Opinion: The UFC Should Invest in a Farm System
Nathan Kelly will look to bounce back from a tough loss on Aug.
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I must admit, Iâve been a bit of a punk in terms of some assessments about younger fighters of late. Not that my general idea of younger fighters taking as many fights as possible in as short of time possible is something on which Iâm reneging. I still maintain that belief wholeheartedly. The success of Joshua Van is a fantastic example of why thatâs a proper course of action. However, where my issue comes into play is that it isnât as easy as it used to be to pick up those fights. The regional scene is shrinking in mixed martial arts.
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The regionals have long served as a farm system of sorts for larger promotions. While some fighters have made their debuts in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the Professional Fighters League or Bellator MMA, they are exceptionally rare exceptions to the rule. Even when it happens, thereâs often a celebrity factor involved. Think Phil âCM Punkâ Brooks debuting in the UFC, for instance. As the sport grows in popularity and more money flows into it, bidding wars between promotions begin to erupt on promising talent. Those fighters tend to get scooped up by one of the larger promotions before theyâre ready. The UFC suffers the most from this. The UFC is a brand as recognizable as the NFL, NBA, NHL or MLB. It signifies the cream of the crop, the idea that âall the best fighters in the worldâ reside in the organization. Thereâs no room for prospects needing more seasoning. They need the best fighters in the world to be ready for the big show.
Iâm not going to fault fighters for doing whatâs best for them
financially. Itâs obvious that theyâre going to make more money
signing with a large organization as soon as possible, which is why
the bidding wars begin. Fighters are people, too, and they have
bills to pay like anyone else. Theyâre going to do whatâs best for
themselves. Unfortunately, whatâs best for them and whatâs best for
the sport doesnât always match up. As a result, the product is
getting watered down. Part of that is due to the massive television
deals the UFC signs, as the organization has a commitment to so
many events being aired, so the roster ends up littered with
fighters who clearly arenât top-shelf quality. In some cases, itâs
clear they never will be; in other cases, they just need more time.
The problem? The UFC canât water its product down so much that it
becomes unrecognizable. Whatâs worse, the fighters who would
benefit the most from stepping into the cage as much as possible
are the ones who are going to be watering it down, provided they
are young prospects.
Iâve long been an advocate for a farm system of sorts. Some say the current iteration of the regional scene serves that purpose, but it does not do so as well as it should. Bo Nickal entered the UFC with just three professional fights. His next several fights felt like he was being spoon-fed opponents. While I understand why, it isnât something I want out of the UFC. If weâre going to spoon feed him, can we spoon feed him on the regional scene?
Thatâs where the UFC could come in. Rather than having handshake agreements with organizations like the Legacy Fighting Alliance or CES MMA, the UFC could either buy them up and turn them into its very own development system or create its own anew. Rather than telling fighters to go out and get another fight, the UFC could set up a fight of its choosing to see the prospect deal with whatever it is the company wants him to work on. Want to see how he does against a wrestler? If the UFC owns its own feeder system, it can set it up itself rather than hope the right matchup happens. The UFC could then have a name like Nickal under contract and take a steadier approach with him. It could probably make a nice little chunk of change by having someone like Nickal headlining regional shows. Imagine if Nickal had been atop the bill on a regional show in Happy Valley, Pennsylvania, and the ticket sales that would have resulted. It wouldnât technically be a UFC show, but having the backing of the UFC behind it would be enough to provide a boost, too.
There are other benefits even beyond what it does for prospects. It would provide a life for the Shannon Ritch types. Ritch wasnât ever an elite fighter, but he fought so often and fought so many notable names that he became a well-known fixture on the regional scene. In his younger years, Ritch was a good way to separate the wheat from the chaff. Those types of fighters are largely nonexistent nowadays. The UFC could employ those types of fighters in its own regional promotions to provide those types of tests. Not good enough to fight in the UFC but savvy enough to upend an overconfident youngster, such fighters tend to provide prospects valuable lessonsâthe type of lessons youâd rather see them learn before they get to the UFC.
If something like this were to happen, it wouldnât be overnight, and if Iâm being fair, the UFC has something to build on with Dana Whiteâs Contender Series. Of course, that isnât necessarily a promotion, but it could be. It could even be a tiered promotion. The UFC could have what could be a superior versionânot unlike Triple-A baseball clubsâwhere the winners potentially go to the UFC and a lower versionânot unlike A level baseball clubâwhere participants fight for developmental contracts. After the fighters win the developmental contracts, they could work their way up to fighting in the superior version.
For the UFC to provide the best level of entertainment at the top, it needs to begin investing in the ground floor of the sport. UFC fighters often complain that they donât fight as often as they would like. Having a development league under the UFCâs control would help alleviate that. Itâs not like Iâm proposing something out of left field. After all, baseball players sign contracts with major league teams after theyâre drafted. Very few begin theyâre journey at the top.
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