As I was browsing through the rumor mill this afternoon, I couldn’t help but notice another possible acquisition by what is now becoming one of the biggest mixed martial arts promotions in the world. According to a report at MMAonTap.com, Canada’s Hardcore Fighting Championships is potentially on the verge of being bought out by an unnamed suitor. Of course, it looks like the news was spoiled as to who that unnamed suitor was in a quote by HCF’s CEO Keith Crawford:

“This announcement is the culmination of 10 years of hard work in combative sports, and I couldn’t be more excited,” Crawford said in the report. “What it’s going to do, I feel, is to put us right at number two with everybody else. Obviously the UFC is number one, and I believe that Elite XC, Strikeforce and ourselves are going to be number two when we make the announcement as to who has purchased us.”

John Chandler over at MMAonTap.com stated that he thought it was likely to be ProElite after the quote from Crawford. I couldn’t agree more. It definitely sounds like HCF will be under the ProElite umbrella of mixed martial arts promotions. This undertaking by ProElite raised some serious thoughts about the state of mixed martial arts in general from a fan’s perspective, even without the purchase of Hardcore Fighting Championships.

Unlike other promotions that have entered the market, ProElite’s concept was much different. Their aim wasn’t to create a structure from the ground up, but to purchase promotions that were already operating in different parts of the world. Cage Rage, ICON Sport, and King of the Cage have all been bought by ProElite, and Hardcore Fighting Championships looks to be the new addition. They have a presence in England, Hawaii, and in smaller shows throughout the United States along with a new addition in Canada if the HCF deal goes through. In a much smaller capacity, they have moved into the same areas as the UFC with an added bonus of having personnel in those promotions that know how to market the area, work with area fighters, and sell the events. It seems to be working rather well.

Fans should love ProElite’s progress

Personally, ProElite has filled my weekends with MMA action that would otherwise be tough to see. From EliteXC and ShoXC to Cage Rage in England to Icon Sport in Hawaii to the occasional Brazilian action such as Fury Fighting Championships and even the ADCC Grappling Championships, ProElite has provided the hardcore fans and the casual fanbase who is looking to see more action on the Internet with more and more events that we normally would never be privy to seeing on such a regular basis.

I have to tip my hat to them for their efforts. Sure, we have to deal with some poor production values and some terribly mismatched battles from time to time, but that’s the deal with every promotion in this sport. Money is to be made, and as a fan along for the ride, you have to love the fact that our intake of MMA action has increased dramatically because of ProElite.