2008 brought us title victories, devastating defeats and nipple tweaks. With such an enthralling year of MMA winding down, what do us lonely souls known as fight fans have to look forward to once the ball drops and Carson Daly wishes everyone Happy New Year?
The UFC advertises on Times Square billboards, but the Octagon can’t come to New York.
UFC President Dana White will try to change that in 2009 by getting MMA sanctioned in The Empire State. He had promised that the UFC would be featured in Madison Square Garden before 2008 ended, but it didn’t work out this year.
Marc Ratner, the UFC’s vice president for government and regulatory affairs, will have lobbying firm Brown, McMahon & Weinraub and media-relations political consulting firm Global Strategy Group at his disposal in the push to legalize MMA in 2009. Momentum from donations to both Democratic and Republican parties in New York can’t hurt either. Also, the New York State Athletic Commission chair is Melvina Lathan, a backer of legalizing MMA.
Approval remains an uphill battle, though. Settling down also takes adoption of rules and oversight post-legalization, which can be a lengthy process.
With that said, arriving in the nation’s media capital is integral to domestic expansion with the attention it will bring to the sport. In addition, it sets a precedent for sanctioning in remaining states.
Of course, the UFC has international expansion plans as well. There have been talks of Mexico and the Philippines and the promotion is scheduled to touch down in England, Ireland and Germany next year, proving the UFC’s dedication to cultivating markets and growing MMA internationally.
Tito Ortiz
Ortiz, who departed from the UFC after a May loss to Lyoto Machida, expects to return to action in the summer of 2009. The sport’s top free agent is still recovering from back surgery and is yet to find a fight home. Affliction could be the frontrunner as Ortiz will commentate during the promotion’s January show, but “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” has been a long-time UFC employee. Despite a tumultuous relationship with White, the former light heavyweight champion reportedly still speaks to Lorenzo Fertitta about re-entering the Octagon.
The bleached blond has fallen out of favor since posting an 0-2-1 record in his last three showings, fighting only twice in the past two years. His bout with Chuck Liddell in December 2006 remains the UFC’s top pay-per-view, though. A divisive figure his entire career, Ortiz is a draw regardless of in-fight setbacks.
The 135 & 145 Divisions
With the WEC nixing its middleweight and light heavyweight divisions, the 135- and 145-pound classes have gone from nonexistent to a legitimate lightning rod of excitement and exposure.
In 2008, Urijah Faber defeated Jens Pulver in a coming-out party for “the little guys.” Faber-Pulver is the most viewed featherweight fight in history and followed up another “Fight of the Year” candidate -- a bantamweight title tilt between Miguel Torres and Yoshiro Maeda.
Torres remains at the top of his division and will likely fight hot prospect Brian Bowles in 2009. Meanwhile Faber and Pulver have fallen down their respective ladders but will battle each other again in January to start climbing back up. An expected bout between new featherweight king Mike Thomas Brown and the Greg Jackson-trained Leonard Garcia is also worthy of anticipation.
Tournaments
In 2008, Eddie Alvarez and Gegard Mousasi became top-ranked fighters after star performances during tournament action in Dream.
Joachim Hansen also saw his stock rise. “Hellboy” emerged as a late replacement for Alvarez -- the man who had axed him from the lightweight tournament -- to brutally stop grappling wizard Shinya Aoki. The win propelled the Scandinavian to prominence in the shark-infested waters of the division while avenging a 2006 loss.
Alvarez returns to tournament action early in 2009 under the Bellator Fighting Championships banner. His caliber lends credibility to the upstart promotion, which will feature a plethora of eight-man tournaments on ESPN Deportes in the featherweight, lightweight, welterweight and middleweight divisions. Jorge Masvidal is another talented potential participant.
Also, look for more tournaments from Sengoku. The elimination style of fighting is important to Japanese MMA’s shaky landscape post-Pride. Additionally, with Strikeforce promoting a successful one-night tournament in 2007, the San Jose-based organization could deliver more elimination style fighting.
Fighter Self-Promotion Benefits Fans
Like all professional athletes, mixed martial artists have a finite shelf life. Commoditizing their personalities brings in sponsorship money and communicates to those writing their checks -- the fans.
Bjpenn.com has been a leading example of interactive fighter-fan relationships. Jon Fitch took to the comedy stage during comedian Kristopher Tinkle’s “Steel Cage Comedy” series to endear himself to local fans before his championship clash with Georges St. Pierre. Mike Swick did the same and frequently updates his YouTube page. Andrei Arlovski has launched his own documentary series leading up to his fight with Fedor Emelianenko.
As promotional control of fighter likeness continues to inspire strong debate, fighters have to remain innovative in order to stand out in an environment that’s competitive on all fronts. Fighters are known for being resourceful, and fans will benefit more than ever in 2009.