Anything More Than A Dream?

You’re dreaming of the girl you’ve been chasing for months, and you’re finally hand in hand with her; a dream that you and so many around you have wanted to see for what seems like eternity. You wake up to realize that it’s just the mind teasing you; but is the mind of the collective MMA masses producing a mass dream that we’re all so close to enjoying?

So once again, Wanderlei Silva has been speaking about his “upcoming” fight with Chuck Liddell, this time to the Brazilian Magazine “Tatame”. Since the the fight was originally rumored what seems like decades ago, there has been friction between the once-financially strong PRIDE FC, and the ever-popular Ultimate Fighting Championships.

I think it's a question of finances” said the PRIDE Middleweight champion, fresh off a devastating loss to Mirko Crocop at the open weight grand prix. “Perhaps if PRIDE and the UFC split the Pay-Per-View revenue, then maybe they could reach a deal.”

Logically, this would be the best thing that both companies could do. However, with White claiming that the Japanese are “difficult” to deal with and the PRIDE head, Nobuyuki Sakakibara, a huge question mark is raised on even the concept of a negotiation being held. Financially speaking, one problem can be easily foreseen; where the fight would take place. The vast majority of MMA fans couldn’t give a damn whether the fight happened in a cage, a ring, or the parking lot after an episode of Dancing with the Stars.

Wanderlei stated that it would be easiest to take the fight to the UFC Octagon, whereas it is the belief of many of the internet MMA community that the exact opposite would be in the best interests of mixed martial arts as a sport. If the fight were to occur on a PRIDE show, this would catapult PRIDE into the limelight; obviously, since both PRIDE and the UFC are such similar products, Dana White would not want to take the illogical approach of letting his Biggest star fight for the opposition. To use a wrestling Analogy, this would be like the WWF lending the WCW Steve Austin for a one off match against Goldberg. Okay, perhaps MMA isn’t at it’s peak JUST yet, but you get the idea.

Wanderlei himself, of course, wants the fight to happen.“I think Dana White is scared to risk having his champion lose to me. He knows I can knock him (Liddell) out.”.

Such confidence from the Chute Boxe camp, particularly Wanderlei, is nothing new. However, is Wanderlei really in a position to be dealing out such threats? Challenging Chuck to the PRIDE show in February might be a good idea on paper, but if Wanderlei loses the fight to Rogerio Nogueria that is being rumored for the New Year’s Eve show, the Nevada State Athletic commission may not let him fight in their area, putting pay to any plans that PRIDE may have. The likelihood of that is slim, but hey, stranger things have happened.

With Wanderlei’s appearance on the next PRIDE USA show in a shadow of doubt, Chuck Liddell’s position isn’t exactly wonderful either. If he gets badly beaten by Tito Ortiz at next month’s UFC show, the UFC’s poster boy may not even have the title, let alone the clearance to fight someone as ridiculously classy as Wanderlei is in the ring, cage, or parking lot.

It’s understandable that neither side particularly want the fight to happen because of the risks involved, but Super fights create cash, which in turn can be recycled to create more interest in the product. By letting this one off, spectacular event happen, the MMA revolution could be given an extra push, leading it into the mainstream as a sport; at long last.

It is also understandable that the UFC did not want Chuck to fight in PRIDE again given his dismal performances against Rampage last time; arguably, Chuck is in a better condition and is a much better fighter than he was back then, but the match between Wanderlei and Rampage showed that the former is a much better fighter than Rampage; it’s an existential quandary. Christ, I’m already getting into psychology.

Cross-promotional bouts will need to be heavily considered before the sport becomes recognized as a sport that is different from the spectacle of professional-wrestling; the fact that the two biggest companies are similar business models to the WWF/WCW turns away some MMA-novice folk who somehow links the world of bumps, thumbtacks and chairs to the world of the high guard, the triangle choke and the Flash knockout. You may laugh, but it’s true; it’s in the nature of some people to dismiss these sports if they look like anything that’s remotely fake.

Speaking of fake, the glitz and glamour of the PRIDE shows may be ceasing soon if they fail to find a Japanese network willing to air the product, which is another reason Silva vs Liddell would be a good idea; the extra flow of cash to the hands of the PRIDE bosses would no doubt be welcome, and might help secure something more definite for the future.

It’s a dream that most MMA fans want to see be made a reality, but the question remains as to whether the dream will transfer to the physical plane, or remain a bitter-sweet taste on the tongues of the drooling MMA masses. Until next time Folks,

theLUKE~!
www.myspace.com/samoaluke

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