News MMA Trade Alert: Team Dubai trades Rockhold for Team L.A.'s Grant Neil...worst sports trade in the last week?

[Mohawk Banditó]

Didn't know Grant Neil was out of the UFC

He was never in the UFC

 

[jeskola]

Didn't know Grant Neil was out of the UFC

You are thinking of Geoff Neal.

 

[Bobby Boulders]

@Kowboy On Sherdog @Bobby Boulders @helax

The city of LA is like, "Last week we got Luka, but who even is Luke Rockhold??"

Rockhold like:

 

[Khaosan]

The way it sounds like basketball or some bullshit bothers me way more than it should.

 

[DougieJones]

Still more legit than powerslap

 

[OleBuffalo]

rockhold would beat the crap out of weidman, he looks like a beast in karate combat and put on a respectable showing against costa

yeah say what you will about rockhold, but he came off the couch to do bareknuckle against mike perry cus fuck it and also dogged it out vs Costa when he could've folded and got outta there. Weidman on the other hand just looked like hammered dog shit against goddamn eryk anders

 

[svmr_db]

Hopefully Luke Rockhold protects his neck over there in LA

 

[OleBuffalo]

Didn't know Grant Neil was out of the UFC

 

[Neck&Neck]

The city of LA is like, "Last week we got Luka, but who even is Luke Rockhold??"

Rockhold like:

I’m sure soon we will see Luke at a Lakers game, throwing up gang signs

 

[Luthien]

Rockhold doesn't have any future

This other guy just might? *Shrug* : (D

 

[SuperAlly]

Didn't know Grant Neil

FTFY

 

[Gilday]

I'd be genuinely surprised if this cowboy promotion even has a single event

 

[SuperAlly]

I'd be genuinely surprised if this cowboy promotion even has a single

 

[caligari209]

Just sign fighters and put on good cards.



It's not complicated.

The UFC have shown everyone how to do it, what's with all these stupid league and tournament gimmicks? Nobody cares, they just want good, regularly scheduled fights.

Absolutly right !

 

[Bubzeh]

Luke vs Chris, wow I can't contain my excitement.

 

[Doctor Grudge]

Bellator's issues were plenty and by now are obvious:

1) They didn't put on enough regular MMA. They held shows once or twice a month on average, that's never going to be enough. You can't even start to catch up to the UFC when you can't match their output, let alone overtake them. That's a fail.

2) When they did put on cards they obsessed over babysitter booking that literally nobody gave a fuck about. They figured "sign an NCAA talent or an undefeated Russian fighter and feed them cans". Nobody wants to watch those kinds of fights, not even the hardcore MMA fans. That's a fail.

3) They were right to do away with silly gimmicky tournaments from the Rebney era, but they weren't able to book competitive cards. Yes, they had to manufacture their own stars, but the way they tried to do it was insidious. Just book competitive shows with fights that might hold some intrigue, not can-fests with preordained results. That's a fail.

4) They also built the wrong type of talent. Dana White and the UFC literally showed them the way - you don't throw all your weight behind boring ass wrestlers because as soon as they start fighting top talent, their fights SUCK. That goes for Americans, Russians and any other nationality of 'super dominant wrestlers' that very few people ultimately want to watch.That's a fail.

They got it right when they tried to make guys like MVP and Diego Lima stars, but they had Michael Venom Page on their books for 10 years and produced maybe 2 or 3 interesting fights because they were so obsessed with babysitter booking. That's an incredible amount of time wasted booking fights where MVP was literally a -1000 favourite. Why even tune in, just catch the highlights later?

Ultimately, outfits like Bellator, ONE and PFL shouldn't even bother pretending that the UFC is their competition until they can start to match one thing: "Regular, high quality, competitive cards".

No gimmick will ever close the immense gap that already exists, only incessant, single-minded quality MMA booking will ever do that. And it is possible unless you lack the imagination and ability to do it.

I dont think any of these promotions are interested in competing with the UFC at all though.