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[jwistead]

Originally Posted by Frasedog

You gave me an idea. If IFL keeps adding teams, and got enough fights together like you were saying, they could do a weekly show with all the undercard and qualifying fights. Then the ppv could be reserved for title, and superfights. Very interesting to think about.

Yeah, this was the point I was getting at... if they have a weekly show, maybe they can start competing with WWE. My biggest complaint about UFC and PRIDE, is that they only have monthly shows... and they probably *should* only have monthly shows, so we don't get tired of their fighters, keep the quality of the fights high, keep guys from getting worn down like the WWE wrestlers.

I'd love to see the weekly WWE crap replaced by real fights. I think IFL is positioned to do it, if they play their cards right. Sure there are lots of problems. I dunno if it'll work out for them. But hopefully it will, and hopefully we get weekly *fights*, instead of weekly trailer park heehaw staged WWE boring repetitive plot crap.

Also, the 60K for up-and-coming fighters... big props to the IFL guys that came up with that idea. I don't know if the economics of it will work out, but here's hoping.

[Malice]

Now I can deal with it becoming a Weekly "wrestling meet" type concept on TV. That's basically what it is though is a "meet".

[Beatts35]

Not only are they building to have weekly shows, all over the US and overseas, but they are up to 12 teams 07-08. They are geeting bigger names Ivan is toronto's 155er. Vernon White is going to be on a team soon (check MMAweekly they have a few new articles on the IFL's latest moves)

It is a team "meet" right now. but they've anounced a Grand Prix Tourney for each Weight division, best 4 guys from each fight to be said division's champ.

Their roster are getting better, right now alot of young talent (but isn't that what 60% or more of the UFC right now, young talent Dana and the boys are trying to have their brand grow around?)

They team concept may not be what the avid fan from the last 10 years is jumping up and down about. But they aren't after us, they want the general pop to get into it. by having a local team to chear for without knowing anything about MMA you know what team you will probably be rooting for.

They need a live tv deal, but they'll have that soon too (just speculating) they are 100% free tv right now, so it won't cost you $40 to try like the WFA.

And the whole team concept lends itself verywell to ESPN and Local News. People walk around wearing Yankees hats and Jerseys, not a Barry Bonds tshirt.

The IFL really can become the premiere orginzation, in my humble opinoin.

[Malice]

Yeah but the those are team sports.

[Beatts35]

I still think they are going to be the top promoter/league in the world

[YukonJordan]

I don't think an MMA organization could do a weekly show for a extended period of time (think minimum 40 weeks). The potential for injury would require them to keep a huge stable of talent. And for them to knock off wrestling would require a huge informed audience. The reason wrestling survives is because the casual fan can start watching any show and start from there. The "choreographed violence + storylines + tits and ass" formula is tried and true. The reason MMA has better buyrates than wrestling is the same reason the NFL has a much bigger audience than the NHL, MLB and NBA. Every game or MMA event means so much more than an MLB game or WWE event because they are fewer and farther between. *Please don't respond saying WWE is fake. I know that it's scripted but looked at it from an uninformed point of view for arguements sake.*

That being said I think they could become the #1 MMA organization if they had the weekly stuff being more undercard related and had PPV's with coach's fighting other coaches and weight class gp's. This might give them the best of both worlds if they could keep enough talent to maintain weekly programming.

[Beatts35]

i don't see them having a 40 week season. they are going to have 12 teams 16 to 24 week season with another 3plus months to get the grand prix in gives them 9 months of events a year. then you have an off season. like every other team sport

[YukonJordan]

you're right, by 40 weeks I just kind of meant an extended season. I didn't necessarily mean team matchups, grand prix's and such would be included in there.

[Hypergit]

They should do very well.

Teams in Britain, France, Holland, and Germany will make a big difference too because I would imagine the whole mma communities of those countries will watch their teams.

[Rhino_Man]

I think what will ultimately hurt them is if they do develop a fighter, under current conditions he will leave for the UFC or Pride.

MMA is not a team sport. I for one can say I have no desire to support a local MMA team. There is no appeal there.

The events look cheap and the quality of the fighters is sub-par.

Even the Pride broadcast on Fox looks like crap.

I know most of you guys think that MMA is getting huge fast but I think it is getting over exposed to some degree and will start to pull back a bit. The TUF thing works because of the reality show element with the drama of the fighters. But it has a shelf life.

You see the same thing with Soccer in the US, every 10 years it blows up for awhile and then it disappears. I predict a backlash at some point.