Author: Matthew Saccaro

MMA in New York: Does It Matter to the UFC or Anyone Outside New York Anymore?

It has recently been reported that MMA has failed to obtain legalization in New York for the third straight year. Once again (or thrice again) the bill stalled out in the Ways and Means Committee, where it will unceremoniously fade away until the whole…

It has recently been reported that MMA has failed to obtain legalization in New York for the third straight year. Once again (or thrice again) the bill stalled out in the Ways and Means Committee, where it will unceremoniously fade away until the whole process starts again sometime in 2012.

But does New York even matter in the grand scheme of things anymore?

The sport of mixed martial arts—specifically the UFC—is growing leaps and bounds and not just within the United States. The UFC (under Zuffa ownership) has visited Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, Germany and will eventually be visiting Brazil and Sweden.

When the market for MMA in the United States has already been won and now the world is up for grabs, how can New York be all that important?

Many will answer by saying that Madison Square Garden is a legendary venue and the sport is being done a disservice by not being allowed to hold events there.

While MSG is one the most famous places in sports, it doesn’t mean that it always will be. What is meant by this is that by not having mixed martial arts for at least another year, the New York state government is making it very easy for MMA to simply pass New York by.

Think of all the legendary moments that have happened in MMA and think of all the highly anticipated matchups and events that will happen over the next year. New York has missed and will miss all of them.

Thus, by the time MMA is legalized in New York, which may not even be in 2012 with the way the state runs things, (I know since I live there) the sport will be so popular that holding an event at Madison Square Garden really won’t mean a whole lot.

Of course, this isn’t to say that the UFC won’t hold shows there once it’s legal to. It’s just that there will be bigger, newer things on the horizon by then.

It is unfortunate that the “powers that be” in New York have decided to doom the state’s MMA fans, and through no fault of their own! The grassroots movement in the state, such as the Coalition to Legalize MMA in New York lead by American Sambo expert Stephen Koepfer were strong, and the MMA fans in the state were dedicated to bringing the sport to New York…but it was all for not.

Nevertheless, when the sport is made legal it will be a tremendous boon to the local MMA scene. Promotions such as Lou Neglia’s Ring of Combat (a staple of east coast—specifically NY/NJ—MMA for those who don’t know) will finally be able to hold shows in New York and other promotions will likely rise up and in doing so, make finding fights for aspiring Long Island and New York fighters easier.

But will New York matter in the overall MMA scene when the sport is finally made legal there? Even if the answer is yes it won’t matter as much as it would have if it was made legal on the first try; each year that passes without MMA in New York makes the state less relevant to the big picture as the UFC extends its reach overseas.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

MMA: Will the Fickleness of the Fans Ultimately Bring the UFC and MMA Down?

The sport of mixed martial arts is noted for many things such as being the fastest growing sport in the world, being the purest combat sport on the planet, demanding the highest level of athleticism from it’s participants…and having perhaps the most …

The sport of mixed martial arts is noted for many things such as being the fastest growing sport in the world, being the purest combat sport on the planet, demanding the highest level of athleticism from it’s participants…and having perhaps the most notoriously difficult to please fans in sports.

When an event disappoints, MMA fans will light many an Internet forum ablaze with complaints and criticisms faster than any other group of fans.

This even happens if only the main event is bad. Such is the case with Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum, a fight card in which many of the fights were packed with solid action but the main event was seen as a disappointment. Thus, the entire event was seen by many fans as lackluster even though a majority of the fights were good.

Unfortunately, this trend is nothing new. There almost always seems to be complaints coming from the fans about one thing or another.

This inclination towards misery and negativity is commonly just written off as people being spoiled and is given little more than a sigh before attention is moved elsewhere. This stance on the constantly changing (although often only changing between varying negative extremes) has its merits but also its flaws.

First, finicky fans shouldn’t always be taken seriously; people will complain about anything and everything.

Second, many fans have selective memories and only remember the bad about an event. Does anyone remember UFC 112 for anything but the Anderson Silva-Demian Maia fiasco?

However, the general opinion(s) of the fans cannot be wholly discounted, for it is their wallets that are responsible for keeping the sport alive and growing.

Therefore, if the fans are consistently bored and become disillusioned with the sport and the UFC ignores them, the organization and the sport could be brought down. Case in point: many professional sports organizations have had to alter their rules to make for a more exciting contest.

Will the UFC have to do this? Only time will tell, although many fans are becoming concerned with the prevalence of “fighting not to lose,” a fighting style which UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre is acrimoniously accused of employing.

An interesting point to note is that the UFC under Zuffa ownership has “grown up” in the age of the Internet (as did many of its fans). It’s possible that the fickleness comes from living in a quick-fix/instant-oatmeal society in which people want more for their time and money, and they aren’t willing to wait for it. Maybe most fans expect every main event—or even every fight—to be Forrest Griffin-Stephan Bonnar all over again?

So will the fickleness of the fans be the sport’s downfall? Probably not. Many of the fan’s complaints are bombastic, and sometimes ignorant. In addition, the fans (as well as people in general these days, does anyone remember the BP oil spill anymore?) have a short memory regarding many things. While people will remember UFC 112 for being bad, the sour taste in their mouths will likely have dissipated when it’s time pay up for the next event.

Nevertheless, the fans cannot be completely disregarded as high-maintenance complainers. If enough fans fall out of love with the sport, MMA could drop off the face of the sports world as soon as it appeared.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Strikeforce: Is Fabricio Werdum Destined to Be the Buster Douglas of MMA?

There was once an unstoppable heavyweight who many in the world thought was the best fighter on the planet. This man carved a bloody path through his sport en route to becoming one of the most touted athletes in his sport’s history.However, this man wa…

There was once an unstoppable heavyweight who many in the world thought was the best fighter on the planet. This man carved a bloody path through his sport en route to becoming one of the most touted athletes in his sport’s history.

However, this man was finally stopped by the unlikeliest of opponents in one of the biggest upsets in sports history.

This story is none other than the story of heavyweight boxing legend Mike Tyson when he met James “Buster” Douglas in 1990. Tyson suffered his first defeat and knockout in the ring.

What would happen to Buster Douglas? He did nothing of note after pulling off one of the biggest upsets of all time.

He lost the title on his very first defense and, although he went 8-1 after the failed title defense, he never did anything worth mentioning with the rest of his career.

This whole story of the impossibly outmatched underdog defeating the indefatigable, invincible menace is eerily similar to the story of former Pride Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko and Fabricio Werdum.

It was almost one whole year ago that the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace managed to submit the Russian with a triangle choke/arm bar combination at only one minute and nine seconds into the first round of their contest.

This was considered one of the greatest upsets in MMA history. The “Last Emperor” was handed his first true loss in the cage while “Vai Cavalo” was catapulted up the heavyweight rankings.

But will Werdum be able to successfully ride the wave of defeating Emelianenko? Or will the Brazilian’s fate be analogous to that of Buster Douglas?

It can be said that Werdum has already missed out a bit since his first fight after beating Fedor is coming nearly a year after doing so; MMA fans have short memories.

Aside from this, Werdum is outmatched by the man he is facing at Saturday night’s Strikeforce event, Alistair Overeem. Overeem is a K-1 kickboxing champion as well as an accomplished grappler. He is also much more of an impressive physical specimen than Werdum.

If lightning should strike twice, Werdum’s destiny in MMA still isn’t particularly rosy. Even if he wins the tournament he will be a star in what is widely considered the UFC’s minor league; the casual fan will still pay him no heed.

Even if Werdum makes it into the UFC, the top dogs in the UFC’s heavyweight division are terrible match ups for him. The striking of Junior Dos Santos and Shane Carwin would put his lights out again, and the wrestling of UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez would prevent Werdum from ever bringing the fight to the mat—the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu master’s realm.

When these facts are considered, it paints a grim picture for Werdum’s future; it’s likely that he will be remembered only as the “guy who beat Fedor” and nothing else, just like how Buster Douglas is nothing but the “guy who beat Tyson.”

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

The 16 Pre-Zuffa UFC Fighters We Wish Could Return to Modern MMA in Their Primes

The UFC has a short but very diverse history. Throughout the early days (specifically before the company was purchased by Zuffa) there were several bizarre or shady characters for every one legitimate fighter.However, even the legitimate fighters are l…

The UFC has a short but very diverse history. Throughout the early days (specifically before the company was purchased by Zuffa) there were several bizarre or shady characters for every one legitimate fighter.

However, even the legitimate fighters are looked down upon today because the sport has evolved so much since then. But what would happen if these legitimate fighters, as well as some of the more questionable ones, were brought into today’s world and given modern training?

While no one can really know the answer to that question, it’s certainly fun to think about. Here are 16 fighters of the pre-Zuffa era who would generate a significant amount of intrigue (whether by force of their personality, skill, or otherwise) if they could return to modern MMA in their primes.

The fighters aren’t ranked per se, but they are put in the general order of least anticipated hypothetical return to modern MMA to most anticipated.

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UFC 131 Results: Questions Answered and Lessons Learned

The smoke has cleared, the dust has settled, and UFC 131 is finally part of MMA history.In the night’s main event, Junior Dos Santos used faster and technically superior striking to bloody, out-point, and nearly finish an overmatched Shane Carwin en ro…

The smoke has cleared, the dust has settled, and UFC 131 is finally part of MMA history.

In the night’s main event, Junior Dos Santos used faster and technically superior striking to bloody, out-point, and nearly finish an overmatched Shane Carwin en route to a unanimous decision victory.

In the co-main event of the evening, Kenny Florian managed to out-strike and out-grapple his Brazilian adversary Diego Nunes and in doing so earned a unanimous decision victory.

Mark Munoz, Dave Herman, Donald Cerrone, Chris Weidman, Sam Stout, Krzysztof Soszynski, Nick Ring, Dustin Poirier, Joey Beltran, and Darren Elkins were all successful in their Octagon endeavours as well.

What are the most important consequences of the event? What lessons did MMA learn and what questions were answered? Read and find out!

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UFC 131 Fight Card: Kenny Florian’s Top 7 Career-Defining Moments

Kenny “Kenflo” Florian is one of the most well-known fighters in the UFC as well as one of the most versatile (come Saturday, the man will have fought in four weight classes).This Saturday at UFC 131 Florian is set to make his debut at featherweight ag…

Kenny “Kenflo” Florian is one of the most well-known fighters in the UFC as well as one of the most versatile (come Saturday, the man will have fought in four weight classes).

This Saturday at UFC 131 Florian is set to make his debut at featherweight against Brazilian Diego Nunes.

This fight will be one of the most important of Florian’s career. If he wins, it will be proven that featherweight is his weight class and domain—Jose Aldo beware. But should he lose, he will likely be cast off as a bum by the hordes of insensitive pundits and keyboard warriors.

Nevertheless, Florian’s career is an interesting one and he was (and still is) an influential figure in the UFC; not even a defeat Saturday night can rob him of this fact.

So, to celebrate Kenny Florian’s time in the cage, here are his top seven career-defining moments.

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