As MMA continues to grow into a sport that could possibly become mainstream in the future, there will always be some growing pains that come along with a sport that is somewhat in its infancy when compared to many of the other professional sports out there. One of the growing pains that come with this sport right now is finding investors, a fanbase to support that investment, and providing entertainment to those fans. Unfortunately for many promotions, fans and entertainment don’t come cheap.
Canadian MMA promotion Hardcore Fighting Championships has confirmed as being out of business to Sherdog.com today. It was announced awhile back that it was possibly going to announce that it had been acquired by another promotion, but it seems that the rumors of such a transaction have faded away. While HCF had some top names fighters such as “Little Nog” Nogueira, “Babalu” Sobral, Gegard Mousasi, and David “The Crow” Loiseau all fighting in the promotion’s events, it’s evident that those fight purses likely surpassed what was brought in through the live gate and television revenues. Add in entertainment costs such as production, and you have a sinking ship from the beginning.
Who’s next on the chopping block? The IFL is certainly going to tank by the end of this year at the latest. The promotion is currently seeking investors and buyers once again to keep afloat, but the fact of the matter is that the IFL just doesn’t have the talent to maintain interest from the fanbase. I was a huge fan of their last show due to the great action that occurred on the card, but having one great show out of 10 lackluster events doesn’t help your stock with the fanbase.
Their team-based idea never took off, and I believe it was really too late to start adding in the camp vs. camp aspect to the entire promotion. Now, the IFL is implementing a HEX-ring in their next event which should prove to be as embarrassing as the YAMMA pit.
It should be noted to any aspiring MMA promotions out there that it takes some big money and brass balls to head into the MMA market. Big fights attract fans, and the UFC’s reality show put them on the map ahead of everyone. Television can help a great deal in your quest to find a fanbase, and it should be something that future promotions look for. That’s only the tip of the iceberg for the long term goals of a new promotion.
Great matchups, a solid stable of fighters, and emphasis on budgeting your money to provide some length to your promotion are all significant goals. It’s tough these days with the UFC possessing most of the top talent, so I imagine we’ll see a few more demises in the future as we continue to move through the year. Could EliteXC be on the chopping block come the fall? It’s possible if the CBS shows do poorly. It should be interesting to see how well they do.