FanNation - The Republic of Sport

I doubt it. MAYBE Affliction, but I said, and stand by, that they will fold soon. I just don't see them surviving long enough. But they do have a small window to scoop up talent from EliteXC. We'll see if they take that shot. Sadly, I think that's all they have left. Botch this up and they are done.

Doubtful. The UFC brand is too strong. Honestly, I hope no one does so the sport doesn't end up like boxing with 10 champions per weight class and subjective bickering over who's better. It's bad enough right now with Fedor and the rest of the heavies, which is the only weight class that can be argued to have top, proven, talent outside the UFC.

Honestly, I hope the UFC goes the way of the NFL/MLB/NHL/NBA, where it's a government-sactioned monopoly with a functioning fighters union and collective bargaining agreement. Smaller promotions can be like the minor leagues, while the best are in the big show fighting the top guys on network tv every week. This would provide the fighters with stability, fair contracts, medical coverage and insurance. It would also prevent the UFC from having to constantly fight off wannabe's and allow them to continue their work legitimizing and growing the sport while promoting their stars. The biggest complication, especially as it grows, is the international nature of the sport. I have a feeling that they could adjust the model soccer uses, with local clubs broadcast locally until the big championships come up, to suit their needs. Man I love this sport!

With the exception of Fedor, the best fighters in the world are mainly in the UFC. So will another company rival them? Obviously not...unless there is a mass exodus from the UFC to another company. But I don't see that happening.

no

I've been watching since UFC 2. This sport is growing, and with it growing more fighters will emerge. There will be too many great fighters for 1 premotion to have them all. But you need to be able to sign them and promote them effectively and nationally or globally. The UFC continues to brand itself to the Europe and make the right moves to continue it's dominance. Never say never, but it looks as if the UFC will always be looked at as the "major leagues", as the best from other promotions look to cross over at the end of their contracts.

Better $ for fighters (from a network deal?) is the only chance another promotion has. Affliction tried overpaying fighters, but finding a way to do that and remain profitable remains an unsolved puzzle. Someone may do it but not anytime soon.

I think if a major company decided to own and run its own company they would have a very good chance. A company like NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, or HBO, I think would have a great chance if the owned the company and I dont mean like elitexc they were not owned or ran by showtime. Also a company from another country could probley grow and make an impact like in Japan or Korea the UFC is not that big in those countries. I still think World victory road I japan may grow big over there.

I don't see why you guys would want UFC to be a monopoly. A little competition never hurts...at least in order to keep them honest. Otherwise, they could start having shows with one big name fight and 4 other low-profile fights and charge $50 for the PPV.

Not to mention they could start paying fighters a smaller portion of the revenue that they receive since the fighters would have no where else to go.

In the US I don't see any other promotion threatening the UFC.

That having been said:

- There is a huge MMA market outside of the US that the UFC barely touches (it touches the UK, but not the rest of europe, japan or brazil, for example)

- Competition is good for the sport

Oh, and K-1 is a bigger brand, worldwide, than the UFC.

(not DREAM, but the bigger K-1 brand, I mean)

QUOTE(#8):

Originally posted 07:46 AM ET  11.12 by FuzzyDunlop

I don't see why you guys would want UFC to be a monopoly. A little competition never hurts...at least in order to keep them honest. Otherwise, they could start having shows with one big name fight and 4 other low-profile fights and charge $50 for the PPV. Not to mention they could start paying fighters a smaller portion of the revenue that they receive since the fighters would have no where else to go.

The NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL are all government-recognized monopolies, and how's the quality of their product? The UFC would be competing against them in the sports market instead of against fools like Pro Elite that are only looking for a buck instead of looking out for the sport. The fighters could organize, just like all of the players unions, to ensure they get their fair share of the revenue (NFLPA gets something like 60% under the current CBA). If it was mainstream enough to generate enough advertising revenue through the networks, which it isn't far from, there wouldn't be a need for PPV. Finally, if they decided to show substandard fights, which I doubt, then people stop watching and their revenue drops. It's not in their interest to do that. Every legitimate sports company is always trying to showcase the best product they can, in terms of the quality of competition and the level of play. The UFC would be no different. We've seen what happened to the USFL, XFL, and all the substandard MMA organizations that couldn't put together a decent product.

Isn't this the 3rd time you've done this same topic?

Yeah, I think Nicki Jhabvala is running out of discussion topics...

The answer here is no. Affliction can scoop up all of the discarded fighters and throw events on the same nights, but as to being able to rival the UFC, the answer is a defiant no.

No - Nor should any promotion try to rival UFC. I watch all MMA and boxing and the worst show from the UFC is better than any other promotions best shows. The only one that was close was PRIDE FC.

I miss Pride FC and I wish the UFC would do a Grand Prix like they did... Imagine it... all the middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweights fighting for one belt, money prize or what ever it would be like the superbowl of fighters....

In the US a fighter cannot fight twice in the same evening.

So one-night tournaments are impossible in the US.

No because there nobody else out there who really can't compete with them. I though Elite XC could compete then they were done.