Could a sanctioning body title work in MMA and give legit opposition to the UFC?

[TheShockmaster]

Over in Boxing, the UFCs parent company TKO are campaigning to make changes to the Muhammed Ali Act. This would to enable them to act more like the UFC does in MMA but in Boxing. This will mean shunning the 4 sanctioning body belts WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO and operating a UFC style 'league' and own their own 'Zuffa' title.

The opposite of this, would be a WBC/WBA/IBF/WBO style sanctioning body belt setting up in MMA and attempting to get promotions to not run as separate leagues and follow their title.

Worth mentioning this was briefly tried before in 2008/09 with WAMMA (maybe try a better name this time) but was pretty dead on arrival, largely due to the main promotion carrying it Affliction going under almost immediately. I believe they only crowned champions in two or three weight classes, Fedor won the Heavyweight belt and Shinya Aoki won the Lightweight belt.

You'd need a decent collection of big promotions covering every region and there are more than enough large promotions over the globe to make it work. PFL does events worldwide, KSW is huge in Poland, ACA in eastern europe, Oktagon MMA mainly in Czech Republicbut across Europe, EFC in South Africa, etc. It could also open up more promotions including boxing promoters hesitant to go up against the UFC alone ( anyone remember Golden Boy MMA that lasted about half a minute?).

The difficult promotions to get on board would be ONE and Rizin who are huge in their own right and Cage Warriors who are closely aligned with the UFC (broadcast on UFC Fight Pass and president Graham Boylan is also a manager of UFC fighters).

 

[Doctor Grudge]

No promotion with any power is going to give it up to be governed by an independent body. The biggest promotions benefit from their sovereignty.

Even if there was a sanctioning body which incorporated every none UFC promotion, what would that mean? The competition would be the exact same still. The UFC would be the most dominant and globally recognized promotion while some countries might have domestic competitors like Rizin and KSW. Nothing changes except KSW, PFL, ONE would recognize the same world champion.

 

[Hellowhosthat]

It doesn't work in the MMA system of having fight promotions, in boxing it works because they have fight promoters.

 

[twiztor]

Worth mentioning this was briefly tried before in 2008/09 with WAMMA (maybe try a better name this time) but was pretty dead on arrival, largely due to the main promotion carrying it Affliction going under almost immediately. I believe they only crowned champions in two or three weight classes, Fedor won the Heavyweight belt and Shinya Aoki won the Lightweight belt.

WAMMA didn't fail because Affliction ceased promoting. WAMMA failed because the UFC wasn't on board. Every single other promotion was struggling for even a smidgen of relevance (remember, this is about 2 years after Pride closed and is right on the heels of the disastrous final EliteXC card). Strikeforce is in a lull and Dream never hit the level that fans expected. Everybody else is just regional-level, and are viewed as MASSIVELY beneath the UFC in skill and notoriety. WAMMA never had a chance.

Just like trying that same concept in 2026 wouldn't stand a chance. UFC again won't get on board (why would they?) and they are even more entrenched as the only promotion that matters.

 

[Kung Fu Kowboy]

It would be full of Dana White "Yes Men".... and we already have enough of those.