Archive for January 2009
2009: Hope and Progress
The always excellent Boxing Monthly gave their 2008 review the ace title:
Another year of stupidity, absurdity and embarrassment.
Boxing aficionados know that, even now, when we fans are enjoying some of the best fights ever, the game is only ever a hop and a step away from the gutter.
Boxing: A great sport full of great honorable people. Also, a business full of con artists, thugs and shysters with complete contempt for the punters.
This is not a let’s knock Boxing rant. The same description could be used to describe MMA in the UK. At a time when everyone is always talking up the sport of the future- there are plenty of people in the scene who are willing to do others down if there’s a pound note in it for them. We’ve got stupidity, absurdity and embarrassment to spare.
This week- there was an announcement that gives real hope for the future of MMA in the UK.
“Following on from many discussions during 2008, an alliance of MMA promoters have come together to help the growth of the sport in the UK and to assist home grown talent to the international stage by creating a unified set of British Belts.
Titled the BFC – British Fighting Championship – the aim of this joint venture is to include established and new promotions across the UK regions to grow their fighter talent in a free and unrestricted market and for all to benefit from the media exposure that one group brand will be able to provide.
Founders of the group include; FX3, Ultimate Force, Ultimate Warrior Challenge, AMMA & Cage Warriors who between them will provide the UK MMA scene with 12 BFC shows in 2009 including an end of year Night of Champions when the 2009 season contenders for the British belts go head to head. The belts will cover 7 male and 2 female categories to be as inclusive as possible and will be worth up to £250,000 in total tournament purses.”
hurtbusiness unreservedly welcomes this news as a major step forward for UK MMA. The only way our sport is going to be successful on a domestic level is through co-operation. With so many of the leading promotions on board- the belts on offer will really mean something. Building towards an end of year championship showdown will generate interest and should benefit everyone involved (great minds think alike).
It could all go tits up and dissolve into a mess.
It could be the most significant event in the development of UK MMA.
2009: A year of hope, unity and progress?
