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By: Jason Amadi, MMATorch Columnist
Pete writes:I recently went on a trip to northern Arkansas and was surprised to see several MMA training facilities in a couple of very small towns. Do you believe that in the next 10 years we may actually be looking at MMA as a totally different animal, maybe even collegiate MMA? I can tell you that I didn't see any volleyball training facilities during my entire trip!
A: There's no way we'll ever see collegiate MMA, but I do think with the UFC now on Fox and more big time sponsors getting involved in the sport, we'll definitely see a greater cultural acceptance of mixed martial arts in the United States.
Training MMA is a great way to stay and shape and build self confidence, even if you don't necessarily intend to become a professional fighter.
Victor writes:Do you think Strikeforce is over in January? Or is a scheme to get viewers to tune in for that event for ratings.
A: Strikeforce is almost as big of a liability to Showtime as it is Zuffa at this point. The roster is so top heavy that if any of the few genuine stars they have get injured, they'll have to scrap entire cards. We saw this happen twice in the span on a few months with Strikeforce. For Zuffa, they'd obviously love to be able to take the rest of their stars and bolster the UFC roster.
It's been confirmed that Ronda Rousey and the 135 pound women's division is bound for the UFC. If there were even a chance that Strikeforce were going to continue on Showtime, there's no way the network would be willing to part with a star like Rousey and all of her challengers.
Strikeforce is dead and all mixed martial arts fans should rejoice.
Tanar writes:How are UFC contracts structured? Specifically, how are they structured when it comes to who fights whom? During the UFC 151 debacle, it was stated that Jon Jones refused to fight Chael Sonnen, Lyoto Machida refused to fight Jon Jones, and then suddenly we get Belfort v. Jones. Or with Carlos Condit electing to wait for GSP to get better rather than defend his interim title. Or from what I've read about everyone refusing a fight with Glover Texeria.
In past experiences with EVERY JOB I'VE EVER HAD, electing not to do your job (for UFC fighters, fighting), doesn't go over well. Is it because the UFC doesn't have a structured set up for who fights next (#1 contendership, tournament, etc) that they give the latitude to the fighters? Or are the fighters independent contractors to the UFC rather than actual employees?
A: First of all, yes, fighters are independent contractors and not actual employees. As for the other part of your question, every fight is put together with bout agreements. Technically, the fighters have the right to opt out of competing against anyone they want, but only legitimate stars have the option to exercise that right without fear of getting cut. Obviously, a relative unknown that gets signed isn't going to come in with a long list of demands.
For fans, it would be awesome if fighters had no rights and would be obligated to compete when the UFC wanted and against whomever they wanted, but at the end of the day, the fighters deserve that kind of freedom.
Professional fighters generally have short careers. For their sake and for the sake of their families, they have to find ways to make as much money as they can, as quickly as they can. Sometimes, that means taking fights that have the right balance of risk and reward.
The best of example of that was really the proposed Mauricio Rua-Glover Teixiera matchup that was bandied about earlier this year. "Shogun" was vilified for his decision to turn down that fight, but at that point in time, beating Glover Teixiera wouldn't have progressed his career in any way. No one knew who he was and it's apparent to everyone now that Rua would have had to have gone through hell to pick up a win against Teixiera.
The same is true even at the highest level. We've seen Georges St-Pierre hesitate to accept a fight with Anderson Silva, Anderson Silva hesitate to take a fight with Jon Jones, and Jon Jones hesitate to take the fight with Anderson Silva. The fact is, all of these guys are super rich, and unless there's just a ridiculous amount of money on the table, they'll proceed with their careers any way they please.
With all of the talk of fighters being "modern day gladiators," it often gets lost on people that they're also professional sportsmen with a limited window to make an amount of money that will support them and their families for the rest of their lives.
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