Glyn Leach wrote:But I do believe that company for company, by which I mean the business end, they are not dissimilar in that both, in their different eras, managed to capture the target audience that has always eluded boxing — and I should point out that I'm not doing a 'boxing vs UFC' thing here, as I'm sure you appreciate. It's not about that at all.
Can certainly agree with that :)
Glyn Leach wrote:Again, though, you talk in terms of the present. Of course, all mixed martial artists want to get into the UFC today, but as I'm trying to explain I'm looking down the line, maybe five years time or something similar.
Its an interesting thought, whether or not in the future the upper echelon of fighters will still be in the UFC, and others will be aspiring to get there. Thats the situation today, but you are poising the question will it be so in the future?
It could well be that the UFCs success also - through the process that you describe - contributes to the success and growth of rival promotions. I think this is a given - it's already happening now. I just don't think thats a bad thing for the UFC.
Glyn Leach wrote:Again, using the WWF/E and the Roman Empire as reference points for too much success turning round and biting you in the arse, the problem comes when a monopolistic enterprise takes on so many more mouths that it can't possibly hope to feed them all — in sporting/sports entertainment terms, too many performers for the available TV dates, titles, paydays etc. Those who don't feel they are getting a fair slice of the pie, or even those who just want more, always 'revolt', and quite naturally so. Their lives depend on it. And there will be people, in this case TV companies etc, willing to satisfy the unhappy performers. It's inevitable.
I dont dispute that - we've seen it in many different sports and contexts, but its also already happening to a certain extent in the UFC and MMA generally, and has been for a long while, in various ways. Fighters don't perform consistently and they get cut, and new talent takes their place, thus the quality of fighters in the organization is constantly improving - reflecting the general evolution of the sport. Fighters have left the UFC because theyve not been happy with terms, compensation or whatever (Hendo). Fighters have not joined the UFC for similar reasons (whilst its never been admitted I really cant imagine the UFC never having approached Overeem - someone who has always stipulated he needs to continue to have the ability to fight in different promotions, Dream, K1 etc - and we know the UFC dont play that game)
Glyn Leach wrote:Please understand, I am not in any way suggesting that the UFC is now in decline. That would be ridiculous given the record crowd it drew in Quebec. What I am saying is that I think the seeds of a decline are there now, for the first time I can see where the cracks might appear in the UFC and why. By absorbing rival promotions, as the WWF/E did, it will in years to come create a rival promotion. And I'm not talking about veteran stars literally, but known ones, fighters with public recognition value (although TNA's roster has both, obviously). I don't mean the likes of Randy, Hendo and spacehopper head Ortiz, these will be fighters we might not even have heard of today (you know how quick Jon Jones's rise to the top has been). And I'm not saying that the rival promotion will wipe the UFC off the face of the earth, TNA hasn't done that to the WWE. But it will make a sizeable impact (excuse the pun) and create an audience that prefers its product to the UFC's, to a level that WEC and Strikeforce never did, although obviously those now-absorbed promotions had their own fans, smaller in number as the case may be.
In a nutshell, the point I've been trying to put across is that monopoly, complete control, is the peak of a promotion's power and from there the only way is down. It's a careful what you wish for thing. Give it five to 10 years, because I've never said this is going to happen overnight, and then we'll see if I'm right or wrong in my reading of the situation.
I think that the type of events you're predicting are indeed likely, but that the impact will not be as catastrophic to the UFC as you may think. I certainly believe the rate of growth of the organization would be impacted, but it would still be huge.
The main reason for me taking this position is what I said previously about sport vs entertainment.
Sure, some fighters will be money oriented, but when it gets to a certain level, money is a given wherever you go, and what drives you is a desire to be the best, by fighting the best. This will always remain constant, so I expect the UFC to remain at the forefront of the sport in order to maintain that position. The latest move is fighter insurance. Next might be pensions, and so on and so on.
The promoters could then do the 'prmoting' job and supply this talent. Still take their fee's, just let Sky Boxing matchmake.
nWo all the way me mate. 