Lets Play Monopoly

I sat down this morning to eat breakfast, and read a few posts on a MMA forum. The topic was, "Would MMA be better with only one organization?" The creator posed a scenario where the Ultimate Fighting Championship would aquire all other promotion's fighters. The likes of such promotions as Afflicition, Dream, Strikeforce, and Elite XC would give up, and we would have a single enormous association akin to the NFL. There were two sides to the argument: One group stated that having one organization would allow for the most talented fighters in the world to be matched up without any hesitation. The other view, however, argues that allowing for only one organization would be a license for the UFC to charge ridiculous ticket, viewing, and merchandising prices. They simply state that the envelope would not be pushed, and a monopolizing situation would be taking place. While I can see the positives associated with both sides of the dispute, I can't help but feel that this issue does not need to be solved: the fans win either way!

If things were to continue as they are, different associations of mixed martial arts would stay creative with their events, crown new champions, hype their best fighters, and give the fans multiple perspectives on a young sport. When the time came for a cross promotion event, the hype would be epic. When the UFC and PrideFc first unified their titles in 2007, the hype for each melting pot of a card was unprecedented. If Affliction and the UFC were to currently market their fighters effectively, and then setup a mega card, a repeat scenario could occur. Wouldn't that be worth settling for multiple organizations? Another positive in which would stem from a multiple organization scenario lies with the situations of the fighters themselves. More options for a fighter to choose from means more happy (and wealthy) athletes. If you don't like the treatment of one promotion, why not pursue a contract with another? This scenario would never be possible in a monopolizing situation.

On the other hand, if the UFC was to gain the resources of all other leagues, the fans would have definitive answers to several questions: who is the best, who would win against whom, and who is washed up. The fighters would be able to start a union to secure a set of rights, taking away the need for employer options. The fans would also be treated to more multitudes of fight cards, since fighters can't only compete once a year. Traditionally in the world of sports these titan organizations have done quite well. Who could argue with the NBA, NFL, and MLB's dominance in each of their fields? Would anyone argue that those organizations never "push the envelope?" But MMA isn't a traditional sport. For this reason, I question whether classic themes should be cut and pasted. I don't, however, doubt that the fans will win either way.