If you’ve ever been privileged to see regional MMA action, you know it has some of the best fights you will ever see. Most of the guys are either trying to break into the UFC or attempting to work their way back.
Ask any fighter that competes on a regional level (or outside the UFC for that matter) and they’re all likely to tell you their ultimate goal is to be fighting in the Octagon.
For how long a fighter must compete to break into “the big leagues,” it can just as quickly be taken away from them. Put on boring fights or lose a couple in a row and you can pretty much be guaranteed to be handed your walking papers.
The big-name guys who are “UFC rejects” will still be able to find money on the regional scene. Their name and stature will allow them to make far more money than they should.
But what about the guys who don’t have a big name and simply aren’t ready for the bright lights of the UFC?
Fighting on the regional circuit is a rigorous journey. The pay is little and the chances to show off to Zuffa brass are few and far between. Unless you’re coming from a super camp like Jackson’s MMA or AKA, any connections you make to get yourself in will likely be done on your own time.
To make matters worse, besides putting in the hours in the gym to prepare for a bout, a fighter often times has to work a 9-5er type job. The balancing act can be very difficult, especially for the guys (and gals) who have families along with work and training.
Speaking from personal experience gathered from who I’ve talked to around the area I live in, guys fighting in the bigger promotions in the area make a couple hundred to show plus a win bonus and ticket money.
Given most of these guys fight once every couple months, it’s obvious that unless they have a trust fund from mommy and daddy, a professional fighter on the regional level will need a day job.
But what if the UFC reached out to help the guys who are top prospects and could use some “tune-up” fights before stepping into the Octagon?
If you’re a fan of American baseball, you know how a farm system works.
For those who don’t know, teams like the New York Yankees have multiple teams at different talent levels where they can send prospects and older plays to perfect their skills and prepare them for the big leagues.
Even most of the big league prospects spend some time in the minors before being called up. The UFC could and should implement a system like that in order to prepare guys for the culture shock of competing in the Octagon.
They wouldn’t even need to create a new “league” or brand, Strikeforce could turn into a proper farm system from the UFC without changing much of anything. Strikeforce is already resembling a farm system, as the UFC has been taking guys they want from the organization since they bought it.
Having a Zuffa contract and still allowing guys the proper time to develop would benefit both parties. The fighter could concentrate on training and the UFC would get guys who have proven they deserve their shot.
Another point I would like to make in connection with a farm system is the idea of “September call-ups.”
In baseball, the major league teams expand their rosters to allow up to 40 men on a team for the final month of the season (September). This mainly allows for younger guys to get a few looks and for young pitchers to give bullpens some extra days in between pitching.
But in the cases of guys like Jacoby Ellsbury and David Price, these call-ups can bring a lot of energy to their teams.
The same could work for the UFC. If the UFC is seriously considering adding more and more shows every year, eventually the product is going to get stale as we see the same fighters more and more.
A “Strikeforce call-up” could bring a fresh face and a new look to some UFC shows and give guys a chance to prove themselves while still having job protection.
As evident from some fights like Josh Koscheck-Paul Daley and Stephan Bonnar-Kyle Kingsbury, fighters are willing to “fight safe” if it means keeping their job and winning.
Yeah, being sent back down to the “minors” sucks, but at least a fighter would have the comfort of knowing their careers won’t be “make or break” because of one fight.
The UFC made a lot of progress towards helping their fighters with health insurance. Implementing a farm system would make a lot of sense to benefit both the UFC and fighters alike.
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