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<\/a><\/p>\nPFL + 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?<\/p>\n
The short answer is \u201cno.\u201d The more complicated answer is \u201cno, but maybe?\u201d<\/p>\n
When the news first broke about MVPFL, it honestly didn\u2019t move the needle for me. Sure, it\u2019s big news, and a very optimistic view could see this as something to genuinely give the UFC pause, but I didn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n
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 \u2014 these promotions had fans and a brand that people attached to. The PFL doesn\u2019t. If the UFC closed shop tomorrow, the PFL wouldn\u2019t become a sensation overnight, because most people don\u2019t know it exists. The PFL has never had a real fan base, and that makes any optimism seem foolish to me.<\/p>\n
Now, I recognize that\u2019s one of the primary points of partnering with Jake Paul \u2014 he is a brand. But while we\u2019ve seen Paul\u2019s brand drive viewers for outrageous spectacles, we haven\u2019t seen him do it for traditional, week-over-week interest. When Paul went and boxed \u201creal boxers,\u201d people mostly didn\u2019t care. So, sure, this new brand might get some big headlines with whatever superfights they can piece together, but that doesn\u2019t mean Netflix is shelling out money for Friday night fights.<\/p>\n
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\u2019re 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\u2019s good enough for me. Bellator never gained much traction, but the sport is worse off for its absence.<\/p>\n
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\u2019t fold because Coker got unlucky; he folded because he couldn\u2019t make it succeed. There\u2019s no reason to believe this will be any different, considering he\u2019s getting the same old band back together. Honestly, Coker\u2019s return makes me think of the end of Steve Jobs where Coker is Wozniak.<\/p>\n
We don\u2019t need to acknowledge the Apple II team. Coker did a thing. That\u2019s over. I\u2019m more interested in the next promoter than the old one.<\/p>\n
The worst fighter in the UFC<\/p>\n