Why MMA Doesn't Need NY's Legislation

While the MMA world seemingly took a huge hit to its expansion with the announcement that the NY legalization bill had been shelved, the effects might not be quite as destructive as thought. It would certainly be nice to have New York and Madison Square Garden under the auspices of the UFC's booking department, but is it necessary? I believe that the UFC (and MMA in general) does not need the state of New York to be successful. Nor do I believe that the UFC will suffer in spite of not being able to host shows in The Big Apple.

First, the UFC has recently expanded its brand to Ireland, Canada, and England. Future plans put shows in Hawaii, Brazil, Germany, and the Philippines. With the burgeoning global feel of MMA, does the UFC really need or want to stay at home? There are bigger fish to fry and larger markets to be won than the already conquered metropolis of New York.

Next, any MMA aficionado will tell you that the Northeast has never typically done well when hosting MMA events. The UFC hasn't been to Atlantic City in over three years. When they did go, at UFC 53, they pulled down a live gate 1.5 million dollars less than the previous event's take in las Vegas. Why would the UFC demand a market which has so often fallen short. Even if MMA was allowed in New York, it's doubtful that the UFC would stop in more than once a year.

It's also possible that New York has found its niche in the MMA business -- advertising. The largest Times Square billboard has been the upcoming UFC event for quite some time now. The people of New York certainly enjoy their MMA, or at least that's what the advertisement budgets tell us. However, they might not have the cash flow necessary to attend events. The city's median household income is less than the state of New York and less than the U.S. average. New Yorkers should be advertised to in the hopes that they will buy the PPV, not attend the event.

Along with that rationale comes the fact that most of the money made from MMA events comes from PPV buys and advertising, which gets paid no matter where the show is held. Considering our numbers regarding Northeast shows (1 million dollar estimate), the marketing put into a New York City show might nullify the live gate.

If New York doesn't want MMA, then we don't want them. You could have Chuck Liddell and Quinton Jackson fight in a dirty basement and it would do just fine. The location is not nearly as important as the product, and as products go, ours is one of the best.

Anderson Silva's Challenges At 205

Recently, the shocking announcement was made that Anderson Silva, longtime king of the middleweight division, would try his hand at light heavyweight. A move to 205, however, is not expected to be permanent. And that’s a good thing for Silva. As much success as he’s found at 185, 205 is very different animal, with many more challenges and bad style match ups for The Spider. It’s possible that Anderson will have success and if anyone can do it, it will be him – but it won’t be an easy road to walk down. Here are some names that could give him troubles:

Chuck Liddell: The Iceman could potentially be a bad match up for Silva because of Liddell’s counter-punching prowess. Silva defeated Rich Franklin twice as a result of Franklin pressing the action. When Franklin attempted to bang with Silva, Silva was simply able to outpoint Franklin to the win. Chuck won’t do that. He’ll wait, and when Silva comes in, he’ll have a thudding right hook flying towards him.

Lyoto Machida: Who isn’t Machida a tough match for? The only man as technically sound and classically trained as Silva, Machida could use his unorthodox style to eek out a decision over Silva. I doubt that this would end by anything other decision, considering the carefully aggressive style of both fighters. Think about it, when was the last time Machida or Anderson got rocked because they weren’t being careful?

Wanderlei Silva: A match up of the Silva’s would typically favor Anderson, but it’s never smart to cancel out Wanderlei. Franklin is a tough dude for sure, but Anderson’s never hit anyone with a knee who has a chin like Wandy. I could see Anderson getting winded at the 15-minute mark from having thrown so many combinations at The Axe Murderer. Look at UFC 79, where Chuck bombarded Wanderlei for 15 minutes to no avail.

Thiago Silva: While maybe not as well-known as the other fighters on the list, Thiago could pose problems for Anderson based on his sheer speed and athleticism. Possessing a very similar build to Anderson Silva, Thiago should be able to match anything that Anderson would do on the feet.

That being said, I believe that Anderson will walk right through Forrest Griffin, Keith Jardine, and Rashad Evans. Only time will tell us where Anderson’s journey goes, but it’s sure to be as competitive as it is entertaining.