Why UFC has no Grand Prix Tournament?

[DaviVasco]

Hi Guys,

As a big fan of the old and extinct PRIDE, I really do not understand why UFC has no Grand Prix Tournament. It is really fun to have 8 of the best fighters of the division fighting each other on elimination rounds to see who is the champion.

By doing a grand prix, you make sure that several fighters have a chance to win a belt without having to wait years for a title shot. And you also make sure that champions do not have to choose opponents, since whoever wins will face each other (Jon Jones anyone? )

Maybe UFC is trying to protect the legacy of some champions? Because I bet a Grand Prix would sell much more PPV than the watered down cards.

What are your thoughts?

 

[abcjo]

Because the UFC has their own model of marketing their own promotion.

 

[tkotom]

If it is a Pride style GP it could be cool but I don't think it would work with the UFC model of doing things.

If it is a Strikeforce style GP then it is no good because.. well.. just look at what happened with the Strikeforce GP.

 

[Highflyer]

I like tournaments. But not too much though. Just have it once a year or something infrequent like that. More than that then it becomes Bellator-ish; too much.

Even a smaller company like Strikeforce garnered a lot of attention when it did the HW tourney.

 

[HydralisK]

Because it's not safe for guys to fight multiple times a night. We're not trying to kill fighters. The old barbaric days of MMA are gone. Deal with it.

 

[SeattleFightFan]

multiple reasons, but they all revolve around the same reason:

tourneys lock in specific bouts. Zuffa prefers the flexibility of choosing their own bout.

 

[DaviVasco]

Because it's not safe for guys to fight multiple times a night. We're not trying to kill fighters. The old barbaric days of MMA are gone. Deal with it.

And Yet I see no fighters from that era complaining about " the barbaric" Pride.

PRIDE >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>UFC

 

[Lethal_Striker]

UFC has had bad luck with tournaments is why they've shied away from them. They did a 4 man LW tournament at UFC 39 and 41, only for it to end in a draw between Penn and Uno. The disaster that was McCall vs. Johnson ending in a draw even though they put in provisions in advance to avoid that situation.

TUF is as close to UFC running a tournament anymore.

 

[mma2013]

Because it's not safe for guys to fight multiple times a night. We're not trying to kill fighters. The old barbaric days of MMA are gone. Deal with it.

100% agree. that's so true.

 

[pclanadmin2]

multiple reasons, but they all revolve around the same reason:

tourneys lock in specific bouts. Zuffa prefers the flexibility of choosing their own bout.

i never thought of it that way. good point.

 

[Kneeuinthenutz]

I have been a very strong proponent of a GP for a long time. Everyone loves a bracket style tournament. It creates lots of buzz, and anticipation.

FYI - There is no requirement that you have to fight multiple times in 1 night.

IMO - The UFC should be doing a new GP every year with a different weight class. They had a perfect opportunity to do it with the WW's.

 

[Highflyer]

Because it's not safe for guys to fight multiple times a night. We're not trying to kill fighters. The old barbaric days of MMA are gone. Deal with it.

I think the fighters will be fine. PRIDE had it and nobody died. Other combat sports , like K-1 and Glory, have it too, and turns out fine... And tournaments don't necessarily have to have guys fight 2x a night.

 

[zhb]

Its because the UFC sucks

 

[waldywaldy]

Because it's not safe for guys to fight multiple times a night. We're not trying to kill fighters. The old barbaric days of MMA are gone. Deal with it.

The Oklahoma athletic commission seems to disagree.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...-night-tournaments?search_query=battlegrounds

I hope with all my heart that this opens the door for 1 night tournaments on American soil and in the UFC.

 

[ScoopSubMMA]

I have been a very strong proponent of a GP for a long time. Everyone loves a bracket style tournament. It creates lots of buzz, and anticipation.

FYI - There is no requirement that you have to fight multiple times in 1 night.

IMO - The UFC should be doing a new GP every year with a different weight class. They had a perfect opportunity to do it with the WW's.

I agree on the WWs. At least a 4 man tournament would have made it seem a lot less like the 2nd place to GSP title.

 

[taedium]

Those were the golden days.
Production-wise, UFC could learn a lot.

 

[CRuck1980]

You can't fight two times in one night

 

[CRuck1980]

Fighter availability is a big issue with tournaments, injuries would tear a set up tournament apart and it would be a waste of time

 

[GTS]

And Yet I see no fighters from that era complaining about " the barbaric" Pride.

PRIDE >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>UFC

They're not complaining, they're all to busy with surgeries and being past their prime at WAY to young of age to complain.

Ever notice how so many fighters from the prime Pride era pretty much hit a wall once they hit 30?

 

[RachelZane**]

And Yet I see no fighters from that era complaining about " the barbaric" Pride.

PRIDE >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>UFC

pride is dead
ufc isnt

btw some would say pride had fixed matches