The Super-Fight

Have you ever wondered who would win in a fight between Batman and Superman? The answer is you probably don't care. If you are under the age of 7, you might.

Georges St. Pierre (left) and Anderson Silva (right) have
all but been willing to fight. 

What I am talking about is that if a fight is conjured up in someone's fantasy beginning with the phrase "what if, chances are it has the potential to be epic. It's not a regular fight, its a super-fight.

The idea of the champion defending his/her title in MMA against the number one contender will always be able to sell. Sometimes when you have a champion that is so dominant in their division, you will begin to look elsewhere for possible match-ups. This is where the fans will begin to think, "hey, maybe we should have a super-fight between champs".

When you have a champion vs. champion fight, there will only be one outcome. That outcome is that an arena will be sold out, event merchandise will be selling in high quantities and pay-per-view numbers will be through the roof.

Let me introduce you to Georges St. Pierre (GSP), Anderson Silva and Jon Jones. They are the current and reigning defending UFC champions in the welterweight (170), middleweight (185) and light-heavyweight (205) respectively. No one in their divisions have been able to beat them or come close to it. Now there are two super-fights to be made, GSP versus Silva or Silva versus Jones. Now here is the problem.

NONE OF THEM WANT TO FIGHT EACH OTHER!!!!!!!!!

It is very rare that opportunities like these come around for fans. The UFC president Dana White wants nothing more than to set these fights up. He has also been hinting that he is close to signing the Silva/Jones fight.

On March 16th, GSP will fight Nick Diaz in what would've been a super-fight in 2011. Unfortunately Diaz suffered a loss and a drug suspension since then. It still will do great numbers, but the mystique of the "champion versus champion" is gone. Check out a preview below. Don't get me wrong, I will definitely be tuning in.

Hey Georges, Anderson and Jon, let me give you a word of advice. Sign the damn contracts. Your bank accounts won't be sorry you did.

Ronda Rousey: Expanding the Target Market

Men, ages 18 to 45.

That is the target market for MMA. Dana white, president of the UFC believes it isn't anymore. Well at least he's going to try to change it and here's how.

2008 olympic judo medalist, Ronda Rousey is the face of women's MMA. She has completely steam-rolled all of her opponents defeating all six of her opponents in the first round (five of them in under one minute). Her last four bouts took place in the now defunct Strikeforce promotion. Strikeforce has recently been shut down and target contracts have been moved over.

Ronda Rousey (Above)
Photo courtesy of bleacherreport.com

Her contract existing in Strikeforce and the fact there was no women's division in the UFC, gave Dana White a unique opportunity. Dana has the chance to bring women's MMA mainstream.

Whether you are for women's equality or against them fighting in the cage, its going to happen whether you like it or not.

Ronda Rousey will square off against Liz Carmouche in San Jose on February 23rd at UFC 157. Not only they are going to fight, they are the main event.

How will this business move play out? Only time will tell. My best guess is that women's MMA will eventually catch on just like the sport itself did. It will be slow at first, but it will "get there". Expanding the target means one thing. More money.

On February 23rd, get some friends and grab a beer at your local Buffalo Wild Wings and watch some fights. Below is a trailer for UFC 157.

Enjoy!

MMA Video Blogs

Everyone loves the "behind the scenes" bonus features on their favorite DVD's. It's no different for sports. Every fan wants to see their favorite athlete when they aren't in the spotlight of their profession.

Everyone knows what goes on after a football game, after a baseball game, etc. Do people know what its like after a professional fight? Probably not. The UFC does a great  job of doing video blogs of behind the scenes action at their live events that really shows the highs and lows of the pre and post-fight atmosphere and antics. The MFC's (Maximum Fighting Championships, a canadian based promotion) president Mark Pavelich also does a great job of voicing his thoughts on the current events of MMA and also advertising his upcoming events. 

In my honest opinion. If you are not doing these video blogs, you are missing out. Casual fans simply can't invest in your fighters as much as they possibly could. Things like these video blogs could mean the difference from being at 85-90% capacity to being sold out. If people see, understand and get a feeling from the promotion from behind the curtains, they can truly invest in the promotion. 

If you are or aren't a fight fan, check out the video below to just get a feel for the behind the scenes action. If it interest's you, do a web search for an upcoming MMA show in a town near you. 

I promise like I have before, you won't be disappointed you did.