It’s that time of year again. Mom’s calling you off the hook, badgering you to get your Christmas list to Grandma if you want anything worthwhile. And while Grandma can’t put together that cross-promotional superfight, we can still pray to the MMA Gods here on Bloody Elbow.
Without further adieu, my top 5 wants for 2010:
1. Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brock Lesnar – This isn’t as far off as it might seem at first glance. Emelianenko’s contract with Strikeforce (and the management aspect of M-1) only lasts two more fights, making a 2010 year-end UFC supershow feasible, if unlikely. While the fight doesn’t need any additional hype, the sheer amount of angles that one could take is astounding. You’ve got Pride vs. UFC. Russia vs. America. Size and strength vs. technique and experience. Brash confidence vs. humble stoicism. NCAA wrestling vs. Russian Sambo. It may not be Mayweather/Pacquiao, but it’s the closest MMA can come for some time.
2. WEC integration into the UFC – In the main event of WEC 44, Mike Brown and Jose Aldo, two of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet, made a combined $41,000. Three days later, meddling midcard middleweight Kendall Grove made $44,000 fighting a prelim fight at UFC 106. The only thing standing in the way of big paydays for Brown and Aldo is a TV deal and a three lettered acronym. It’s time to put the facade to rest.
3. The end of the Ultimate Fighter – I’ll admit that I was psyched for this past season of TUF. Kimbo, Roy Nelson, and a bunch of million dollar athletes in the house. What more could we ask for? Well, conditioning for one. Less Kimblotation for another. By the end of the season, I was watching more or less out of habit. You can only polish a turd so much. The show will never create megastars like Forrest Griffin and Diego Sanchez again. Instead, it 1) provides cheap ratings for Spike and 2) allows the UFC to showcase a couple of fighters it planned on bringing in. Just cut out the middle man, sign the fighters you want, and put more fight cards on Spike.
4. Regulation in 50 states – In 2000, New Jersey became the first state to regulate the sport of mixed martial arts. Ten years later, not only has the entire country failed to jump on board, but New York, home of Madison Square Garden, has still yet to recognize the sport. Politicians have never been the vanguard of forward thinking, but they need to realize this: MMA isn’t going anywhere. It’s not the fringe outlaw sport it was at the turn of the millennium. It’s a legitimate athletic endeavor covered from ESPN to the New York Times. A refusal to regulate only hurts the participants, who must rely on the local promoter to get paid timely (if at all) and provide proper medical support.
5. A cure for staph infection – I hope someone cooks up a cure if only so I don’t have to look at pictures of stab wounds in Kevin Randleman’s ribs or a baby alien growing out of “Mayhem” Miller’s neck. Maybe I really should be wishing that gyms start investing in some bleach to clean up their mats, I don’t know, all the time? Whatever the case, I hope the disease goes away once and for all.
Let’s see your lists in the comments.