I have been watching MMA since soccer kicks and head stomps were the norm, and north-south position meant that someone was taking knees to the dome piece. I have seen many MMA organizations come and go in that time, each offering something different to try and grab their share of the pie. Most recently I had the horror and pleasure of watching Bellator 122 and UFC on FOX 12 respectively.
Bellator’s offering was, in my opinion, tough to watch from beginning to end. The opening stanza featured a bearded and bedraggled Phil Baroni taking a quick shellacking from a wholly rejuvenated, although totally irrelevant, Karo Parisyan. Get the Delorian up to 88 Doc, and get me back to the future!! What followed was a typical lopsided tournament affair, with the last fight between Koreshkov and McDonough making me wonder what was on the other networks.
Fast forward to Saturday night’s UFC on FOX 12. All it took was the names involved in the main event to grab my attention and barricade the doors to ensure I wasn’t interrupted! In Matt Brown vs. Robbie Lawler you have two of the toughest, most exciting fighters in recent times squaring off for a title shot. The infamous pound and a half aside, Matt Brown has showed time and time again what heart and being mean as a rattle snake can get you in the cage. Facing him is Robbie Lawler, a man I once watched rage himself back to consciousness while fighting Nick Diaz.
From the prelims until the final buzzer, UFC delivered an amazing event. It was an event that saw a very game Clay Guida stopped by a rear naked choke from Dennis Bermudez, who looks very much like a fighter who is on track to threaten for the belt in the 145 pound division–from how he has looked in his last seven fights may very well wear the gold. The event also showcased Anthony Johnson, who delivered an absolutely terrifying knockout of Rogerio Nogueira. The big fight, the main event, was between Brown and Lawler. It was a fight that had many fans salivating for. A back and forth battle saw both men taking knocks and coming back from getting stunned by their opponent, and going toe to toe for twenty five non-stop minutes.
Am I trying to say that Bellator has lesser fighters than the UFC? No. I have the utmost respect for every warrior who has ever stepped into a ring or had a cage door locked behind them, from any of the great MMA Organizations. The difference is management. The UFC has people in high places in the company who not only love fighting, but have the vision to bring the best opponents together time after time. These people, including Dana White and Joe Silva, have the ability to put fighters in contracts and fights that are going to electrify crowds and fill venues. It’s these management geniuses who took the best of the WEC, such as Bermudez, and brought them to their organization. It is those same individuals that cut a struggling Anthony Johnson and subsequently invited him back after his vast improvement. Lastly it is these modern MMA Mozarts that time and time again orchestrate fights that make fans like myself only need the proverbial edge of their seats.
To compete with ZUFFA and the UFC the other MMA organizations need to realize that the biggest key to their success is not luck, it’s the love of the game.
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