Can DREAM's Cage Experiment Bolster Foreign Market Opportunities?

Back in August, DREAM announced that they would be holding their 12th event at Osaka Castle Hall in Osaka, Japan. Many of the names that were attached to the announcement immediately had fans interested, but the real interest turned up on Youtube roughly a week later with a special promotional video hinting at the fact that DREAM would use a cage instead of a ring for the event. DREAM confirmed the use of a hexagon cage recently during their press conference to announce Katsunori Kikuno vs. Eddie Alvarez, one of the highly-anticipated match-ups that the show will feature. 

Historically, this will be the first mainstream MMA event in Japan to use the cage. Cage Force, promoted by Greatest Common Multiple, has found success using the cage on a much smaller level in Japan, and they have managed to find a niche fanbase in the country to bring in the dollars at their shows. Unlike Cage Force however, DREAM won't be trying to feed the UFC with international talent. One of the ideas that Caol Uno, a spokesperson for the promotion, stated was that Cage Force wanted to find the top international talent including its own countrymen to fight in the cage, gain experience, and ultimately gain a stint in the UFC. Fighters such as Yoshiyuki Yoshida and Dan Hardy, to name a few, appeared in the promotion over the past 4 years.

There is a lot of rampant speculation as to what DREAM hopes to accomplish from this event. Many people don't believe the cage will appeal to their existing fanbase in Japan, but the names will undoubtedly draw a crowd. Eddie Alvarez, Katsunori Kikuno, Alistair Overeem, Paulo Filho, Yoshiro Maeda, Andrews Nakahara, Marius Zaromskis, and Kazushi Sakuraba are all rumored to be appearing on the card with Alvarez and Kikuno being confirmed recently. DREAM has stated that they plan to put on one cage show per year from 2010 onward.

One of the ideas surrounding the move is that this is part of the baby steps that Strikeforce and DREAM are taking together in order to move themselves into a better situation. Strikeforce has some fighters that have Japanese appeal such as Alistair Overeem and Fedor Emelianenko while DREAM has a roster of fighters that many American fans would love to see in crossover match-ups with American stars. Don't be surprised if we see Strikeforce fighters added to DREAM 12 as well. Furthermore, both promotions are desiring the money from the foreign markets with their stars, but they have no real means of gaining it.

Historically, Japanese promotions haven't been able to truly break ground in North America yet. With many of their fighters heading overseas and the tide turning to North America as the focal point of MMA, many of Japan's stars are heading to promotions like the WEC, UFC, or Strikeforce. DREAM can't move into the North American market on their own, but if they have a partner who is already established within the States that happens to have a network deal... the possibilities open up.

The most interesting piece to this puzzle is that both promotions are geographically separate and in completely different markets. Both promotions hold fighters that could appeal to each region's fans. In reality, DREAM could, at the very least, begin getting fans sold to an American-style of MMA versus their own. Japanese fighters could test themselves overseas within the framework of the DREAM/Strikeforce co-promotion while American fighters can test the waters in Japan or potentially become superstars on foreign soil. There wouldn't need to be a complete change to the cage in Japan, but more than one show per year would suffice.

DREAM's stars would gain exposure to the American fanbase while American stars would do the same overseas. It could potentially set Strikeforce and DREAM up for a pay-per-view model that could be broadcast stateside along with overseas. Stars in both promotions would have exposure within each market, and it would likely garner some solid interest from both Japanese and American fans. Additional perks could be that fighters would have a bit more open employment options, such as being able to fight within both Strikeforce and DREAM, and any other promotion that Coker and company deem friendly enough to share assets.

As with any idea, this is still a longshot plan. The "alliance" still has to deal with the fact that Zuffa is trying to corner the free agency market. They also have to continue to build stars that both fanbases will be drawn to watching. Alistair Overeem is currently a fighter that could be a huge benefit for both promotions. Winning the K-1 World Grand Prix would increase his stock overseas tremendously, and he'll have the opportunity to knock off the best heavyweight in the world in Fedor Emelianenko next year within Strikeforce. Overeem could become a multi-continental MMA superstar within six months.

DREAM also has a TV deal with HDNet in the States, so a lot of fans believe the aim is to try to attract those fans here with a cage show. The only real problem is that they won't attract the droves of casual fans that the UFC already has sucked in with The Ultimate Fighter and their plethora of shows. It'll be very tough to break that market, especially if the best they can do is HDNet. A CBS show co-promoted with DREAM would ultimately be the best deal, but DREAM would have to prove that they have stars who can interest a casual fanbase, which will take ample amounts of time to do. The other problem stems from DREAM only attracting U.S. fans with one show, then reverting back to the ring for their next event. Wouldn't they simply lose those fans again?

Ideally, an alliance between DREAM and Strikeforce that allows both promotions to gain from their foreign markets would be highly beneficial not only to those promotions, but to the fans. Can it work? It's definitely a long shot possibility, but with some luck and success, it could set up some major PPV possibilites. The biggest concern, however, is building stars, and even giants like the UFC have had trouble doing that. I can't imagine how DREAM will be able to build their own stars that will attract U.S. audiences as well, but anything is possible in the landscape of MMA. Of course, this all depends on how DREAM 12 is received.