It seems as though there is now somewhat of an elephant in the room in today’s Professional MMA world. Since Zuffa’s acquisition of Strikeforce, there have been a number of speculations as to what will become of UFC, and in turn, the rest of professional mixed martial arts. It could be said that Zuffa has created a dynasty with the UFC, and will monopolize all competition in due time. From the perspective of some of the smaller organizations such as Bellator FC, or Bamma whom are greatly outmatched by the larger corporations, this situation has presented an ultimatum. This remaining portion of the fight world can either continue to desperately try and bring in the best competition available (which excludes undoubtedly the majority of the best fighters in the world) and hang on by a thread, or they can give in to the powerhouse and attempt to become part of Zuffa.
No matter where a fighter begins, or ends up, in mixed martial arts every athlete aspires to be the best. Having big name organizations (UFC, Strikeforce) are a perfect way to weed out the champions. Being the best can be measured simply by possessing the championship belt, and more so by vacating it to face higher challenges (Diaz vs. St. Pierre).
As simple as it may seem, things get dicey when adding the smaller professional fight corporations to the equation, most of which include fighters who also aspire to become world champions one day. After watching Ariel Helwani’s interview with the current Bellator welterweight champion, Ben Askren, on The MMA Hour, it became clear that there is a potential issue brewing with the current setup of professional mixed martial arts. Askren not only believes he is one of the best in the world at 170 pounds, but wants to prove it by fighting the best competition that he can get. Ben Askren has a contract with Bellator, which means he cannot simply go to the UFC for a fight and then return to his native league. It is one or the other, but when Zuffa decides to give Askren a true test in the welterweight division (whether in Strikeforce, or UFC), what is he to do but take the offer? And what is Bellator to do once their champion vacates the belt, and their organization? Even if Bellator is able to bring in a top 25 fighter that for whatever reason is not employed by Zuffa, upon another title defense, what comes next for the champ if he wins? There is only so much worthy competition that can be found before Zuffa sniffs them out.
In a world where everyone wants to be the best, as we all know there can only be a handful of fighters in the entire world worthy of that title. As the well-known saying goes, “To be the best, you have to beat the best”. This just isn’t possible for certain fighters. Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez dominates his opponents, and continuously retains his title but shining unnoticeably brighter in his peripheral vision is the UFC title belt.
Is the grass really greener on the other side?
