How would you construct your own dream MMA fight promotion?

Elbows. No elbows? Rings. Cages. Pits, of either the alligator or Yamma variety. Stomps, knees and soccer kicks delivered maliciously unto a grounded opponent. Bring back the ramp and pyrotechnics! Head butts. Ring-card boys? All … err, most of these elements are exactly what fight fans love or hate about MMA promotions. Which ingredients would you choose to build the perfect MMA fight league?

In this snippet from this week’s MMA 3-Way, Kid Nate, Dallas Winston and Eugene S. Robinson all compile a list of differentiating aspects that would shape their own personal MMA organization; if, of course, they were calling the shots and pulling the strings. Here’s an overview of each list of suggestions:

Kid Nate

• Our fearless leader opts for the innovative idea of constant changes of terrain to simulate real warfare. That might sound odd, but Nate strengthens the suggestion by likening the myriad fighting surfaces to tennis players who must adapt to the differences of hard, grass and clay courts.
• Nate suggests a participant-run show similar to the PGA in golf.

Eugene

• Eugene would start by scrapping the cage and employing a domed platform with no edges and a drop-off for a fighting surface, ala Real American Wrestling (RAW). How would he keep the fighters from falling off? “Stay in the middle. That’s on you.”
• The rule-set would include the oft-maligned Pride format of stomps, knees and soccer kicks to a downed opponent, aka “kick that guy.”
• Two words: “Ring boys.”

Dallas

• Dallas cites the ephemerally instituted ICON Sports rule-set of the unified rules plus the controversial Pride rules mentioned by Eugene.
• Unable to resist a complaint on modern day MMA scoring, the redundant values of control and aggression would be scratched entirely and a fight/round winner would be decided by effective offense, i.e. face-punching and submissions only.
• The implementation of a “B League” or auxiliary feeder promotion to keep all the talent under one banner while offering a proving ground for fighters looking to either earn their first chance on the big stage or prove that they’re deserving of another.

Feel free to check out the conversation from the MMA Vivisection video on Youtube, and remember to subscribe to MMA Nation on Youtube as well.