UFC 100 Is a Time to Reflect on the UFC's and MMA's Improvement
by Luke Thomas on Jul 7, 2009 11:14 AM EDT
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I try to make the case over at Sherdog.com:
The center of the system, the UFC, has also determined and used novel ways of mining and promoting the next generation of talent with its vast resources. Fighters like Mac Danzig and Michael Bisping -- seasons six and three winners of "The Ultimate Fighter," respectively -- as well as Stephan Bonnar are living proof of the efficacy of the organized, systemic efforts the UFC has developed to find new talent. Through a process of recruiting, testing, culling and promoting along with staggered but organized timing and media campaigns, "The Ultimate Fighter" is a perfect example of the emergent order Zuffa has helped create.
The sport (and more approximately the UFC in this case) has also become much better at discovering and poaching talent from abroad. Five of the 10 main card competitors at UFC 100 are originally from other countries. Globalization with its shrinking of distances both physically and culturally has played a role as well. Korean and Korean-Japanese fighters Dong Hyun Kim and Yoshihiro Akiyama, exceptionally valuable commodities for more local promotions, are finding greener pastures elsewhere.
Larger than life figures like Brock Lesnar prove the sport (again, mostly the UFC) has more effectively determined how to properly promote itself, "properly" being the key word. Over time, the sport not only expanded efforts to attract the attention of noteworthy figures beyond the community but also figured out effective methods of integration.
The reality is this: While the point I’m pushing does not work with the tidiest of definitions, MMA (or rather the wide network of communities that comprise the sport) is successful because it has become a complex adaptive system. It has disparate elements working together, and the system can change and improve by learning from one another or an outside source. The UFC 100 card may not necessarily be the most exemplary in terms of talent or meaningful fights, but it is a product of its time. I hesitate to call this the "Golden Era" of MMA, but it is fair to say the current iteration of the sport is far more advanced and sophisticated in nearly every conceivable dimension than the iteration we knew 15 years ago. It’s not just a difference in degree; it’s also a difference in kind.
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I think the Golden Age of MMA has long since passed.
by Bandaka on Jul 7, 2009 11:20 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
This.
I don’t think parading big names/small talents like Brock Lesnar in front of the camera is the best way to protect the integrity of the sport. MMA has taken several steps backwards. If they wanted to, Zuffa could sign almost any fighter they wanted, and every event could feature a #1 vs. #2 match-up (or #3, but someone qualified). Like Bellator, the UFC needs to promote a system where you work for what you gain. As opposed to some guys who win one fight and are thrown into title contention simply because of media hype or interest. Let’s be serious: Lesnar was/is nowhere near deserving his title shot. Yeah, he beat Randy Couture. But I guarantee you that if the UFC were to put Randy Couture against 100 random guys, he’d probably get knocked out by some of them. It doesn’t mean they are the next big thing…but I guess it does if you’re a pro wrestler. That kind of shit fills up arenas so who cares if it makes the American MMA scene look like Japan. If this sort of thing keeps up I don’t think MMA will ever be main-stream, much less accepted as a real competitive sport.
Some orgs like Sengoku are really making foward steps into a competitve sporting model rather than just marquee matchups for the heck of it. While I do think Lesner has proven he is a legit fighter, his popularity from his Pro wrestling days was a huge factor in him getting the tittle shot with Randy. He will even tell you that. Is that wrong? I am not sure.
The golden age of MMA was the early UFC/ Pride era. The aquisition of Pride by the UFC marks the begining of the dark ages.
The quality of the fighters is significantly better now than it was a decade ago and the sport has come a long way. Hard to believe that we’re in the dark ages.
Or to put it a different way, if you had to watch either a) Ken Shamrock lay inside Gracie’s guard for a half hour or b) GSP pass the guard of a legitimate BJJ black belt in BJ Penn and pummel him into submission, which would you pick.
I’m definitely proud of organizations like Bellator and Sengoku. They put on great fights and they run their business intelligently without strong-arm tactics and financial bullying.
I’m not going to deny Lesnar’s talents. I just don’t like guys with 3 or 4 or whatever professional fights come into an org. like the UFC and basically be handed a title immediately after losing to the one decent guy he fights. My primary interest is the integrity of MMA. Not ticket sales, not advertising, not match-making; that’s a luxury I have as a fan. And from what I see at Zuffa/UFC is barely a step away from professional wrestling in terms of the way it is advertised and run. It’s this kind of thing that will turn the sport into what boxing is now.
Basically, it’s a matter of convenience to those who run the show. Sure, they could be constantly promoting Champ vs. #1 contender match-ups, but the financial reward for doing that is probably significantly lower. Why else haven’t we seen Silva/Okami? Or Werdum/Couture? No, those match-ups don’t make enough money for Dana White. Let’s have Silva/Leites and then just cut Werdum so we can have an excuse to give Lesnar the title. Yeah, that’s a good idea.
I guess being the spiteful person that I am I’d rather buy a PPV from a company who’s protecting MMA than a company who’s trying to cash in on it.
The problems your pointing out with the UFC have went on or will go on in other organizations when it is necessary for them to do so. You say your proud of Sengoku but I think you might be having selective memory because didn’t Sengoku go ahead and put Gomi in a match for their Championship against Satoru Kitaoka even though he had lost his previous fight against Sergey Golyaev in Sengoku. That is comparable to the Lesnar situation by the UFC which you condemn. Another example would be Strikeforce right now is giving Werdum a title shot as his first fight in Strikeforce even though his last fight for another organization was a loss.
All organizations are making or will make questionable match-ups at times. To just condemn the UFC for it is being a bit biased.
by mattman73 on Jul 7, 2009 12:33 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
The UFC is protecting MMA far more than any other company out there.
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
by iiowyn on Jul 7, 2009 12:33 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
I’m definitely proud of organizations like Bellator and Sengoku. They put on great fights and they run their business intelligently without strong-arm tactics and financial bullying.
Are you saying that those orgs, if given the opportunity to be in the same commanding position as the UFC, would not be doing the same thing in protecting their business? Sorry but you’re wrong, this is a business and those other orgs are just trying to carve out a niche for themselves, they don’t have the financial stability or viewers to impose strong arm tactics but you can bet your ass they will do everything in their power to protect themselves.
It’s this kind of thing that will turn the sport into what boxing is now.
wow, you obviously have NOT been following boxing, boxing’s problems are almost totally opposite to the direction that the UFC is going, in fact the UFC is using a inverted version of boxing so they can avoid all the problems they’re having (building stars, trying to collect all the best talent in one org under 1 unified belt, making a reason to watch all the fights on the card). Statements like this make me believe that you know nothing about boxing.
Let’s have Silva/Leites and then just cut Werdum so we can have an excuse to give Lesnar the title. Yeah, that’s a good idea.
they were stuck in a hard place here, Leites was given a shot because Silva wanted to fight often and there really weren’t any reason to give any one else the shot and Lesnar was given a shot because it’s who the current champion wanted to fight and because a LOT of fans wanted to see (you know, the people who are actually growing the sport)
I’m all for giving the UFC flack for a lot of things but nearly everything you put in your post is bashing for the sake of bashing without ANY thought put into why you’re typing it other than to be negative.
by pr0cs on Jul 7, 2009 12:20 PM EDT up reply actions 5 recs
Rec'd.
"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito Ortiz on Vitor Belfort at Affliction:DOR
by Rundownloser on Jul 7, 2009 12:40 PM EDT up reply actions
Absolutely right
How fucking goofy do people need to be to say ‘putting everyone under one banner will result in boxing’s problems’? There’s a gigantic disconnect there between perception and reality.
by Derek Suboticki on Jul 7, 2009 2:27 PM EDT up reply actions
He got the shot...
cuz it was the fight Randy wanted, if he were to come back…. being that the payday was huge (ppv buys) and it would be huge in the landscape of msm mma coverage…
It was the only way to get Randy back, and it ended up doing great business for the ufc… Also during this whole time the only person who could’ve deserved a shot was Werdum who only had 2 wins in a row, and then he got ktfo. During this period the UFC HW has undergone a resurgence of sorts with prospects like Junior Dos Santos, Carwin, Velasquez… While the UFC gave that trio time to develop, Nog was supposed to beat Mir, and Randy was supposed to beat Brock, setting up Nog vs. Randy… but you see what happened…. This situation is far more intriguing than anything that would’ve happened without Randy vs. Brock…
I guess the point is there is a lot that goes into each decision, and things aren’t always as cut and dry as people would like to make it seem… MMA is a business that needs to continue to do good business, while maintaining legitimacy as a sport based on merit… Had you been in the shoes of Dana and Lorenzo, what would you have done?
Like I said above, it’s become a matter of convenience and money-making at the cost of the sport’s and the UFC’s inteigrity.
PRIDE FC was the Golden Era
PRIDE was like the MMA olympics, their roster was on a much more international level. The champions of the four weight classes were from four different countries. Every show was made into a huge event with the parade of fighters introductions and the grand entrances and best of all lets not forget the tournaments. I do give the UFC credit for the growth of MMA here in the states, but at the same time they’re holding it back by keeping a closed door policy and trying to keep upstart promotions from growing like Affliction and the now defunct EliteXC. Thats a total BS move when they air shows on spike to lure viewers away from their competition. Because of the UFC we might never see champion vs champion match ups like Anderson Silva vs Cung Le or Fedor vs Lesnar. I think there’s something on the horizon though, Strikeforce seems to have a good gameplan for surviving and they’re putting on really good shows. I hope Affliction follows their example and cuz they’ve been putting on good shows also. As far as DREAM and Sengoku I hope one of them eventually becomes what PRIDE was at one point. DREAM is trying to replicate PRIDE but its just not the same with all the old PRIDE superstars absent from the roster.
Wait, are you saying that PRIDE FC had non-exclusive contracts? You’re bashing the UFC for the same thing that PRIDE FC did. Isn’t that a little hypocritical?
PRIDE allowed Chuck Liddell to compete against their fighters even though he was under UFC contract. Why won’t UFC do the same? Why won’t they let any outsiders compete there?
Because that would be stealing from the UFC. The UFC spends time and money building the brand and the fighters of the UFC, why the hell would they allow someone to ride the coat tails?
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
Nah, the UFC always claims to have the best fighters so they’re afraid of letting some outsider to come in and whoop one of their champs. If someone comes in and wins they can no longer claim to be the best of the best.
The only fighter that Zuffa hasn’t brought in with a solid chance to beat their champ is Fedor Emelianenko, and they’ve tried their asses off to sign him. What you don’t get to do is sign a one fight contract.
by Derek Suboticki on Jul 7, 2009 4:54 PM EDT up reply actions
Champions aside there are still alot of intriguing fights that could happen if UFC would work with other promo’s. Are you saying you wouldn’t wan’t see Gegard Mousasi against Shogun, Machida, Rampage,Forrest? Or guys like Manhoef, Jacare, Galesic, Le go against the UFC MW’s? The match ups would be endless.
Not true. They allowed Wanderlei to fight in the UFC against Chuck. PRIDE backed out. If Strikeforce was the dominant org, the UFC would absolutely co-promote. However, since they’re the top org, they don’t need to do that. That’s just smart business.
Your point would have more merit if they didn’t try to sign Fedor. Fedor and his management balked at the same clause that many of their champions signed to. I don’t see how that’s the UFC’s fault.
by cyph on Jul 7, 2009 5:09 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Maybe smart business for UFC, but the MMA fans lose. I can understand if you’re a die hard UFC fan how it doesn’t really matter to you but I’d like to see some more crossover fights like we see with DREAM, Strikeforce, and Affliction.
Correction: I’m a die hard MMA fan.
I watch them all. I’m not losing out on anything. The best fighters are in the UFC. Any fighter good enough will eventually end up in the UFC…eventually.
“The UFC 100 card may not necessarily be the most exemplary in terms of talent or meaningful fights” GSP, Alves, Lesnar, Mir, Hendo, Bisping, Jon Jones, O’brien, Bisping, Miller, Danzig……… Even the fighters that I didn’t mention have only one to two losses on most of their records. This card has the most talent of any card, I’ve ever seen. Oh yeah, and Fitch is on it too.
The Golden Era of MMA has not begun yet
Just like pro football’s Golden Age (ie, massive public acceptance and patronage combined with amazing on-field performances) didn’t come until the merger, MMA’s train will only really get rolling when the top twenty in every weight class are under the same organization.
We’re close.
No...
… “just” every top 10 fighting each other…
… same organization usually is monopoly…
read and inform your self:
“According to the standard model, in which a monopolist sets a single price for all consumers, the monopolist will sell a lower quantity of goods at a higher price than would firms under perfect competition. Because the monopolist ultimately forgoes transactions with consumers who value the product or service more than its cost, monopoly pricing creates a deadweight loss referring to potential gains that went neither to the monopolist or to consumers. Given the presence of this deadweight loss, the combined surplus (or wealth) for the monopolist and consumers is necessarily less than the total surplus obtained by consumers under perfect competition. Where efficiency is defined by the total gains from trade, the monopoly setting is less efficient than perfect competition.”1
1) Milton Friedman (2002). “VIII: Monopoly and the Social Responsibility of Business and Labor” (in English) (paperback). Capitalism and Freedom (40th anniversary edition ed.). The University of Chicago Press. pp. 208. ISBN 0-226-26421-1.
by Brasil com luvas on Jul 7, 2009 3:25 PM EDT up reply actions
Milton Friedman is a tool and his repeated calls for deregulation has crippled the world’s financial markets.
The NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL all refute his thesis, and MLB even gets antitrust protection, because in competitive sports, the product is best when all of the top talent is pitted against each other. The athletes make more, more people watch, advertisers pay more and get more bang for their buck, cities make more money, stadiums get built, downtowns get revitalized.
If the marketplace chooses a monopoly – as it does, at the elite level, in all sports – a monopoly it shall have. See the USFL and XFL.
by Derek Suboticki on Jul 7, 2009 3:59 PM EDT up reply actions
“Milton Friedman is a tool and his repeated calls for deregulation has crippled the world’s financial markets.”
No man who is a Clark Medal and Nobel Prize winner in economics is a “fool”. Deeply flawed ideas about the world? Maybe. Fool? Not on your life.
and Soccer????
widely considered to be the most popular sport in the world…
ALOT of championship… every country have one… and the player can go whatever he wants…
Off course, there is Fédération Internationale de Football Association (International Federation of Association Football), commonly known by the acronym FIFA…. but we have Summer Olympic Games too…
by Brasil com luvas on Jul 7, 2009 5:53 PM EDT up reply actions
Who is Milton Friedman?
The Economist hailed him as “the most influential economist of the second half of the 20th century…possibly of all of it”
http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8313925
by Brasil com luvas on Jul 7, 2009 5:57 PM EDT up reply actions
and Who is subo?
of course I’m a nobody too … but I don’t call anybody a “fool” ….
by Brasil com luvas on Jul 7, 2009 6:13 PM EDT up reply actions
You guys actually want to read what I said before criticizing? I didn’t call him a fool.
by Derek Suboticki on Jul 7, 2009 8:13 PM EDT up reply actions
That’s why I said ‘tool’, not ‘fool’. Smart people are often tools for other interests.
by Derek Suboticki on Jul 7, 2009 8:13 PM EDT up reply actions
Is there any need to block quote an entire article when the author of the article is an editor of this site?
Keep firing Assholes!
Out out, you demons of stupidity!
It’s probably still Sherdog’s property.
by Derek Suboticki on Jul 7, 2009 3:07 PM EDT up reply actions
anything that allows me to bypass Sherdog is a good thing in my book.
by pr0cs on Jul 7, 2009 3:20 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
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