When (if ever) will the UFC have a true feeder system?

stin4tw

stin4tw

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I'm not talking TUF, which is a quasi-farm league / feeder system as it really only produces 2, maybe 3 quality fighters per season that can stick around and have quality fights for a few years. Aside from picking up the best fighters from the other organizations, there is no real talent pool to choose or develop talent.

Think about it this way - UFC will eventually have one event per week (FX, Fuel, FOX, PPV's, TUF finales) - the UFC should have the depth needed to create a developmental league. Not everyone in Strike Force will be able to compete as we saw that not everyone who was absorbed from the WEC was able to compete.

DFW claims that it is getting an international recognition as soccer (uhm..) so why not take a note from the other professional leagues? While MMA is not a team sport (except in the IFL, which I thought was a cool idea for a bit), Zuffa needs to look at what the other pro leagues do. The NHL has juniors / colleges to pull from, the NBA has the D-League / colleges, the NFL has college / USFL (which doesn't really count) and the MLB has like 18 various minor leagues.

There's no reason the Zuffa couldn't create a developmental league, similar to what Strike Force did with their challenger league. At worst, you could still fill the Facebook / Fuel & FX undercards and prelims with the rising guys. At best, you could make an entire card as a Fuel or FX show. There wouldn't be as much backlash from injuries causing big cards to tank, you'll catch more casual fans, and satisfy the diehards with young, hungry fighters looking to make a name. Instead of needing mid-tiered names to carry the FX cards, you could just stack PPV's like how they used to be.

So after that rambling, what do you think Sherdoggers?
 
FuelTV cards? and Facebook bouts?

naw, but seriously, it seems like UFC is paying close attention to the scores (hundreds?) of lower tier orgs. my state has 6 or 8 of em. these are the single A & double A of MMA.
 
there's no need for it. The regional circuit provides the same thing without the Ufc having to spend a penny. Sure there is no reason they couldn't but there is also no reason for them to.

Plus the prelims are their own sort of feeder system.
 
I don't think that it needs to. Currently all other orgs are the little league compared to the UFC, and the river flows into the ocean.
 
I feel like TUF was originally before they had to somehow find guys for a million seasons but I think talent scouting is good enough now where guys like Jones can put on some really good fights in smaller promotions and make it to the UFC from there.
 
Ronnie Mund said:
never watch Bellator????

Ronnie Mund
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Note the first part of my statement. Given the fiasco that's going on with Alvarez / Bellator / UFC, I figure the UFC would want a way to avoid legal matters in the future from taking the top guys of lesser orgs.
 
countswagula said:
I don't think that it needs to. Currently all other orgs are the little league compared to the UFC, and the river flows into the ocean.
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That's currently true, but if the UFC continues it's international growth and produces multiple TUF series at the same time, they will have enough fighters to produce the equivalent of a strikeforce challengers series.
 
AndreDGiant4eva said:
That's currently true, but if the UFC continues it's international growth and produces multiple TUF series at the same time, they will have enough fighters to produce the equivalent of a strikeforce challengers series.
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But there lies the problem. With a gigantic roster, what are you going to do with the bottom half / bottom third guys? Just keep them on the backburner, waiting for an injury fill in?
 
stin4tw said:
But there lies the problem. With a gigantic roster, what are you going to do with the bottom half / bottom third guys? Just keep them on the backburner, waiting for an injury fill in?
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That's why you create a weekly friday night fights or the like where these bottom tier guys can fight for the chance to appear on a full card. As long as its free on fuel and the UFC uses guys fighting for like 4,000/4,000, everyone wins. Fighters get the oppurtunity to build their name on free tv under the most prestigious banner, fuel gets inexpensive content, and we get to see more fights even if they are at a lower level.
 
stin4tw said:
Note the first part of my statement. Given the fiasco that's going on with Alvarez / Bellator / UFC, I figure the UFC would want a way to avoid legal matters in the future from taking the top guys of lesser orgs.
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The Ufc doesn't need Alvarez though and it's a situation that happens once in a great while.

You're basically suggesting the Ufc spend probably tens of millions of dollars and do something that is completely unnecessary just to prevent the chance of losing a top guy once every 3 or 4 years. It just doesn't make sense.
 
give it time - if the need/demand is there, it will happen.

look at how long it took the NBA to finally have one (the development league) and those ties are still being firmed up on a team-by-team basis.

One issue Dana (IIRC) pointed out, is the inability of UFC to police the smaller orgs. The LAST thing they want to have happen is a serious injury or death in a feeder org that is officially affiliated with UFC. So, for now, UFC seems content to let other orgs handle the young n00b talent, especially with all the global expansion going on.

I think we'll see an official feeder system/org soon enough though.
 
UFC doesn't need a feeder system, they have enough talent on the roster and are constantly plucking the best from other orgs. The prelim fights and Fuel TV cards help develop the up and comers. Cain, Carwin and Jones were prospects when the UFC signed them. The UFC system is working and doesn't need an official feeder system/org.
 
When and only when they buy out Bellator.
 
AndreDGiant4eva said:
That's why you create a weekly friday night fights or the like where these bottom tier guys can fight for the chance to appear on a full card. As long as its free on fuel and the UFC uses guys fighting for like 4,000/4,000, everyone wins. Fighters get the oppurtunity to build their name on free tv under the most prestigious banner, fuel gets inexpensive content, and we get to see more fights even if they are at a lower level.
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IF that were to happen they would need to stack the cards and top the bill with 2 or 3 top prospects fighting
 
Ronnie Mund said:
in all double seriousness... Strikeforce tried this.. Called Challengers. Like 12k people would watch the cards on Showtime.. Ain't no body got time to watch a bunch of no names is why a feeder or Triple AAA org will never work.

Ronnie Mund
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That was on Showtime...
 
I find the lack of didn't read gifs disturbing, ain't reading all that shit.
 
i would like it alot of the UFC had local promotions in different states and great fighters could be promoted to the big show from there, like if the ufc owned king of the cage and promotions like that all over the country
 
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