MMAPredictions

It doesn’t take very long to become spoiled does it? I know that on Friday evening Thomas Denny will take on Malaipet in EliteXC on SHOWTIME. I’ve got the DVR set to record it myself.

But I think most of the mixed martial arts community would agree that in the grand scheme of things, the EliteXC event, which has no true MMA star power on the card, is but a blip on the radar of what has become a very crowded marketplace in the MMA calendar. (Maybe it contains a star-in-training, but none presently are on the fight card). These days we have big cards like the UFC Ultimate Fight Night 13 on the way, and we are all eagerly awaiting what free mixed martial arts on a major network will look like when the CBS Elite XC Saturday Night Fights.

How quickly things change. It was a few short years ago when the UFC would put together an event several times a year, and that was really all there was to watch domestically. But now?

We have shows all the time now. Using a combination of MMA talent developed in-house and in the UFC, Strikeforce and EliteXC are putting on events that demand attention.

But, are so many MMA events a good thing? There is the question of quantity versus quality right? Sometimes you get the impression that an MMA promotion will put together a show just for the sake of having something going on. Better to have a less-than-ideal card for folks to talk about than not being included in the conversation at all, right?

From an optimist’s point of view, I’m prepared to overlook the occasional underwhelming MMA event. For one thing, not every event can be mind-blowing, even if you had all the best fighters in one spot. Some events will naturally be better than others.

And with so many organizations out there all vying to put out an MMA product, the talent pool of MMA fighters becomes stretched so thin that by necessity there will be MMA events from a decent MMA promoter that is comprised of fighters you probably don’t know.

Right now we find ourselves in a developmental stage of the sport of MMA where there are more promotions attempting to be number one than there is room for. What do I mean? I am saying that at most, when all is said and done, there is space in the average person’s consciousness for two big MMA promotions. (Note that I said average person. Not the hard core MMA fan, but the average joe-blow you see commuting to work next to you on the morning.)

Coke has Pepsi. McDonalds has Burger King. Who will the UFC have? Or will MMA evolve into a sport like the baseball, where just one league commands everyone’s attention?

Regardless of the outcome, we have entered an age of MMA affluence and choice. Grab the popcorn and enjoy, folks, as the MMA promotions compete for your attention. The weaker offerings will perish, and we will be left with even better MMA to watch.

In the near term, our respite from the mega-events is not going to last long. In short order we’ll have:

• WEC 33, March 26
• Strikeforce: Cung Le vs. Frank Shamrock, March 29
• UFC Fight Night 31, April 2

Get your predictions in here on MMAPredictions.com and as always, good luck everybody.

- Caleb

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