Mixed martial arts is a sport that continues to grow and break new ground. 2011 has already seen the development of fighter’s insurance, the merger of major promotions, and the possibility of the UFC truly breaking into the mainstream sports community. Nevertheless, there are still opportunities for the sport to evolve. Although MMA is an individual sport at heart, it is possible for MMA to exist within in the realm of team sports. This piece is designed to dive into this idea and flesh some things out.
Let me start by saying this is not a new idea. The International Fight League was a team-based MMA promotion that was created in 2006 and closed its doors in 2008, because the organization was unable to gain the following that it needed in order to become successful. However, that project ended in 2008. Would a team-based MMA promotion be able to function and find an audience in 2011 and beyond?
Possibly, but a few questions would have to be answered first: Where would the fighters come from? Who would fund the teams? Which cities or states would be interested in hosting a team?
Answering the first question, there are enough fighters active in the sport to effectively fill a number of 10-man rosters. And while Zuffa has contracts with possibly the top five to ten percent of mixed martial artists in the world, that does not mean that the remaining 90 percent are unable to gain a fan base or put on exciting fights. Also, as the UFC continues to shed fighters with less than stellar records, this promotion would be able to acquire out the services of the most desirable talent among the recently released. With many regional promotions gaining steam throughout the country, this hypothetical organization should be able to gather a strong roster of prospects who they would have to nurture into well-known names to both hardcore and more casual fans.
As previously stated, MMA is a sport that continues to grow year after year. With so much more ground left for the sport to cultivate, this sport could catch the attention of team owners from other sports, who may be interested in owning an MMA team, or funding the organization as a whole. Mark Cuban is already invested in MMA in a sense, through his part ownership of HDNet, but what about the Maloof brothers? Shane McMahon, son of pro wrestling guru Vince McMahon, was once interested in ownership of a MMA promotion, and recent rumors have suggested his father’s WWE may be looking to acquire a stake in Bellator; individuals like these could be team owners or investors in the venture.
While MMA is not legal in every state, there are enough large markets and locations across the country that would be able to house a team. Areas such as California, New Jersey, Nevada, New Mexico, and Florida have large gyms, local MMA fan bases, and commissions with a history of regulating MMA. Those locations and others should be able to come together to form an eight-team league, the ideal size for the development of a fan base, and for keeping the talent from becoming “watered-down.”
A team-based MMA promotion would be an exciting step for this sport. While individual sports are great, there is something appealing about giving people teams in their geographic areas that they can become fully invested in. Imagine fans in New Mexico standing behind a team based around Greg Jackson’s school in Alberquerque, who are facing a team composed of the best fighters from New Jersey. Regardless of whether the fans know every fighter that is competing, they know which fighters represent the locale, and which fighters are invading outsiders, and their passions would flow accordingly.
The next piece of this series will look at how a season would be formulated, and explore possibilities for television coverage.
