What if MMA had a season like ball sports?

[CrimsonFan]

Obviously the sport would have events year round (minor leagues), but there would be a season where the top fighters contested for the belt

Part of what makes nfl, nba, or especially the world cup so big.. Is there is an end to the season and you are done until next year.

Or the next 4 years for football


Ufc has obviously shown they cant do 12 ppvs a year and draw.. And boxing cant either. Its 2 or 3 big events a year for both sports.


I think they need to follow the other sucessful sports and implement a season

 

[Bobby Boulders]

It does.

It's called PFL.

 

[ChumpyKiwi]

Didn’t someone just make a thread like this awhile back? Either way, NO

 

[LouisBolanos]

I think they need to follow the other sucessful sports and implement a season

Fighters can't fight 40 times a year like other sports. They fight every 3-6 months if they're active, a seasonal format is not going to work, this thing needs to be year round.

 

[horc00]

Nope. Fighters require more time to recover vs ball sports.

And also, ball sports teams can easily find a replacement for injured players. Fighters don't have replacements for themselves. Unless you make a org vs org event.

 

[AimedWithV]

It does.

It's called PFL.

PFL is actually a nice attempt to make something professional out of this chaotic sport.
As expected, the ratings are extremely low.

 

[CrimsonFan]

Fighters can't fight 40 times a year like other sports. They fight every 3-6 months if they're active, a seasonal format is not going to work, this thing needs to be year round.

I meant to explain further in my initial post.

Obviously just like in all these other sports, there would be year long events. Theres pro nba, nhl, mlb going on all the time. Its just minor league pro. Mma has no distinction and it needs it

The season would only be for the championship level fighters.

And those guys (Gsp, Conor, Diaz, Andy, Lesnar, Dc, Jones, Tj, Woodley, ) Have not fought twice a year each in a decade

 

[Bobby Boulders]

PFL is actually a nice attempt to make something professional out of this chaotic sport.
As expected, the ratings are extremely low.

I've been tuning in, and the shows have been hit or miss, but it's obvious some of these "unknown" fighters have talent. They've done a good job of finding the talent that was available (aside from a few guys who are obviously there as bodies to fill spots). They just caught another $28mil investment, so they don't have any excuses not to pay their fighters. It will take roughly half of that to pay out the entire roster.

I think it's been a fun product so far, and I hope they find success with the fans, I hope they find the stars they need, and I hope that if they find success that it is sustained.

 

[JayJayMMA]

I've been tuning in, and the shows have been hit or miss, but it's obvious some of these "unknown" fighters have talent. They've done a good job of finding the talent that was available (aside from a few guys who are obviously there as bodies to fill spots). They just caught another $28mil investment, so they don't have any excuses not to pay their fighters. It will take roughly half of that to pay out the entire roster.

I think it's been a fun product so far, and I hope they find success with the fans, I hope they find the stars they need, and I hope that if they find success that it is sustained.

It seems to be capturing attention and I like the scoring system so far, might need a few tweaks but rewards earlier finishes. They haven’t had an injury issue yet so will be interesting to see how they handle it however you know the person that deserves the belt through wins will be fighting at end of season. It removes the issues that many complain about the ufc in that it doesn’t reward the right fighter with a title shot.

 

[Adamant]

It's sorta like that though. PPVs are the big events (usually) while the smaller shows are the free stuff.

 

[LouisBolanos]

I meant to explain further in my initial post.

Obviously just like in all these other sports, there would be year long events. Theres pro nba, nhl, mlb going on all the time. Its just minor league pro. Mma has no distinction and it needs it

The season would only be for the championship level fighters.

And those guys (Gsp, Conor, Diaz, Andy, Lesnar, Dc, Jones, Tj, Woodley, ) Have not fought twice a year each in a decade

You want to line up all the champions within a specific time period of the year? That's never going to work. Each champion will have his or her specific schedules and so will the contenders. Let's say a champion is scheduled to fight 1 month before the end of a supposed season. Let's say either the champion or contender suffers a small injury that takes a month to recover and pulls out. Well now you've missed the window completely for that year and will have to wait for another 12 months to get the championship fight again, despite the recover only taking a month.

Seasons only work in regular sports, not sports that athletes can only compete 2-3 times a year, it's a pointless restriction that unnecessarily complicates things.

 

[Bobby Boulders]

It seems to be capturing attention and I like the scoring system so far, might need a few tweaks but rewards earlier finishes. They haven’t had an injury issue yet so will be interesting to see how they handle it however you know the person that deserves the belt through wins will be fighting at end of season. It removes the issues that many complain about the ufc in that it doesn’t reward the right fighter with a title shot.

I imagine there will be tweaks after this test run season, but, I agree, I like the format. They're not picking and choosing who fights for the belt. They throw a bunch of guy in the pool and the one who fights his way through is the best they have. And the point rewards for finishing fights is a great idea. Not only for getting you the extra points, but bc it adds drama to fights where, say, you're on the fringe of getting into the next round. The fighter on the fringe who doesn't get in by getting three points for only winning HAS to get a finish to get in.

 

[CrimsonFan]

You want to line up all the champions within a specific time period of the year? That's never going to work. Each champion will have his or her specific schedules and so will the contenders. Let's say a champion is scheduled to fight 1 month before the end of a supposed season. Let's say either the champion or contender suffers a small injury that takes a month to recover and pulls out. Well now you've missed the window completely for that year and will have to wait for another 12 months to get the championship fight again, despite the recover only taking a month.

Seasons only work in regular sports, not sports that athletes can only compete 2-3 times a year, it's a pointless restriction that unnecessarily complicates things.

Is it though?

Olympic althletes only compete a few times a year. The big ones less than that

I would say those sports are more comperable to mma as far as training and strain on the body goes

 

[LouisBolanos]

Is it though?

Olympic althletes only compete a few times a year. The big ones less than that

I would say those sports are more comperable to mma as far as training and strain on the body goes

Which Oympic sport are you talking about in which athletes only compete 2-3 times a year like in MMA but still has seasons?

 

[JayJayMMA]

I imagine there will be tweaks after this test run season, but, I agree, I like the format. They're not picking and choosing who fights for the belt. They throw a bunch of guy in the pool and the one who fights his way through is the best they have. And the point rewards for finishing fights is a great idea. Not only for getting you the extra points, but bc it adds drama to fights where, say, you're on the fringe of getting into the next round. The fighter on the fringe who doesn't get in by getting three points for only winning HAS to get a finish to get in.

It’s easier for a casual fan to understand why a fighter is ranked higher and appeals to more hardcore fans as well. It just needs a few years of consistency to ensure it gets the attention of more top fighters coming off contract

 

[Bobby Boulders]

It’s easier for a casual fan to understand why a fighter is ranked higher and appeals to more hardcore fans as well. It just needs a few years of consistency to ensure it gets the attention of more top fighters coming off contract

That's the biggest drawback, that if they don't start getting viewers it may not survive long enough to start reeling in the high profile names. Although, WSOF survived much longer than most would have thought, and this new entity seems to have their shit together a bit more, has funding, and might be able to replace UFC on FOX.

What we have now with PFL is what we were supposed to have gotten with WSOF. Before WSOF held an event, when they first announced their existence, the current format was supposed to have been the format for WSOF. I'm unsure if they never went that route due to lack of funding or what, but for whatever reason it never happened under their prior name. Supposing they are able to move into the FOX slot, that sets up some potentially great things for all involved. I believe that these tourneys are a once a year thing, so FOX doesn't have to constantly advertise for the events all year, and doesn't have to use too many hours for programming as opposed to year round UFC cards, and won't have to sign as big a contract with PFL. They can put regular season matches on FS1, and if they create enough of a buzz, put the playoffs on FOX proper. I'd like to see it, not sure that it will happen, but it will be good for both FOX and PFL, and the fans.

 

[CrimsonFan]

Which Oympic sport are you talking about in which athletes only compete 2-3 times a year like in MMA but still has seasons?

Well all olympic sports really only seriously compete every 4 years.

Which isnt a season because seasons have to be annual.

But they compete on a smaller scale multiple times a year


Ya know what. Im drunk and stoned goodnight.

 

[rob mafia]

the ifl more or less did this (and also had it team-based) and it was pretty interesting. i actually liked the ifl and found it quite under-rated. it's a shame they went under rather quickly.

 

[smiles mma]

When did they prove they can't do more ppv? They are making more money than ever. Last ppv sold out the venue, people want to watch fights, it's harder for casuals to follow if they don't know the names and the drama

 

[agibmxmma]

Is it though?

Olympic althletes only compete a few times a year. The big ones less than that

I would say those sports are more comperable to mma as far as training and strain on the body goes

What sports do Olympic athletes only compete in a few times a year, and the "big ones less then that?