if you follow boxing and compare the state its in to MMA, its hard not to be a little worried that it could be a downhill slide that ends up with everyone cashing in and putting on bull**** events like Golden Boy do for example, were the undercard is woefully bad and the main event rarely lives up to expectations.
if anyone remembers the early series of TUF, they were full of guys that would go straight into strikeforce or the UFC now without having to compete on the show, and TUF is now filled with alot more amateurs [in a sense]. Also its easy to see that guys with just one skill are being edged out of the sport by the guys who are learning all aspects of MMA right from the start, or at least before they start making waves. I really think their is enough talent to go around, and orgs like Bellator are not only a great proving ground for up and coming talent, they also allow really good fighters to build a small legacy before presumably signing with one of the bigger orgs. Eddie Alvarez is a perfect example of that. Maybe he will stay with Bellator but i think its almost inevitable that a co-event will be held with strikeforce and possibly even dream [which already holds them with strikeforce]
What the UFC offers is alot of fight cards stacked with different levels of talent with alot of care taken to make it competitive, which isnt always what fight fans want. but it IS consistent. What strikeforce offer is alot different. Female fighters, the co-events pitting their fighters against the best dream has to offer, giving alot of coverage to Japanese, and other asian fighters. Plus they make exciting matchups to sell the show, even though sometimes they are complete miss matches.
The fact that they are so different makes me think their is room for both of them in the sport. and all the others too. The only negative for me is that Dana has made it known publicly how he feels about them.
Yes the UFC has done the most work for MMA worldwide, but at the end of the day, they dont own MMA and I'd prefer if they just went about their business without all the bull****. This isnt all Dana either, everyone likes to takes shots at him and the UFC and never seem to give credit where credit is due.
I wouldnt be surprised if strikeforce was losing money, they have offered big money to get fighters on their books. Hopefully over time, they will be able to implement a more stable pay structure, as their talent pool grows. Fighters want to be in strikeforce and that can only be good for them in the future.
EDIT: **** me, i cant believe i just wrote all that :P
seemed shorted in the edit box
Last edited by Sn1; 02-09-2011 at 12:01 PM.
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