My first pick would have to be the World Extreme Cagefighting, or WEC, organization. They have an advantage over some of the other organizations on this list in the fact that they are owned by Zuffa, which is the group that also owns the UFC. The WEC is run separate of the UFC, however, and they don’t do fighter sharing. If a fighter wants to move from the WEC to the UFC – or vice versa – then he has to ask out of his contract and then negotiate a new one with the other organization.
Another advantage that the WEC has is the fact that all of their fight cards are shown live for free on Versus. This is helping them grow an amazing fan base, and the fighters are becoming more and more recognized in the casual MMA community and the diehard community alike. The featherweight and bantamweight divisions – which are not part of the UFC – also provide a face and niche for the WEC. They don’t have a heavyweight division, and that’s a definite advantage because the heavyweight division is one of the weakest in MMA right now. Fighters like Urijah Faber, Rob McCullough, Carlos Condit, and Paulo Filho are making a name for the WEC – and themselves.
Next up would have to be EliteXC. They are owned by ProElite, so they have an advantage in the fact that they can share fighters with organizations like Strikeforce, Cage Rage, and ICON. The big coup for Elite, of course, was the signing of Internet legend turned MMA fighter Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson. He is one of the hottest names in MMA right now, and fans will tune in just to see him.
Elite XC was one of the first companies to actually beat the UFC to the punch on something when they signed a deal with CBS to carry their events. XC has now become a serious contender in the MMA world. Kimbo will most likely be featured on their first card shown on broadcast TV (although a likely opponent for him, Ken Shamrock, probably won’t), and the company has a shot to take a big step in the race to unseat the UFC. Fighters like Kimbo, Nick Diaz, Jake Shields, and Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva are the biggest names in EliteXC.
Across the pond in Japan, the DREAM organization is taking shape – and possibly taking the place of the now defunct PRIDE organization. DREAM is being run by former PRIDE (Dream Stage Entertainment) employees, along with the people from the former K-1 Hero’s organization. Their first event is the Lightweight Grand Prix that went by the wayside when PRIDE died, but it doesn’t have the extreme depth that PRIDE’s Grand Prix was rumored to have. Time will tell if DREAM will take the place of PRIDE and/or K-1 Hero’s, but there is no doubt that the lack of MMA in Japan will mean that the organization will be given every opportunity in the world to succeed. Fighters like Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Hayato “Mach” Sakurai, and Mitsuhiro Ishida will headline the events for this organization.
Strikeforce is another popular organization, and they also have the advantage of the fighter sharing with other ProElite companies. The biggest factor that they have is that their name is somehow bigger than some of the other lesser companies. They have a few notable fighters, and they can compete with most of the other second-tier organizations in that area. Strikeforce has also put on some big shows. Their show last year at the Playboy Mansion helped their notoriety immensely, and there is no telling how many celebrity fans they gained from having a show inside Hugh Hefner’s legendary pad.
Strikeforce fighters include former UFC champion Frank Shamrock (who holds the middleweight title), top-notch kickboxer Cung Le, and fast-rising lightweight Gilbert Melendez.
As of right now, the number two organization in the world has to be the WEC. The UFC connection coupled with free events and notable fighters is just too much for the other organizations to overcome at this point in time. There has been talk, however, that the UFC could start taking some of the developed talent out of the WEC and putting them on the big stage in the UFC. If that happens, then it will be a prime opportunity for the other companies to capitalize on Zuffa attempting to consolidate some of their talent.
I have always maintained that if ProElite ever decided to merge all of their companies into one that they could possibly make a run at the UFC for the top spot. The combination of EliteXC, Strikefoce, ICON, Cage Rage, King of the Cage, and possibly even Spirit MC and Rumble on the Rock would be tough for the UFC to compete with. The combining of companies would also lead some of the top free agents to think twice about signing with ProElite, and some of those top-notch fighters could even end up signing away from the UFC and with some of other organizations in the world.
Unfortunately, however, it’s not likely that ProElite will ever merge into one company. Each organization is run separately at this point, and it’s just too much to ask for each “big shot” to step down for the good of the company. A merging of ProElite would create a UFC vs. PRIDE-like level playing field, however, and the competition could only be good for the sport.
DREAM has done a great job of filling the MMA void in Japan, but it will be difficult for the company to ever become more popular than the UFC – or even the ProElite companies – in the United States. The late entry into the mix will certainly hinder the chance of DREAM in the States, but the fact that they are concentrating on signing international fighters – most of which casual fans do not know – will also hurt the organization’s development in the biggest MMA market in the world.
more
Comment!