...OH, ONE MORE THING - PLEASE BOOKMARK US & VISIT DAILY!
The following was written by guest contributor C.J. Tuttle
Bellator is the best thing that has ever happened to the UFC. Competition is a good thing, and the fact that another Mixed Martial Arts promotion is airing live, weekly, on a national channel that the UFC helped to build, can bring nothing but positives to a continuously growing sport. The UFC brass has just failed to admit it yet.
When questioned during his “scrum” this past weekend at UFC 158 whether he has seen Bellator, Dana White admitted that while he doesn't watch Bellator (and never has), he does keep an eye on their ratings. This was White at his best, passively downplaying the importance of the budding promotion and the recent surge of exciting fights/finishes that have occurred (See Saad Awaad/Emmanuel Newton).
This in itself is a problem that has been plaguing UFC as of late, a lack of finishes. Purists can talk all they want about the beauty of a well wrestled fight, while critics can counteract that same point by calling the aforementioned snooze fests, but no one can argue the allure of a knockout. This bodes well for Bellator and their roster of hungry fighters. Being the unknown, rising fighter promotes taking chances and trying something new to get noticed. This ideology has been proven recently by the success of Strikeforce fighters coming over to the “big leagues” and getting impressive KO victories of their own (like Jordan Mein). This carries over nicely into what Bellator should be doing, getting noticed. The 1.5 million people that Bellator 91 drew clearly shows that the company is beginning to head in the right direction.
This has forced UFC's hand as of late; the release of successful, yet, Snorlax-esque style fighter Jon Fitch has shown that UFC itself wants results. Not just any results, split-decisions and Nevada judging mistakes aside, they want FINISHES.
Having been to UFC 157 in Anaheim, CA and the most recent Bellator event in Temecula, CA, the stark differences are evident; obviously, one took place in an arena, the other in a ballroom. But, so are the similarities. Herb Dean and Big John McCarthy overseeing the festivities, a Joe Rogan look-alike conducting post match interviews, a bald CEO, Tito/Hendo/Vera/Cruz sitting ringside, I think all of this adds to the appeal of Bellator. It's a promotion you can get behind, one you can root for, and just as we all watched UFC's meteoric rise to the top you find yourself hoping the same for Bjorn Rebney and his group of hungry fighters. Not only will these competitors continue to help Bellator improve their ratings and name recognition with casual fans, the fighters also have something to strive for going forward, the call-up to the UFC.
This brings up the inevitable comparison of professional wrestling and MMA (made all the more relevant with the Dana and Vince news that dropped this week). With WWE and TNA there is a clear line that shows WWE as the pinnacle of the genre. They do not acknowledge the fact that TNA/King Mo exists and usually don't sign guys that worked for the promotion (all the while TNA salivates to get WWE's talent) TNA even just so happens to be on the channel that WWE used to be on also. This does not mean that the competition doesn't help make WWE better. This all correlates directly going forward with Bellator and UFC. Who's to say that Bellator can't be the breeding ground for the upcoming talent in MMA? Come up with a better way to test for TRT? Make an Octagon with five sides? Kidding.
Thursday marks Bellator 93 and the featured bout between Dave Jansen (18-2) and Marcin Held (15-2) in the lightweight tournament finals. These two submission artists, who only have four losses between them, look to line up against current undefeated Champion Mike Chandler and possibly (UFC bound) Eddie Alvarez. That one's for those purists I mentioned earlier, but know what I am pumped for? Watching a gentleman who looks like he should still be fighting in the Toughman Contest: Travis Wiuff (68-15). Whether you watch the event live or DVR to watch it later, so you can fast forward all the Primetime style vignettes of the fighter you don't know yet or to skip the endless stream of Blue Mountain State commercials, the point is that you are actually watching and helping contribute to an overall stronger MMA.
Comments? Rants? @kidceej > c.j.tuttle@me.com
(Attention MMATorch app users: Make sure to upgrade to the latest edition of the MMATorch app on your iPhone, iPad, or Android device!)
Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
STAFF COLUMNISTS: Shawn Ennis - Jason Amadi
Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
Interested in joining MMATorch's writing team? Send idea for a theme to your column (for Specialist section) or area of interest (i.e. TV Reporter) along with a sample of writing to mmatorch@gmail.com.
