With whom do you join forces?

You own an MMA company. Any one not under Zuffa, you are going to make inroads to another organization and merge with them to maximize your talent and take on the bully on the block (the UFC). Which two and only two do you put together and why?

DREAM - some good named fighters and inroads to Japan; desperately seeking money.

Strikeforce - worth an estimated $100 million dollars has a solid, if not deep stable and is very popular with west coast audiences. Weakness is mainly bad TV contracts and a few purchased contracts with fighters. There are additional problems, but minor on the big scale of things.

Bellator - they have some names, they have a solid stable and some pocket, plus they have made inroads on television with their slick marketing and match-ups. Usually overlooked, because they aren't the big boy, nor have the stature of other organizations.

KOTC - solid management, decent stable, and a TV contract; Not exactly a money mint and have to deal with promotional issues, where they are weak.

Shark Fights - they can pump up a fight and know how to get contracts done! But they are relatively new and they don't have an actual stable, more like rent-a-fight.

Add as many as you wish. Don't be stupid and say something like Shine fights, but companies that produce more often than not. M-1 does, Adrenilize didn't.

Strikeforce, Non debatable. Easily best stable of non UFC fighters. Best non UFC contract, and the ONLY MMA org in the world who shows fights on one of the big 4 US TV networks.

2nd place: Bellator. Sure no one shows up to watch their fights, nor are their fights on live TV on a debendable basis, but with Lombard, Askren, Eddie, Warren, and (hate to say it) Konrad, they have top talent in multiple divisions. And the tourney's are great.

Strikeforce and Bellator, creating one super brand out of both business models. Weekly aired TV tournaments used to build opponents for Showtime cards. Challenger series eliminated. A weekly TV deal with a network similar to Spike, such as TBS, TNT, USA, Scifi, the CW or something similar for future seasons. KO and finish bonuses will always be awarded, and be a significant part of the purse. Overpay for whoever is in charge of UFC production.

Maybe it works, maybe it doesn't. All my eggs in that basket. If the UFC fucked with us I'd put fights like Mayhem vs Nick Diaz, Kimbo vs Walker, Lashley vs Batista and Fedor vs. Overeem on free TV against their PPV's.

Bellator and then SF by default

Also SF had a deal with one of the big 4 networks

Doesn't matter really because the UFC would probably destroy an Org put together of all other Orgs in MMA, they'd immediately merge with the WEC (which is gonna happen anyways) and that would be that, the combined Orgs Champ would still be saying how they want to fight in the UFC some day.

I think Wolf got the nut of it. You could always put M-1 together with SF, but the problem then is dealing with an idiot who doesn't have a fair understanding of business, I mean Vadim. But they do have decent in-roads to Asia and Eastern Europe. I wouldn't mind putting the hype machine that is Shark Fights together with KOTC. That might actually be able to push the Bellators and SFs of the world, plus they could suck up to Mark Cuban for cash.

Andrew the Raider King wrote:

I think Wolf got the nut but suck for cash.

what does this even mean?

Ring Of Combat is one to be considered but wouldn't make the cut over Bellator.

ROC is an East coast based organization that has been putting on shows since 2002. They stream their shows on the net and have some of their shows on HDnet.

ROC has a nice list of fiighters that have made it to the UFC. Frank Edgar, Josh Koscheck, Jim Miller, Dan Miller, Kurt Pellegrino, Nick Cottone, Eddie Alvrez, Lyman Good, and others.

I'm gonna say SF and Dream, with the SF/M-1 connection and Dream, my mma org would attract mma fans from the entire globe. I wouldn't put on ppvs but instead put all big events on network tv, all challenger events or tourneys on HDnet as I would keep Dreams deal with them. I would establish honor for my org by cutting any fighter caught cheating, no suspension, you flat out lose your fucking job.

MMAEYES wrote:

I'm gonna say SF and Dream, with the SF/M-1 connection and Dream, my mma org would attract mma fans from the entire globe. I wouldn't put on ppvs but instead put all big events on network tv, all challenger events or tourneys on HDnet as I would keep Dreams deal with them. I would establish honor for my org by cutting any fighter caught cheating, no suspension, you flat out lose your fucking job.

There is no honor among thieves.

MMAEyes, I would think DREAM off the bat, but they are in debt so bad they can barely move.

Dream can't make a profit or pay fighters. No thanks. I'll take the two brands besides the UFC that are respected and have been successful. Anyway a combined Bellator Strikeforce stable would be the best Non UFC stable since Pride.

Andrew the Raider King wrote:

MMAEyes, I would think DREAM off the bat, but they are in debt so bad they can barely move.

I think if they were ran by non-idiots there org would be fine.

They don't have that many fighters that are "dream fighters".

Japanese MMA is dead guys.