2012 is just around the corner, and another year is coming to a close. Yet what a year it was for mixed martial arts fans, fighters, and the sport as a whole. As we approach the new year, one can’t help but be excited for what is to come for this sport in 2012. It really seems like MMA is continuing to push the envelope on how a sport can be developed. Here are some ideas that I would love to see pushed in the next 12 months:
Changing the purpose of Strikeforce
Say what you want, but I do not think that “King” Muhammed Lawal was far off when he compared Strikeforce to a dying cancer patient. Now his statement may have shocked the conscience of the overly sensitive, but he is still correct about the current state of the organization. The organization continues to be stripped of its best fighters, and those left behind are left to face off against each other in endless and pointless rematches.
I think it would be a great idea for the UFC to use the Strikeforce organization similar to the way different levels of soccer leagues are utilized in Europe. Bear with me, but why can’t the organization be used as a feeder for fighters on the way to the Octagon? If you moved all the current Strikeforce champions to their respective divisions in the UFC, the rest of the organization could be left to fight in Strikeforce. Once those fighters hit a specific plateau where they prove to the best at the time, they can be moved to the UFC to rise up those ranks and become true world title contenders. Zuffa should remove the presence of belts, and have those fighters earn their place in the UFC’s ranks.
It insults our intelligence to pretend that Strikeforce is a viable organization. Zuffa should use it to help develop talent and build up fighters’ names. If they found a way to merge Strikeforce and The Ultimate Fighter, they could create the proving ground and feeder organization that is needed for the highest level of the sport.
A Full Out Assault on bad Judging
Letting a fight go to the judges can sometimes be as close to career suicide as it would be for a fighter who competed with his or her eyes closed. Especially since it seems that some judges do their jobs with their eyes closed. With that being said, something must be done to fully educate current and potential judges on what goes on in the cage.
I believe that Zuffa can take charge and set the tone for what makes an effective judge. While it is up to the athletic commission of each state to decide who will judge the fights, the organization can play a strong role in developing those judges over the course of a year. Prominent MMA officials like Big Jon McCarthy and Herb Dean have created seminars that are meant to instruct individuals on what exactly they are seeing when they observe fights, but those seminars are still optional. I would like to see the state commissions make courses such as these mandatory. The same way that fighters have to get licensed to prove they are competent to compete, judges should do the same to show that they are qualified to do their jobs.
Bellator to become a Real Contender
This is what the sport needs. Competition always makes everyone better and the same is said for multi-billion dollar companies. Zuffa needs some sort of competition to keep them from being complacent.
Bellator’s move to Friday nights is a great step in the right direction. The organization has some fighters under contract that can become big names in the sport, but the fact that they have continually been featured on the same night as the “800 pound gorilla” of the sport has hindered its mainstream development.
Now, they will have their own night to gain fans and exposure. With many different sports organizations such as ESPN being able to devote the resources to covering Bellator, the publicity they deserve is coming their way. With that, I believe the company will grow, which will foster the growth of the sport as a whole.
2012 is just about here, and with it comes the excitement of upcoming fights and other developments in the world of mixed martial arts. If the sport can continue to evolve and innovate, 2012 will end up being the MMA’s biggest year yet.
King Mo was way off when he compared Strikeforce to a dying cancer patient.
Strikeforce is actually more like a shell company. Its sole purpose is not actually to be lucrative, but to lock up Showtime. All the talented fighters stuck in Strikeforce are just casualties of contract negotiations.
To answer your question the reason the organization can't be used as a feeder for fighters on the way to the Octagon is 1) because that is the intention of TUF, especially in it's expanded role, and 2) the open representation of Strikeforce as a stepping stone to the UFC is in conflict with Showtime's interests.
Ideally I agree with you, but reality's a bitch.
While moving away from Saturday nights was a great move for Bellator, unfortunately they will still have to content with the UFC in the form of both live TUF and Spike's programming.
Strikeforce should also be the home of what the UFC won't do: Tournaments and co-promotion.
And if Bellator is to become #2, they'll need to win Fridays which I personally think they can do. I know I'll watch it and DVR TUF if they conflict.
Agree with all of these. Another that's on my wish, although I know it's not going to happen, is I'd like to see Fedor in the UFC. Still a lot of intriguing fights to be had there.