Another day and another injury, this time it’s UFC on Fox 4 headliner Brian Stann pulling out of his fight against Hector Lombard which was due to take place in August.
While fans understand that cards are subject to change right up to show time, the recent spate of injuries and suspensions has left us all deflated as we see great fights rearranged.
Fortunately the UFC matchmakers have been doing a great job so far of replacing fighters with equally exciting prospects.
Exciting cards are fast becoming quieter sideshows as we miss out on battles such as Junior Dos Santos versus Overeem, Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua versus Thiago Silva and Dominick Cruz versus Urijah Faber.
When the UFC introduced fighter insurance early 2011, it was an opportunity for those injured to maintain a salary that would have been otherwise earned during a fight, and was celebrated among the community. With the fighters consistently putting their bodies on the line for entertainment it was only fair to compensate when injury or accident happens either in training or on a show.
Combine this with the increased schedule of fights combing the PPV, UFC on Fox, UFC on Fuel and UFC on FX cards, the fighters are having to perform more regularly than their pre-Fox predecessors.
The increase of training schedules also increases the chance for injury and/or the likelihood of fighters cutting corners.
Given that the UFC is attempting to become more mainstream like the NFL and MLB, perhaps they should also look at the “seasonal model” that these sports follow.
The use of a seasonal model provides benefits for both fans and fighters.
An “off season” will allow fighters the opportunity to undertake any necessary medical operations – this will then decrease the out-of-competition time and also may reduce the need for interim titles, which are not only confusing but unnecessary if the interim champ refuses to fight.
For the fans, this solves the problem to whether the sport is suffering from market over-saturation. Start the season with a stacked PPV card which can get the fans excited and guaranteed sales, then work the UFC on Fox/Fuel/FX cards for upcoming exciting contender’s fights.
This could occur over an eight month period of the year, leaving four months for the “off season”.
It could be that the UFC is just undergoing a spate of bad luck. That said, injuries will continue to happen, especially if we demand so much more of the fighters.
Therefore, an “off season” may not be so bad after all.
ErinT
Roar Guru
I think this spate of injuries is a run of bad luck - someone must have opened an umbrella inside, or cracked a mirror. It really is a double edged sword, the increase in events has created pressure to perform and get paid which can lead to injuries as fighters don't get to recover as much as what they would like. Just an idea up for debate - glad to see what you all think!
DJ
Guest
I dont know Erin... the problem you may have, is fighters trying to (or wanting to) squeeze in a fight before the end of the "season"... For example (lets assume its Jan-Aug) a fighter fights in January. Gets beat up a bit and then follows up with a fight in late May after recovering. knowing they cant fight again possibly until January they try and fight only 2 and bit months later in August... this could add to injuries... I think, with combat sports off seasons just dont work... UFC are just having a little bad luck ATM....
Sam Brown
Roar Guru
That is roughly the same as many mma fighters. I think the attrition rate may be a tad higher for MMA because it involves intense strain on the whole body, particularly key joints while grappling. The idea of an off season is well out of left field, and something I hadn't thought about at all. My gut feeling is it may not suit the sport the way it is suited to others. Most other sports have 8 months where everyone plays each week. Fighters are different, everyone is on different cycles. Personally I think mma trainers need to reasses the physical demands they put on their fighters. I understand they have to go hard to reach the top of mma but if it means uou are constantly missing fights is it worth it?
Bill Larkin
Guest
I don't know about an off-season, but top boxers fight only three or four times a year. Do you know how many fights a top UFCer has a year? Perhaps there should be a limit on this??