The Shark of MMA

The MMA food chain explained

THE SHARK - Definition: top of the food chain

UFC 

Otherwise known as the Isle of White, the UFC is not the first MMA organization in the world, but it is the biggest and best. It is the NFL to the other organizations CFL, it is the shark to the other organizations pilot fish, it is the Great White, so to speak, pun intended. 

If Rorian Gracie and his family’s challenge is the father of the UFC, SEG is the mother. Following that logic you could make the case that Dana White is the midwife. It was he who saw MMA’s potential when SEG put the UFC up for sale, and he who sold the idea to the casino owners and operators, the Ferttita brothers. What the UFC is now was at one point a glimmer only in the eye of Dana White. The whole shebang as Rorian and SEG had presented it, has been re-envisioned and transformed by White.

In my mind White has been nothing but fucking great for the sport (F-bomb provided by DW). In fact, it might not exist with legitimacy without him. He has a mind like a trap when it comes to what he loves, and seems to have put all the right people in place.  But does absolute power corrupt? It can.

Dana White is aware of the possibility of corruption, and speaks knowledgably about boxing’s shady promoters and that sport's downfall. But MMA and the UFC is an entertainment business. Decisions have to be made with that in mind - think Lesnar and his title shot with a 2-1 record.  And entertaining it is. However, it's up to fans to keep the behemoth UFC as honest as can be.  After all, the fans truly own the sport, and no man is an island, not even White.

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WEC

Now owned by the UFC, the WEC was a solid production before they got eaten by the Great White. It's not a great white really, but more of a tiger shark. The production value has always been high, and the UFC is keen to keep it looking slightly different, better some think, with relatively subdued lighting and a blue canvas and cage posts. The WEC has had many good fighters in its ranks that hadn’t been siphoned off the UFC. The smaller fighters in the lighter weight classes provide fights with speed and intensity rarely seen in higher weight classes. People love heavyweights but, unless you see a WEC fighter standing beside his mother, she a full four inches taller than he, it’s a non-issue.

THE PILOT FISH - Definition: that fish that free-rides on the shark, looking for scraps and leftovers.

King of the Cage (KOTC)

Many great fighters have come through King of the Cage, including Rich Franklin and Rashad Evans, and that’s the impression I have of this promotion. While their production resembles that of a Canadian TV sitcom, it has always been on the radar as a very reliable and entertaining promoter of MMA. KOTC began in the late 1990s and has continued to be credible and entertaining. If you are a fanatic and not just a fan, you’d be crazy not to watch KOTC. You’ll eventually see a lot of their fighters gobbled by the Great White, which will help you if you like to bet.

IFC

Created in 1996, the IFC’s list of champions is a who’s who of MMA stardom, from Chuck Lidell to Josh Koscheck and Matt Lindland. The IFC was the first promotion in the US to be recognized by an athletic commission.  It has a decent production value and is a feeder more than a pilot fish. Having said this, its current list of champs reads like a who’s who of fighters unable to make the UFC cut, which is fine. Just because a fighter can’t run the UFC gauntlet without a string of losses, doesn’t mean he can’t fight and doesn’t deserve fans and to be showcased.  

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Strikeforce

The mother of all pilot fish, Strikeforce, while having some of its own talent, seems to have a penchant for taking fallen UFC fighters and somehow getting fans to care. It banked on Fedor never losing and Henderson beating Jake Shields, gaffs that have cost it much of whatever credibility it had. With cards that seem like one-offs and it doesn’t develop fighters like any of the above. In spite of all this they garner most of the attention after the UFC , due to their TV contract I suppose.

Organizations come and go, like bubbles popping on a stream, some stay longer than others. Whether a fighter or a promoter, someone will always try to take down the champ. And, come to think of it, the Great White is not the top of the food chain. I seem to remember a few years ago an Orca attacked and killed a great white off the coast of San Fran.

By Renko Styranka
ProFighting-fans.com MMA Staff Writer