Aint been a great year, mainstream interest waning, SF dying on the vine, cancelled events, injuries and card changes, the UFC becoming the Chael says something show... But 2012 hasnt been all bad for MMA has it? What are some of the highlights and positives to be taken out of 2012 for a jaded MMA fan such as myself... I'll start The crowd reaction in Brazil has been tremendous to watch. The genuine excitement is palpable through the TV when guys like Big Nog and Anderson, who fought the majority of their careers overseas walk out and then win. Reminds me of the noise during GSP v Serra 2 or the USA chants when Randy decked Timmy. The UFC is gaining real momentum there it seems and I hop it continues. One FC doing well. It has lacked big star,a real big feud or genuine ATG fight to put it on the map. But for an org only a few events in I have enjoyed the show immensely. Hopefully can be a shot in the arm for Asian MMA and create stars of their own in the next few years as I doubt Asian MMA will survive with annual visits by UFC and the more plat forms that fighters have to perform the better. You guys got any?
One FC is well on its way with a stable of "bring on the action" fighters headed by ATG LW Shinya Aoki, Asian MMA has shed the shell of Pride, but is heading towards new potenitially exciting horizons.
The UFC staged events in eight different countries this year, which I believe is a record. It hosted its first events in Sweden and China, and returned to Japan for the first time in over a decade. North America, South America, Asia, Oceania, mainland Europe and the UK. If they can keep doing that, it has to be a good thing for the international development of the sport. :hat
I hope One FC does well, and boosts Asian MMA. For all the hoopla about the massive and knowledgeable crowds in PRIDE, Asian MMA seemed to curl up and die immediately after PRIDE collapsed. Where did those fans go? Okay I can understand them not buying into the UFC due to cultural clash, but somebody must be able to pick up the slack over there, surely. The interest in the sport can't have died off THAT quick. :conf :hat
You must have missed the collapse in attendance for the UK and Australian shows compared to previous visits. But yeah other than that the international expansion has been a plus - the two 'proprer' Brazil shows have been amongst my favourites of the year. Also think Anderson has been awesome this year - just incredible performances from a man whose style would suggest wouldn't still be competitive let alone bossing the best at 37 years old! I mean you have to go back to April 2009 for the last time he was in a boring fight - even the bad ones (Maia) and the pointless ones (Bonnar) were interesting in some way.
Two things on that. One Japan is a very fad-driven culture which allows things to get very big very quickly but completely dry up soon after the peak. Two Japanese culture in general there's a generational shift from sports not just MMA. More than that the problem with MMA in Japan is distribution not popularity. The last Dream and K-1 shows still did ratings that the UFC would kill for on FOX. The problem was that those ratings weren't high enough to justify prominent placing on Japanese network television. Without cable or pay per view the promotion just couldn't make money when they dropped from being a mainstream fad to a (large) niche interest. That's magnified by Japan never really being a culture that placed a huge emphasis on paying large amounts to see the fights live - the culture is much more that you watch the big fights on network tv.
Barnett fight was absolutely a positive but the way he's been made to drift since has been a waste. Not technically 2012 but I love Barnett's pro-wrestling match on NYE. Really hope he goes to TNA/Bellator so we can get him vs. Samoa Joe or Kurt Angle.
Aldo vs Mendes in Brazil was real good so was Edgar vs Benson. The Flyweight division got a new ufc champ with a very exciting fight. Sure there have been some bumps in the road but it still has been a good year considering
My 2 cents. For the UFC, the first half of the year we had ****in great event from what I can remember, even the card that wern't that good on paper were total bomb live. I think thing went sour after Overeem got busted, call me a conspiracy theorist all you want, but from that moment injury went up by I don't know how many percent...I just think that is suspicious. Let's wait next year to see what happen, but if this trend continue at the same rate, that is ****in suspicious. One FC has the best rule set and the best judging criteria in MMA right now, I really hope that this company will thrive and get bigger. Invicta FC is on, maybe that way woman MMA will get bigger to, I think they had 2 or 3 show this year, watched 2 of them, was fun and enjoyed it alot. And like always we had shitload of bad decision this years, the scoring criteria reallly really needs to change ! Other then that I think BBF needs to retire, TBH I don't think that he is there for the sport anymore....
As far as the UFC goes, the Fox card in December is very much worth looking forward to. Unless it gets ravaged by injuries, which seems more likely than unlikely at this point.
Bellator continues to put on solid events week after week and has become a farm league for the UFC - especially if Eddie Alvarez follows Hector Lombard into the Octagon. Super Fight League puts on great freak shows with competitive fights and the best theme song of any fighting event. ONE FC is bringing the Asian MMA market back to life by combining UFC and Pride style rules. With the full legalization of kicks to a downed opponent - The ONE FC organization probably has the best mix of rules. Although I must admit it was disturbing to see Phil Baroni hold onto the fence for leverage as he stomped on his opponent's head. 2012 has been a bad year for the UFC - but it is also coming off what is arguably it's greatest year in 2011. This rash of injuries and cancellations that has plagued the year is merely a hiccup in the road to MMA greatness. Anderson Silva wants to fight GSP. GSP is fighting the best contender he's faced in a while in Carlos Condit. Dana White wants Anderson Silva to fight Jon Jones. The Jones/Sonnen match is a prelude to making that happen. So we're looking at a near future that will bring us GSP/Condit. Dos Santos/Velazquez 2. And possibly Silva/GSP or Silva/Jones or BOTH. Imagine a year where both of those events bookend the year. I read recently Alistair Overeem is getting an immediate title shot when he comes back. Good things ahead.
