As 2012 quickly comes to a close, huge news and announcements have not slowed down in recent weeks for the mixed martial arts world.
Despite this year having been marred by injuries and cancellations for some of the sports top promotions, I can’t help but feel optimistic that 2013 will be a much bigger and better year for MMA—and for a ton of good reasons. With the UFC poised to add a women’s division led by champ Ronda Rousey, bad boy Nick Diaz and behemoth Alistair Overeem set to make their respective Octagon returns and Bellator making the move to Spike TV, there will be a lot of news to look out for in the year to come.
More importantly, however, MMA fans should pay attention to how these issues will impact the sport on a larger level.
Here are five stories to keep an eye on going into 2013.