Five Changes the UFC Needs to Truly Be the “Ultimate” Fighting Organization
The UFC is the premier fighting organization in the world, but that doesn’t mean they do everything the best and right way. As old MMA organizations die and new ones come into being, there is a lot that the UFC can harvest from their successes and failures.
Listed in increasing order of importance and necessity are five changes the UFC should implement in order to be truly the “Ultimate” fighting organization in the world.
5. Production Resembling PRIDE FC
If you ask any MMA fan that watched PRIDE in its heyday, “what made the Japanese organization great?” one of the first things mentioned would be its production value. To put it simply, when one watched PRIDE, it was not just a night of fights, it was an event. From the amazing introductions, to the confetti falling celebrations, PRIDE nailed the spectacle element of the sport. While I’m not asking for the UFC to bring in the crazy woman announcer, Lenne Hardt, to announce their fighters anytime soon, they should definitely steal some things from the PRIDE production. And considering that Zuffa purchased PRIDE, it wouldn’t necessarily be stealing. Taking aspects from the PRIDE production such as fighter entrances would make going to a live UFC fully worth the price of admission, the purchase of a UFC PPV fully worth the $45, and the night of fights all the more epic. For those who never watched PRIDE, or for those who did and need a friendly reminder of just how amazing PRIDE’s production value was, check out this YouTube video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mxgaQGOXIc.
4. Third Man to the Commentary Team
Joe Rogan received numerous awards this year for Best Commentator of the Year, and rightfully so. But his partner, and long standing UFC staple, Mike Goldberg, leaves much to be desired in terms of insight and MMA knowledge. Since Randy Couture’s second exodus from the UFC in 2007, the UFC commentary team has consisted of only two people, Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg. Three years later, the two man team has become stale. A third voice, to provide more insight into the fights would freshen things up a bit. While Joe has an extensive knowledge of Jiu-jitsu from his training at 10 th Planet, his fight knowledge only goes so far. Adding a fighter with proven ability to commentate to fulfill the position Randy Couture used to serve would not only offer more credibility to the team and liven up the broadcast, but also further help to educate the ever growing fan base. With a fighter-commentator like Bas Rutten, Frank Mir, or Kenny Florian added to the team of Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg, the commentary team of the UFC would be the best in the sport.
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3. Tournaments Reminiscent of UFC’s Beginning and PRIDE and DREAM’s Grand Prix
When a weight-division is becoming stale due to an unbeatable champion like BJ Penn or if a division needs some new stars, a tournament is the best solution. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua was not nearly the star he was until he won the 2005 PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix, Fedor Emelianenko’s mystique came alive after his 2004 PRIDE Heavyweight Grand Prix win, and Mirko “Cro Cop” truly reached the height of his popularity and greatness in the 2006 PRIDE Open-Weight Grand Prix. Tournaments have always been a part of martial arts, and up until 1999, a part of the UFC. It is a fact that tournaments make stars, and in the case of Fedor, legends. Having a yearly tournament in the UFC, one division each year, would shake things up a bit, and add excitement for fans and fighters alike.
2. Knees on the Ground
One of the most important things the UFC could change to make the sport and its fights better, are getting knees on the ground legalized and implemented into the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts. There have been many instances, most recently the Marquardt/Sonnen fight, where knees on the ground could have altered a fight drastically. There is nothing barbaric or cheap about them, knees on the ground add a much needed weapon that open up the ground attack and make for even better fights.
1. 5-Round Non-Title Main Events
There is nothing more disappointing than watching a terrific main event and having the fight end after three rounds because there was no title on the line. With the UFC expanding its PPV and Fight Night Cards for 2010, more and more events will be headlined by non-title fights, and therefore more and more headlining fights will only be three rounds. Many of these fights have title implications and a majority of these fights end by decision with the fans clamoring for two more rounds. Some of the most controversial decisions of 2009 came from non-title main events in which the fight came to a decision after three rounds. What if Ortiz/Griffin II was five rounds, Couture/Vera, or Evans/Silva? With more rounds, comes more opportunity for a clear cut winner to prevail.
Fights like Evans/Silva and Marquardt/Sonnen going to decision after three rounds leave many fans left to wonder, “what if?” And what hurts the most about all this is, in the summer of 2009, the NSAC (Nevada State Athletic Commission) approved 5-round non-title bouts for “championship level athletes”. So it is not like, in the case of knees on the ground, the UFC has to get something passed or legalized in order to implement it into their fights, it already has been. It is the UFC’s fault for not going through with it. Dana White claims that it diminishes the value of title fights. But what’s worse--the slightly diminished value of a title fight because main event non-title bouts are five rounds, or the heavily diminished value of a title fight because the challenger gets a title shot as a result of a controversial three round judges’ decision. Before 2010 is over, 5-round non-title bouts should be as commonplace in the Octagon as 5 minute rounds.
In an my ideal world, UFC 150 will feature Mike Goldberg, Joe Rogan, and Bas Rutten calling the shots as BJ Penn wins the lightweight tournament finals in the fifth round with knees on the ground. Confetti will shoot from the rafters and pour down onto Penn’s body as he licks the blood of his opponent off his 4 oz. gloves.
By Jeffrey Concerto
ProFighting-fans.com MMA Staff Writer