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Just for the sake of starting the conversation, My best possible scenario, I would have all models closed (like UFC), but with one event per year with the best of each promotion to prove the doubters.

Could be by popular vote (2 guys who got most votes would fight for the belt)
Or one from each promotion (tourney style)

That would be the best.

So... What are you thinking???

PRIDE.

Right now? UFC.

geez, here I am trying to START a debate, and the answers are one word answers!!!
You guys suck at this... :)

QUOTE(#4):

Originally posted 09:47 AM ET  12.22 by Roni

geez, here I am trying to START a debate, and the answers are one word answers!!!You guys suck at this... :)

No

:D

Ok, let's see things this way.

The major players outside of the UFC right now are DREAM, Bellator, Strikeforce, Sengoku, M-1 Global, KSW, Jungle Fight, Shooto.

I might be forgetting an organization from country X, but these are the main players.

Now, the only ones really exchanging fights are Strikeforce and DREAM. Other fights that may have been happening are simply a result of coincidence.

I do believe Strikeforce has the better overall Heavyweight division right now, but they simply don't fight. And if they don't fight, than it's not worth much at all. If they start fighting then it could turn into something serious.

Other than that, the LHW, MW and WW divisions are ruled by the UFC. Sure, there are good fighters outside of the UFC, but I do think the level of current talent in the UFC surpasses that of the rest of the world.

LW, FW and BW is where things get a little tricky because, traditionally, Japan has always been very strong in these divisions.

But with the WEC merging with the UFC, with guys like Kid Yamamoto joining the UFC roster, it's just a matter of time until they get the same amount of domination they have in the other weight divisions.

Exclusive contracts? Can't really blame them. I would do the same if I were running the business leading company. PRIDE never sent Sakuraba or Wanderlei to fight in the UFC, as Zuffa repeatedly asked at the time. If you're leading the sport, why share fighters with other organizations? Doesn't make much sense.

That having been said I watch a lot of MMA that happens outside of the UFC. I am looking forward to the Dynamite card on New Year's Eve. DREAM, Sengoku and Shooto might not be "PRIDE part 2" but they bring a different flavor the the table.

I like the M-1 Challenge format. I really do.

Jungle Fight is putting on some very entertaining fights in Brazil, with up and comers that will eventually go and fight in the US.

I also watch KSW because it is, outside of M-1, the biggest MMA organization in Europe, and also because a lot of guys from Portugal (usually Brazilians, haha) fight there, and I personally know some of them.

Bellator also has an interesting, different format, going on.

The UFC clearly leads, but I like to have diversity.

Sengoku and Dream have also exchanged fighters, sorry

Hyped brings the pain!

Nice topic Roni, you want debate you know I am the man for that job. And remember its just a debate.

First its not fair to call the ufc fighters over hyped or really any fighters. They fight on what is given to them. UFC fighters dont waste time and fight 2-3 times a year especially their champs.

I also agree I dont want to see 4-6 different promotions and there should also be just one league, I hate crossing over. As you know I am a ufc guy first then I will watch some of dream, bellator. I don't really care to much for SF and their fighters besides Daley and some of their hw.

The ufc imo has the better fighters, majority came from pride and their champions overall are more consistent defending their titles.

QUOTE(#7):

Originally posted 10:10 AM ET  12.22 by Hyped78

Ok, let's see things this way.The major players outside of the UFC right now are DREAM, Bellator, Strikeforce, Sengoku, M-1 Global, KSW, Jungle Fight, Shooto.I might be forgetting an organization from country X, but these are the main players.Now, the only ones really exchanging fights are Strikeforce and DREAM. Other fights that may have been happening are simply a result of coincidence.I do believe Strikeforce has the better overall Heavyweight division right now, but they simply don't fight. And if they don't fight, than it's not worth much at all. If they start fighting then it could turn into something serious.Other than that, the LHW, MW and WW divisions are ruled by the UFC. Sure, there are good fighters outside of the UFC, but I do think the level of current talent in the UFC surpasses that of the rest of the world.LW, FW and BW is where things get a little tricky because, traditionally, Japan has always been very strong in these divisions.But with the WEC merging with the UFC, with guys like Kid Yamamoto joining the UFC roster, it's just a matter of time until they get the same amount of domination they have in the other weight divisions.Exclusive contracts? Can't really blame them. I would do the same if I were running the business leading company. PRIDE never sent Sakuraba or Wanderlei to fight in the UFC, as Zuffa repeatedly asked at the time. If you're leading the sport, why share fighters with other organizations? Doesn't make much sense.That having been said I watch a lot of MMA that happens outside of the UFC. I am looking forward to the Dynamite card on New Year's Eve. DREAM, Sengoku and Shooto might not be "PRIDE part 2" but they bring a different flavor the the table.I like the M-1 Challenge format. I really do.Jungle Fight is putting on some very entertaining fights in Brazil, with up and comers that will eventually go and fight in the US.I also watch KSW because it is, outside of M-1, the biggest MMA organization in Europe, and also because a lot of guys from Portugal (usually Brazilians, haha) fight there, and I personally know some of them.Bellator also has an interesting, different format, going on.The UFC clearly leads, but I like to have diversity.

Well said, especially about the SF HW, if most of you claim that SF HW are better then ufc but if they dont fight more often then its really not worth much. The thing about the ufc that they can do since they have the talent and roster is to be able to have every weight class fight at least once or twice a month with all the cards they put out. That is why the ufc is dominating right now because they are able to produce what the young fans want.

QUOTE(#11):

Originally posted 11:01 AM ET  12.22 by uno2343749

Well said, especially about the SF HW, if most of you claim that SF HW are better then ufc but if they dont fight more often then its really not worth much.

It's all virtual. And if Overeem goes to the UFC, as he has been hinting, then... ooops for Strikeforce.

Hyped, great points, but this is not what I had in mind. :)
I wanted to discuss only if people would rather see one big company (like UFC) where fighters fights only amongst themselves or if companies that will cross promote like SF, Dream, etc is the way to go.

As we can see the pros of each method (UFC can plan better, but this way you would never see Fedor fight a UFC fighter. On the other hand, while it opens a potential for testing the fighter against all promotions, it can be a nightmare for planning events...

Which one is better? what would you chose? How would you solve the problems? etc.
This is what I had in mind, but as you started a good thing, we can create another post for my questions :)

QUOTE(#10):

Originally posted 10:56 AM ET  12.22 by uno2343749

Nice topic Roni, you want debate you know I am the man for that job. And remember its just a debate.First its not fair to call the ufc fighters over hyped or really any fighters. They fight on what is given to them. UFC fighters dont waste time and fight 2-3 times a year especially their champs. I also agree I dont want to see 4-6 different promotions and there should also be just one league, I hate crossing over. As you know I am a ufc guy first then I will watch some of dream, bellator. I don't really care to much for SF and their fighters besides Daley and some of their hw. The ufc imo has the better fighters, majority came from pride and their champions overall are more consistent defending their titles.

Uno, while I agree UFC has more "quality" fighters, you have to agree they are obviously over-hyped.
Look at Lesnar. People believe he could beat Fedor... then Carwin and then Cain exposes the guy as being afraid of getting hit. Do you even imagine how the fight would go if Fedor actually could have fought Lesnar? O Overeem on Lesnar? So this is obviously a way UFC CAN hype it's fighters since no one can prove them otherwise.
They also dominate the media (in the US), and they put most events. But don't get me wrong. If you compare events only, while UFC puts MORE events, they are usually watered down. One good fight and the rest are middle of the pack.
Heck, I remember SF putting 4 shows a year, but the fights were all name fighters with either titles on the line or sure title implications.

And while I think there's a huge flaw on their way to handle fights, this is something they need to work on, but they at least does not shove on our throats some bad & watered down shows like UFC is doing.

QUOTE(#14):

Originally posted 12:59 PM ET  12.22 by Roni

Uno, while I agree UFC has more "quality" fighters, you have to agree they are obviously over-hyped.Look at Lesnar. People believe he could beat Fedor... then Carwin and then Cain exposes the guy as being afraid of getting hit. Do you even imagine how the fight would go if Fedor actually could have fought Lesnar? O Overeem on Lesnar? So this is obviously a way UFC CAN hype it's fighters since no one can prove them otherwise.They also dominate the media (in the US), and they put most events. But don't get me wrong. If you compare events only, while UFC puts MORE events, they are usually watered down. One good fight and the rest are middle of the pack.Heck, I remember SF putting 4 shows a year, but the fights were all name fighters with either titles on the line or sure title implications.And while I think there's a huge flaw on their way to handle fights, this is something they need to work on, but they at least does not shove on our throats some bad & watered down shows like UFC is doing.

But it can go both ways, Fedor got beat by Werdum, imagine Fedor fighting JDS or Cain. You know I think Fedor is way over hype in this point of his career as much you think Brock is over hyped. I agree Brock was hyped up but thats part of the business in every sport to make money and attract people to MMA. You have to give credit to Dana for doing that. I had people calling me up that never watched MMA wanting to watch Brock vs Shane. Now they call me up almost every month to see who's house we are watching the event lol.

I don???t think they are over hyped its just one fighter (brock), its that Dana knows how to promote his promotion and doing a great job. Who else besides Brock do you think is overhyped in the ufc??

QUOTE(#13):

Originally posted 12:53 PM ET  12.22 by Roni

Hyped, great points, but this is not what I had in mind. :)I wanted to discuss only if people would rather see one big company (like UFC) where fighters fights only amongst themselves or if companies that will cross promote like SF, Dream, etc is the way to go.

Oh, I see.

My issue is that I prefer as it is right now. One big promotion with exclusive contracts and then many other promotions with non-exclusive contracts.

I have no problems with the current situation.

I don't think there ever will be just one big MMA promotion, mainly because the sport is global, from North America to Brazil, Europe, Australia, Japan, probably China in the near future.

QUOTE(#15):

Originally posted 01:43 PM ET  12.22 by uno2343749

But it can go both ways, Fedor got beat by Werdum, imagine Fedor fighting JDS or Cain. You know I think Fedor is way over hype in this point of his career as much you think Brock is over hyped. I agree Brock was hyped up but thats part of the business in every sport to make money and attract people to MMA. You have to give credit to Dana for doing that. I had people calling me up that never watched MMA wanting to watch Brock vs Shane. Now they call me up almost every month to see who's house we are watching the event lol.I don???t think they are over hyped its just one fighter (brock), its that Dana knows how to promote his promotion and doing a great job. Who else besides Brock do you think is overhyped in the ufc??

To tell you the truth, I think most are.
Carwin is, Lesnar was, heck, even Cain I think it is also.
If you look at it, you can't even know simply because there's no point for you to base yourself on.
The greats of Pride are over the hill, so the fact they got beat means nothing.

heck, do you really think JDS or Cain would win where much better fighters failed? I disagree.
Both JDS & Cain are still "untested" against real elite fighters.
Cain beat who exactly that counts?
Lesnar? And old Nog? Big Ben? (That was one of the worse stoppages of this century BTW).
So to me, he is still somewhat untested.
I am not saying he is a can, but much of the perception he is unbeatable is bogus and over-hype!
Heck, he didn't FIGHT double-digits yet!!!!

Obviously, give him time, and he can become. But think about this. If The above is his hardest competition, how can you even assume he is any better than Antonio Silva? You don't know. and you can't know since there's no way to measure it.

IMO Cain loses to Fedor, Overeem and Wedrum. That's not even adding Silva or Barnett.

The other top fighters in UFC are way below the top trio from SF... but then again... we can't prove one way or another.... and that's only because UFC knows that.

if they had nothing to lose, they would do it in a heart beat!

QUOTE(#16):

Originally posted 02:13 PM ET  12.22 by Hyped78

Oh, I see.My issue is that I prefer as it is right now. One big promotion with exclusive contracts and then many other promotions with non-exclusive contracts.I have no problems with the current situation.I don't think there ever will be just one big MMA promotion, mainly because the sport is global, from North America to Brazil, Europe, Australia, Japan, probably China in the near future.

Yes, but how about the way it is, but with ONE global entity that made inter-promotion fights?

QUOTE(#18):

Originally posted 02:24 PM ET  12.22 by Roni

Yes, but how about the way it is, but with ONE global entity that made inter-promotion fights?

You mean with the UFC opening up to cross-promotional fights?

Will never happen while they are leading the market. And I personally can't blame them.

QUOTE(#17):

Originally posted 02:23 PM ET  12.22 by Roni

To tell you the truth, I think most are.Carwin is, Lesnar was, heck, even Cain I think it is also.If you look at it, you can't even know simply because there's no point for you to base yourself on.The greats of Pride are over the hill, so the fact they got beat means nothing.heck, do you really think JDS or Cain would win where much better fighters failed? I disagree.Both JDS & Cain are still "untested" against real elite fighters.Cain beat who exactly that counts?Lesnar? And old Nog? Big Ben? (That was one of the worse stoppages of this century BTW).So to me, he is still somewhat untested.I am not saying he is a can, but much of the perception he is unbeatable is bogus and over-hype!Heck, he didn't FIGHT double-digits yet!!!!Obviously, give him time, and he can become. But think about this. If The above is his hardest competition, how can you even assume he is any better than Antonio Silva? You don't know. and you can't know since there's no way to measure it.IMO Cain loses to Fedor, Overeem and Wedrum. That's not even adding Silva or Barnett. The other top fighters in UFC are way below the top trio from SF... but then again... we can't prove one way or another.... and that's only because UFC knows that.if they had nothing to lose, they would do it in a heart beat!

Well like you said there is no way to prove it, but to say they are over hype is simply not fair because they fighting what is given to them just like SF. I think the same thing about SF HW fighters. I think Antonio Silva would get worked by Cain, JDS or even Frank Mir. He hasn???t really impressed me much he looks slow and lanky and has a huge jaw that is a big target. The only two guys I can agree that would make a name for them self in the ufc would be Overeem and Barnett but thats only two fighters in SF compare to ufc 8-10 guys deep that are really good. If anything SF HW are over hyped. Brett Rogers, Herschel Walker, Fedor, Mike Kyle, Andrei Arlovski, Bobby Lashley and Werdum would never be a champion in the ufc.