The last 12 months in MMA have not lived up to the cataclysmic bang which ended 2013, when Anderson Silva broke his leg and Georges St-Pierre vacated the title.
But there have been a number of intriguing story lines and announcements which have captured the imagination, especially in the last couple of months.
Firstly, let’s take a look at the exciting developments on the home front.
Australia to host huge UFC event in 2015
With the change of government in Victoria and the pre-election pledge to cull the ban on MMA in the state, the UFC has tentatively booked a blockbuster card in Melbourne for November 2015.
Featuring at least one title bout, names like Jon Jones, Ronda Rousy and Conor McGregor have been rumoured as possibilities as the UFC aims to make a big push in the southern hemisphere, either way it promises to be the biggest MMA event to ever hit Australia.
Scott Coker joins Bellator as president
Having served his period of gardening leave following the purchase and dismantling of his former promotion, Strikeforce, Scott Coker was hired as president for Bellator MMA, nominally the UFC’s biggest competitor.
Though this may not appear to be headlining news it will have long term effects as Coker looks to put Bellator on a level playing field with the UFC. Bankrolled by the mass media giant Viacom, Bellator will be looking to break into the lucrative MMA pay-per-view market which has so far been the sole preserve of the UFC. If Dana White didn’t know, the competition just upped their game.
Fighter uniforms
In a recent and heavily reported development, the UFC has signed a deal for Reebok to be the exclusive supplier of uniforms when fighting for the promotion. Sponsor income has been a large source of income for many competitors and removing that will be a bitter pill to swallow.
Time will show how this develops but it is worth noting the complaints from fights still under contract as been unusually vitriolic, some people were not pleased.
Sonnen and Silva retire following failed tests
Increased out-of-competition drug testing claimed two scalps almost immediately with Chael Sonnen failing his and Wanderlai Silva literally running away from the test administrators.
Both fighters immediately announced their retirements with Sonnen admitting his actions while Silva began a bitter war of words with his former employee, the UFC.
The Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier brawl episode
In a press conference to publicise their upcoming match, Cormier shoved Jones who responded with punches and attempting to tackle the former Olympian to the ground before a wave of security (and the fighter’s teammates) descended to break up the scuffle.
In a heated TV interview following this incident the two traded further insults which culminated in Jones threatening to kill the challenger. We will see what happens when the two square off in the New Year.
Fighters to file lawsuit against UFC
Following on seamlessly from the Reebok uniform deal has come the announcement that a class action lawsuit is poised to be filed against the UFC by a number of high-profile fighters, among them John Fitch, Cung Lee and Nate Quarry, for significant damages.
It’s based around a betrayal of trust by the MMA promoter. Though there have been few developments since the announcement it is the first time there has been a test to the UFC’s business practices and many will be wondering what ramifications there will be as a result.
Muzz
Guest
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Damien
Roar Guru
I see what you mean Dave, You're not really talking about the actual money that is paid. I gather you mean a fighters basic identity is given up once they sign up with the UFC. This is similar to the drama that ATT had when Cain, Fitch etc were all banned/cut because ATT had issues their fighters images/names in the UFC video game. I remember Dana was like "F**k ATT, we want to build something big and they are just keep fighting us". Thankfully for the fans and ATT everything was sorted out...or was it ?. Tim Sylvia also had issues with this as well when he got cut/left. I remember him saying something like the UFC wants his identity for the games for free and that if he were a rookie fighter he may have considered it but he was a UFC Vet and former HW Champ and that he deserves more respect than that. This particular issue I think is where we share the same view. However I still think the UFC will 'win' this in the courts (not morally but because they will have better lawyers) but I think they will have to yield on the 'in perpetuity' point. Here's my take on this point : Fighters : We should be able to make money out of our personality/looks/IP. The UFC needs to pay us for this (like Football/NBA/Rugby Union players). UFC : Without our platform and strong brand, UFC Fighters would be nobodies and no one would care about them. Sponsors only care about them because they become famous on the UFC platform. We spent alot of effort and money creating the platform for these fighter to shine on so we should control all the conditions that come from it. I think this will be the UFC's default position for every fighter and the more famous (Lesnar/CM Punk) the fighter the more leverage they would have to change the conditions. MMA definitely needs a Fighters Union but I can't see this happening anytime soon. The Union will need the big names to support it but I can't see them willing to sacrifice their UFC career's so that future Fighters get a better deal..
Dave Brooksbank
Roar Pro
Damien, Great comment, very thought provoking. I agree the legal case is one of the biggest stories of the year, however I see it slightly differently from yourself. From what I have seen of the legal case the fighters main concern is the hugely (and they would argue unreasonably) restrictive contracts a fighter has to sign before being granted entry to the UFC. These include giving up your name, likeness, voice and almost all related interests in pertuety, not good however you look at it. Unfortunately in situations like this we come back to the point where it is realised that MMA is not a sport it is a business and when the business aspect has more power than the sporting ethos we have situations like this: a few men at the top making all the money and the guys actually competing getting chump change. It is true that everyone wants to fight in the UFC, but if Belator continues to grow that could change over time. It would be fantastic if in addition to a fighters union there could be a governing body which could oversee developments more effectively. Then the UFC would be a promoter, not MMA itself to the general public.
Damien
Roar Guru
Thanks David, I think the lawsuit will be THE biggest story in MMA for some time. It will have the biggest impact on how the UFC does it's business which in turn will dramatically shape how Fighter contracts are structured. Personally I'm sort of torn between the Fighters and the UFC. In a very small way I know how the fighters feel. I used to be an exclusive contractor (had equipment, staff and we couldn't work for anyone else) for many years for a global company so I know first hand how this set up works and how it's all business. I also know what it feels like to be pushed out after 10 years of service. I made the mistake of being honest and forthright with my future plans and gave them 8 months notice so as not to disrupt the company too much and found myself out within a month. Wasn't a good time. The thing for me is the UFC has bought MMA to the mainstream and has made plenty of cash in that time. They have also burned plenty of cash as well. They have spent plenty of cash lobbying to open up cities, states and even countries to UFC events. Smaller promotions can and will ride off the back of the UFC's work in this area when they eventually are big enough to do shows in those locations. New York and Melbourne are good examples of the effort that the UFC is putting in to try and open them up. Despite the amount of resources the UFC has put into New York they still haven't been successful. I think they eventually will be successful and when they are Bellator and everyone else will walk right in as well. Melbourne looks really exciting and I believe it will be huge but it could be like the UK when despite bumper crowds and massive buzz the UFC was losing money on those events (that was a couple years ago, not sure bout now) After buying the UFC, Dana White & the Ferttitta Brothers have built it into a global superpower. It took alot of cash, hard word and luck. They've created a fighting platform for the sport. Fighters can perform on that platform but they have to play by the UFC rules. Unfortunately for the fighters there isn't another promotion that can compete with the UFC so they basically have a monopoly. I know the UFC got past a monopoly case technically but the UFC is a monopoly IMO. And despite popular thought monopolies are not illegal. While I sympathise with the fighters I have an issue with them trying to legally force the UFC to pay them more. The Fighters will point to the huge numbers that the UFC makes and say that they should get a bigger share and that the UFC restricts their earning potential, and I can understand that point of view however I don't agree with it. The UFC restricts the fighters earning potential within the UFC world. Just like a company would restrict our earning potential within their world. I can't go and work for and promote another competitor of my employer. I would have my employment rightfully terminated. If its allowed in my contract then thats a different story. Almost every MMA fighter wants to fight in the UFC. Just like every league player wants to play in the NRL. However if you can't or don't like to fight/play in the UFC/NRL you can go and fight for Bellator, Titan, One FC or play in the UK Super League. There is nothing stopping a fighter or player from doing that. That is why I don't think the 'restricting earning potential' will hold any water. The UFC sets a fighters earnings within their organisation if a fighter doesn't like it they can go to another promotion. Ironically I think the presence of Bellator and the other promotions will help the UFC in this case because it will show that fighters will be able to earn a wage within their field (MMA) for companies other than the UFC. Will be interesting to see how it pans out..