UFC Buys Strikeforce

[EmpireWF]

this is garbage. Zuffa is going to fuck the fans and the fighters with monopolizing the sport. I'm also tired of hearing this wrestling shit. Real sports should never emulate sports entertainment. Fuck Dana White.

They're not monopolizing anything.

What wrestling shit?

[EmpireWF]

WWE/F/WCW acquisition. Buying up mixed martial arts organizations so fighters have to fight for them and thus fight under their pay structure, to me is a monopoly. Good for you if you think differently.

No monopoly.

There are plenty of places to work in pro wrestling outside WWE. TNA, ROH, PWG, Chikara, FIP, OVW, not to mention all the rest of the indy groups, then you have international promotions in Puerto Rico, Mexico, Canada, Europe, Japan, wherever else.

In MMA, no monopoly either. Plenty of options to work in America or abroad.

Obviously it's shitty in terms of not having significant competition for a #1 promotion, but it's not like the NFL or MLB.

[EmpireWF]

:orly:

The NFL and MLB can't give blanket pay terms to all players like the UFC can. Buying up the competition is the definition of monopoly. You can't expect a fighter to want to make more money at a promotion that nobody knows. Pride gave fighters a real option in the 90's and until recently Strikeforce gave them somewhat of an option.

Being a monopoly means you are the ONLY option in the business.

The UFC is not the only MMA promotion around.

[EmpireWF]

UFC has controlled the American MMA market from day one.

Of course having less options out there sucks for the lower tier fighters.

[Warner2BruceTD]

Technically it's not a monopoly by law, because Zuffa is not actively preventing other MMA businesses from operating in the open market.

A monopoly, by definition, has nothing to do with being, say, the only widget manufacturer. That is not a monopoly. Now, if you are the only widget manufacturer, and you actively prevent others from getting into the widget business (via strongarm tactics to customers, or predatory business practices, or whatever) that would be a monopoly.

For example, lets say Zuffa went to viacom and said, "Look, forget out contract. Pull Bellator off of MTV2, or we pull our programming off of Spike." And let's say Bellator then went to FX, and had a deal, bu Zuffa swooped in and gave FX PPV quality shows for no fee, just to keep Bellator off the air. These are extreme examples, but this would be more in line with monopolistic business practices. Zuffa could buy Bellator from Rebney, buy MFC, whatever, thats fine. Preventing others from competing in the business is where the fine line sits.

With that said, in realistic terms, of course Zuffa now controls the market, and no, it isnt good for fighters. Its actually terrible for fighters, they lose more than anyone else. Empire playing the "other places to work" card is laughable. There is no leverage for anyone, because Bellator is not at a level to compete for the biggest stars. They may grab a few prospects from under Zuffa's nose or outbid for a mid level guy now & then, but the days of somebody like Dan Henderson or Fedor or Jake Shields playing both sides and getting the best deal on the table are long gone.

[EmpireWF]

Certainly the days of Arlovski somehow getting 800k from Affliction or Strikeforce or Dan Henderson leaving for a big contract are gone.

Until the next time someone with lots of money starts up a promotion and wants a name.