Apocalypse Now! 4 Things to Brace for in 2012

With a new weight class in the UFC, a condensed heavyweight talent pool, and some excellent title fights on the way, 2012 is shaping up nicely. But, lo! I give you four things to brace for in the coming year...

The Retirement of MMA Mainstays

Tito Ortiz is already labeling his next match a retirement fight, but he's not the only one planning an exit from the ring. Forrest Griffin, who Ortiz named as a potential opponent, has appeared increasingly disinterested in the cage and, in a recent radio interview, admitted "I'm realizing that I don't have much left. This is the end of the road for me. I want a couple of more fights...." Matt Hughes and B.J. Penn have both mentioned retirement as well, though in less certain terms. Penn might just be going on hiatus, while Hughes, for his part, expects that he'll come back only for a marquee match-up. And less remarked was the post-fight interview Jeff Curran gave after his last appearance in the XFO, declaring that he would make one more campaign through the UFC before calling it quits.

These announcements, combined with the lengthy and recently rocky careers of Wanderlei Silva, Rich Franklin, and Quinton Jackson suggest that MMA might see a great deal of turnover in 2012.

Further PR Gaffes

More surprising than the apparent absence of any official code of conduct for UFC fighters is the ability of those same fighters to so frequently find the wrong things to say. Given the multitude of social networking applications and the many fighters encouraged to make use of them, we might as well prepare for a few more cringe-inducing jokes. And maybe another cell phone pic of Tito Ortiz's genitals. The evidence of which I refuse to link to.

The Continued Decline of Japanese MMA

Attendance is down. Funding is down. Big-time draws like Kazushi Sakuraba are nearing retirement, and promoters are having to bolster fight cards with pro-wrestling matches. It seems less and less likely that the Japanese fight scene will make a return to its Saitama Super Arena heyday. The UFC's upcoming return to Japan presents a new wrinkle in the story of Japanese MMA, but with homegrown promotions dialing back their shows' size and frequency, it seems that JMMA will contract further before it can begin to improve.

The Persistence of Injury-Riddled Cards

The rash of short-notice fight cancellations in 2011 might have had something to do with plain bad luck. I suspect, however, that there are other, more quantifiable reasons for so many scuttled matches.

The first is the UFC's insurance policy, which allows fighters to seek care for injuries rather than take a fight in desperate need of cash to pay medical bills. The second and perhaps more significant cause is the overall evolution of MMA. Training camps are becoming more intense and complex. At the same time, there's more at stake with every outing, and the more technical, nuanced performances turned in by fighters make increasingly stringent demands of their bodies. Expect fighters to approach their careers with due care.