourney, Jordan Breen makes a point about Sengoku:

Now a year old, Sengoku's matchmaking and product is still every bit as esoteric as it was to begin with. It's no secret that when it comes to MMA, Japan is amidst the latter part of its cultural boom-bust cycle. As with all things that become reinvigorated -- but especially sports -- it takes truly particular and engaging personalities to galvanize the Japanese public, the way that the likes of Bob Sapp, Hidehiko Yoshida, Masato and others played pivotal roles in the kakutougi boom in years past.

WVR have made nominal attempts to snare some casual interest, using popular figures like the aforementioned Yoshida and Josh Barnett, playing into historical storylines with the use of Brazilian jiu-jitsu stars like Roger Gracie and Alexandre "Xande" Ribeiro, and trying to build Japanese aces like Takanori Gomi and Kazuo Misaki. However, it's extremely telling that the first-ever bout the promotion staged was Nick Thompson against Fabricio Monteiro -- two rock-solid welterweights, both virtually unknown to non-hardcore fans.

These sorts of matchups typify Sengoku's product. Despite the fact the promotion has yet to do anything even remotely close to turning a profit, WVR has consistently continued to craft an event that caters mostly to the most ardent cadre of MMA fans, the sorts with accounts to multiple MMA torrent websites, who find joy in live streams of D-level shows from the Midwest, and who are excited by the fact that WVR consistently chooses some of the most deserving-but-overlooked Japanese fighters, and unheralded-but-outstanding foreign talent to populate its card. For casual fans on either side of the Pacific, the charm is lost.

Leland Rolling (like many hardcore fans) is very appreciative:

Nonetheless, the hardcore fanbase appreciates World Victory Road's efforts to bring quality bouts to the fans. The Featherweight Grand Prix alone has some top notch matchups in the making for their next round.

Their philosophy to the fight game truly hits at the constant complaint from many hardcore fans. We want to see the best take on the best, and while WVR wasn't able to lock in all the talent they were absolutely wanting in the Featherweight tournament, they did create some truly golden matchups that produced surprises, great matchups, and quality MMA.

I second this, of course. But one cannot help but scratch their head as well. Sengoku is able to stay afloat essentially with generous corporate backing and for now that seems enough. Those in positions of power at Sengoku and Don Quijote have affirmed their support for WVR and the Sengoku product.

So, is it possible this philanthropic effort will continue as it has been without ever being forced to return anything to financial stakeholders other than the quality MMA they're principally committed to? Perhaps. But even with strong affirmations of support, one has to have some skepticism about this. Japan is facing an economic crisis of their own, which will put downward pressure on corporate coffers (over time, of course) to cut costs. Admittedly, my understanding of Don Quijote is that they're still doing quite well, but we face the obvious issue of how long any corporation is willing to tolerate losses that are likely in the hundreds of thousands of dollars if not outright millions.

I am certainly thankful for Sengoku and do not wish them ill, but we also must reasonably ask ourselves how sustainable this debt financing actually is. I realize the promises of support are strong, but we also live in the real world. And in the latter, the financial bottomline is the final arbiter.