Big news, everyone! The PFL and MVP have merged into one combat sports promotion, intent on making a real run at “disrupting” MMA.
Well, “big” might not be the right word. But it’s certainly a shift in the landscape of MMA, and it comes at a time when the UFC is trying less than they ever have. So, will this shake up the sport? Or is it just more sound and fury, signifying nothing? Let’s discuss.
PFL-MVP Merger and the state of MMA
PFL + MVP, and Scott Coker is starting a new promotion. How excited are you for the future of MMA, and do
you have any hope that either will be able to push the UFC towards putting together better fight cards with some healthy competition?
The short answer is “no.” The more complicated answer is “no, but maybe?”
When the news first broke about MVPFL, it honestly didn’t move the needle for me. Sure, it’s big news, and a very optimistic view could see this as something to genuinely give the UFC pause, but I didn’t see it that way. For me, this just seemed like shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic. Sure, a new name and a new coat of paint might be fun for a bit, but underneath the hood, the engine is still trash.
And mostly, I still think that. Setting aside the big UFC black hole in the room that absorbs all the interest in the sport and makes it impossible for another organization to actually get big, PFL has problems that have nothing to do with the UFC, the biggest being a general lack of interest. Pride, Strikeforce, WEC, even EliteXC — these promotions had fans and a brand that people attached to. The PFL doesn’t. If the UFC closed shop tomorrow, the PFL wouldn’t become a sensation overnight, because most people don’t know it exists. The PFL has never had a real fan base, and that makes any optimism seem foolish to me.
Now, I recognize that’s one of the primary points of partnering with Jake Paul — he is a brand. But while we’ve seen Paul’s brand drive viewers for outrageous spectacles, we haven’t seen him do it for traditional, week-over-week interest. When Paul went and boxed “real boxers,” people mostly didn’t care. So, sure, this new brand might get some big headlines with whatever superfights they can piece together, but that doesn’t mean Netflix is shelling out money for Friday night fights.
And while I do largely think this is true, I will say that hearing John Martin talk about their vision gives me some hope that this new venture, while doomed to failure in the long term, might actually have some legs to it. They’re certainly approaching things sensibly, and have an aligned vision that they can work toward, which is good. And honestly, if MVPFL can simply be some level of viable for a long time, that’s good enough for me. Bellator never gained much traction, but the sport is worse off for its absence.
As for Coker, I have no optimism about his latest venture whatsoever. Scott Coker has a deep well of knowledge when it comes to MMA promotion and is the second best MMA promoter ever. I have genuine respect for what he was able to do in this sport. But his time is past. Bellator didn’t fold because Coker got unlucky; he folded because he couldn’t make it succeed. There’s no reason to believe this will be any different, considering he’s getting the same old band back together. Honestly, Coker’s return makes me think of the end of Steve Jobs where Coker is Wozniak.
“For. A. Time.”
We don’t need to acknowledge the Apple II team. Coker did a thing. That’s over. I’m more interested in the next promoter than the old one.
The worst fighter in the UFC
There’s a video of NBA champion and noted benchwarmer, Brian Scalabrine, schooling regular people on the court. I’ve always believed that the worst player in any sports league would run circles around normal people or even people that weren’t quite good enough to make it to the league.
Do you think the worst fighter on the UFC roster would destroy all normal people or even people with some fighting experience/ability? or has the UFC’s roster suffered from a drop in talent/quality where someone could have a puncher’s chance?
Yes, absolutely. An average person fighting a UFC fighter would probably go even worse than playing basketball against Scalabrine.
In general, human beings are extremely bad at judging their own ability to do things, and nowhere is that more true than in fighting. Nobody can fight. Like, no one.
I grew up in the south, I wrestled in high school and played rugby in college, I got in fights all the time, and the first time I stepped into an MMA gym, I got my ass handed to me by everyone there. Even today, I’m a BJJ purple belt and have kickboxed for over 10 years, and I would get tied in knots by like, Preston Parsons. So, an untrained person? No chance whatsoever.
And I’m not even talking from a technical standpoint. It’s not that Antonio Trocoli would thump up normal people because he hits hard and can finish a double-leg; it’s that normal people have, at most, 60 seconds of fighting in them. Even otherwise fit people simply aren’t prepared for the energy dump and expenditure of a real fight, and they have no experience in mitigating that.
To paraphrase Scalabrine, Mitch Ramirez is closer to Islam Makhachev than we are to him.
Paulo Costa
Why is Paulo Costa being seen as a future force in the LHW division, whereas Robert Whittaker isn’t being mentioned at all? Whittaker beat Costa.
Because Costa looked very good beating up an undefeated contender, and Whittaker looked old and a bit soft beating up a washed non-contender.
Whittaker is a better fighter than Costa, but he’s not going to make a real run at 205, even with this weight class being complete buns.
Thanks for reading, and thank you to everyone who sent in questions! Do you have any burning questions about things at least somewhat related to combat sports? Then you’re in luck, because every week I put a prompt into The Feed for your questions. Fire them there, and I’ll answer the best ones in the Mailbag and try to get to the rest in the responses.
