UFC 155 poster
By know you must know I’m a pretty big MMA fan; I find it intriguing, entertaining, a great strategy game and not only 2 dude beating the shit out of each other. The UFC has done a great job, and still does, of trying to make the sport relevant and erase that noting that it’s human cockfighting.
About a year ago I attended my 1st UFC event (136 in Houston) and was even more hooked. The live fights are off the hook but the experience goes way beyond that. Simply entering the Toyota Center and seeing the octagon was awe-inspiring; the cage itself has such personality that is gives me shivers. The loud music, the crowd -which is surprisingly knowledgeable and just drunks waiting to see guys kick each other in the face- everything makes for a great atmosphere. Is it a violent sport? Yes it is, but no more than a NFL game to which you’d take your kids without thinking twice. TV doesn’t do the live events justice and this is something the UFC needs to work on. They need to learn a bit from WWE in making you say “next time I have the chance I NEED to be there live”.
I believe 2011 was the greatest MMA year to date. Some of my highlights are:
- The sport brought in main stream media attention like never before. ESPN and USA Today are a couple of examples; i use them since they have alloted TV and print time specifically to MMA each week.
- The FOX contract for the UFC which, in my mind, translates into a “we have arrived to the big time”; there is a ton of work to do regarding this topic but no doubt this is huge step in the very right way.
- There were a ton of great fights with no doubt strenghthens the product. The likes of Edgar-Maynard II and III, Diaz-Daley (Strikeforce) and the best fight of the year, Shogun Rua vs Dan Henderson (worth checking out on Netflix)
2012 has been another story; why the sport keeps growing this year has been tougher.
- Right of the bat injuries have been ravaging cards left and right. This is a contact sport & injuries are part of the game but this year it has been out of control. Heck, it went as far a cancelling 151 due to the HenDo injury; this takes me to my second point.
- Oversaturation. Too much of good thing is bad and 2012 has been the case; too many darn event providing us with weaker cards and, in the case of 151, a one fight show that when the UFC realized the main event was off, the whole card was off
- Some of the biggest fights have not delivered. Case and point, UFC 148, which I had the chance to be a part in Vegas. While the whole experience was nothing short of amazing, the crowd was the best I have EVER seen live – and I’ve seen Paul McCartney in a 70k person packed stadium, Metallica 3 times, tons of big football games, the NLCS, heck I was in Atlanta for the 96 Olympics and nothing has even come close. The fights were another story, basically nothing delivered and if it not were for the crowd it would have been pretty bad.
What comes now? The closing of 2012 seems to be good since we get a superb UFC on FOX card, headlined by Benson Henderson vs Nick Diaz for the title, and UFC 155 on 12/29 with the most stacked card ever (which I’m planning to be a part of; tix go on sale 10/26 for the general public, 10/24 for UFC Fight Club Members and 10/25 for UFC Newsletter subscribers), headlined by Junior Dos Santos putting the heavyweight title on the line against former champ Cain Velasquez.
Another thing I’m greatly looking forward to is the next season of The Ultimate Fighter. Just last week the UFC announced the coaches will be Jon Jones and Chael Sonnen. These two have to be the most polarizing figures in all of MMA; there is no doubt in my mind that Bones will go down in history as one of the best ever but I believe his whole “good God-fearing christian man” is a bunch of BS that doesn’t feel authentic and seems to be more of a work than a WWE match. On the other hand Sonnen is an incredible sales man that has proven absolutely nothing in the octagon, well he has proven you can talk your way into a title shot.
The decision by the UFC to book Sonnen based, on what Dana White called, “stepping up” is a bunch of bullshit. Is it good for business? Yes! Will I watch? Yes! But it sets a pretty bad precedent that you can talk your way into a title shot; the UFC used to pride themselves in putting on the best matches possible, this is certainly not it. Sonnen will sell the fight in a way you believe he has a shot of winning (like he did at 148), there is nothing wrong with that, but lets be objective and understand that he will probably will be destroyed on 04/27/13 by Bones. Will this help the TUF show? Yes it will, also moving it out of the horrible Friday night timeslot they got will.
Is hyping yourself like Sonnen does bad? Not at all, if you can legally make a buck, more power to you. Heck, I believe many fighters should learn a bit of that, learn how to talk in front of a mic, learn how to sell a fight and then reap the benefits of it! But talking will only take you so far, you gotta prove it in the octagon. And getting a shot because you “stepped up” is not good enough in my book, Dana can talk all he wants about it but it’s still $ – again nothing wrong with it, but don’t think your audience is stupid-.
What would I like to see?
- A spectacular fight between GSP and Condit, where regardless of the result both come out as even bigger stars.
- I really hope that the Fox card delivers and helps turn those casual fans into full time UFC and MMA fans.
- I’m literally praying that none of the 155 fighters get injured
- I hope the are a bit less events in 2013
- No UFC fighters test positive for any banned substances and / or PEDs. While it’s bad for any sport, baseball or football can take the hit, lots of press is waiting for a misstep by any fighter to have a field day and blast the UFC. Imagine the backlash if say, Anderson Silva, tests positive, all the work that has been done with the media for the past 5-8 years will be flushed down the drain.
The sport will only continue to grow, hope it does in the right way; in a way that is sustainable in the long run. In a way where it can create more revenue opportunities for all the parties involved; in a way where both casual and captive audiences will be willing to spend 60 bucks for an event every month or so.
What do you like about the UFC? What do you want to see changed?
Good fight, good night
Mr Khakbaz out!
The Playpen 