Apocalypse Now! 4 Things to Hope for in 2012
by Rainer Lee on Jan 8, 2012 7:48 PM EST
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A final look into this strange new year before we inevitably find ourselves gazing back, it is...Four Things to Hope for in 2012...
A Change in Format for TUF
As I've noted previously, The Ultimate Fighter has not only grown stale, but it also seems increasingly ineffectual, as with every season the number of quality recruits to the UFC shrinks. As the show moves from Spike TV to FX, maybe producers will take the change of network as an opportunity to change the show itself, at least a little. Whether that means leaving more time in between seasons for talent pools to deepen before the show fishes them for new fighters, or featuring a smaller cast in a more documentary-style fashion, I don't know. At this point, I think any little tweaks would be for the better.
New and Improved UFC Policy
Fans and pundits alike spend a lot of time criticizing Dana White and company, be it for strictly regulating sponsors or rewarding performances of uncertain technical merit. Credit where credit's due, though: as the UFC grows, its fighters are sure to profit. From hefty fight night bonuses to health coverage for fighters, the UFC has made great strides recently in supporting its mixed martial artists. One hopes that the organization continues to build on these accomplishments, perhaps with co-promotion or a formal PR policy that helps fighters like Miguel Torres keep themselves out of hot water.
After the jump, more stirring optimism...
The Growth of Women's MMA
Many suspect that Cristiane Santos' recent suspension will serve as a death knell for WMMA in Strikeforce, but I think it may just free up event space and promotional resources to push the underexposed yet promising bantam and, perhaps, flyweight divisions. The fact is, now that Strikeforce is operating under the Zuffa banner, WMMA may be the organization's most distinguishing characteristic. As it continues its partnership with Showtime, it would make sense for Strikeforce to make greater use of this relatively untapped resource.
Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans
One of MMA's great white whales of 2011. This fight started out as an intriguing, grudge-laden affair and has become some sort of weird, phantom match-up that hovers over pretty much anything that Jones or Evans is involved in, be it Evans' upcoming fight with Phil Davis, or Jones' rumored match-up against Dan Henderson (which will, of course, only push a fight with Evans further into the realm of the hypothetical). At this point, I half-way want the fight to happen just to get it off our minds. Am I aware that by talking about it I'm perpetuating the problem? Yes. Can I help it? No.
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TUF
You know TUF has been completely re-formatted for FX, right?
Yeah
All live fights every Fri night. The first half hour or so will be a recap from the the house//training and the send half will be the fights. Also a 12 week season leading directly to the coach’s fight, since the show is now actually the coach’s training camp as well.
Status: Awesoming
I don't know more about MMA than you, I just act like it at HeadKickLegend
that all sounds good
but i guess my main concern is still with whether or not they keep portraying the cast as the frat house from hell. it’d be nice if they class it up a bit.
SquishingMachine, now at HeadKickLegend.com
one step at a time.
Who is the only Maniac to appear in every mmamania fantasy football league superbowl in league history?
by DetroitDrew1980 on Jan 9, 2012 2:36 AM EST up reply actions
All live fights every Fri night. The first half hour or so will be a recap from the the house//training and the send half will be the fights.
My big question is are we going to get a say in choosing the fights?
I recall Dana saying that fans were going to have a chance to interact with the show and my hope was that we would be able to vote for the fights that we wanted to see based on that week’s footage. Like during the first half of the show we could text/twitter in our votes and they would make the two fighters we picked fight. I know that probably wouldn’t happen due to time constraints, but maybe we could pick the fight for the following week?
If you are going to lie to me, then we are going to box
You’re talking about being able to decide a fight as a fanbase within a half hour of fight time. That’s pretty ridiculous and unfair to the fighters.
Aside from that, I don’t recall matchmaking by voting specifically in any announcements, but I could easily have looked over it, since I’ve never participated in that sort of thing. On that note, I would not be opposed to fans deciding the matchmaking throughout the tournament. The matchmaking is supposedly “strategic” by the coaches anyway, which makes it pretty arbitrary. So, it doesn’t bother me at all to give that power to the fans instead of the coaches.
Status: Awesoming
I don't know more about MMA than you, I just act like it at HeadKickLegend
I'm kind of interested to see what direction Zuffa goes with their programming
I thought they would shutter Strikeforce once the Showtime contract expired and follow the use-basic-cable-to-sell-PPVs model that WWE uses. But between the UFC contract with Fox/FX/Fuel and the new Strikeforce contract, Zuffa now has a presence on network TV, basic cable, premium cable and PPV, plus live streaming if they want to use it. It will be interesting to see how they’ll distribute their content across all those channels in 2012 and beyond.
by Damnatio Memoriae on Jan 9, 2012 10:48 AM EST reply actions
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