by John Poe of mma-underground.com
The MMA world is exploding at an alarming rate. The numbers of promoters out there is huge. Many promoters, that I know of, are in it for the right reasons. They want to provide quality shows for the fans and safe fight environments for the fighters. They provide the necessary equipment and items needed to ensure that fighters are taken care of. It is especially important in the Amateur Division. There are those, however, that are in it because they see a profit to be made. People with no martial arts or MMA experience are jumping into the business and trying to suck every dime they can out of it. These people disappear soon enough but, they leave such a negative mark on the whole industry. Some have gone so far as to steal sponsors from other promoters, lock out venues preventing others form promoting there, and make fighters agree not to fight for other promotions. As a promoter we have more of a responsibility to the fighters, fans, and the industry. It is our responsibility to provide safe, secure, and entertaining events. There are ways to do this and do it in a way that everyone can not only make money, but help the industry grow at the same time.
State Sanctioning: In states, like Ohio where MMA is sanctioned and regulated, things run much more smoothly. The state has set regulations that help to stop in fighting with promoters and create a safe environment for fighters. Promotions cannot host events within a set radius of each other on the same night. This way you don't have one promoter under cutting another and hurting their business. It also helps to ensure a better cross section of fighters to draw from and makes for a better event. The state compiles and updates a database of fighters. This database helps promoters to choose fair matches and gives fighters, who may be unknown, a chance to have more fights. The down side to state sanctioning can be the way that rules are set up. Some states have rules that severely restrict the way amateur fights are conducted. Most realize that amateur fights are for the purpose of preparing fighters for the professional division. It allows them to see if this is what they want to do or if they should try another sport. By restricting the rules, to the point that they don't allow fighters to do much, it doesn't give them a fair look at what the sport is really like. This in no way prepares them for professional fights. They make the decision to go pro and find themselves unready. Many states require HIV/HEP blood tests for amateur fighters, and even more in depth testing for pro fighters. I feel this is one of the most important regulations that can be enacted.
Promoter Associations: In states that have no regulations, sanctioning, or are in the transition before regulations are enacted, this can be very useful. Unfortunately, for the most part, these kinds of agreements are based on a "Gentleman's Agreement" type of arrangement. Basically the promoters come together and agree to regulate themselves, most set rules like you would find from state sanctioning bodies. Promoters agree to not step on each others events and share info on fighters. In some cases the help goes further than that. I own my cage and rent it out. There are other promoters that do not own a cage, or their cage (for one reason or another) isn't right for the event they are hosting. Two friends of mine, and fellow promoters, needed a cage for their events. Ron DeLeon (Ron DeLeon Promotions) and Phil Daveys (Rough House Promotions) have my cage tied up for 3 straight weekends. In fact I just got the cage and will have set it up and will allow others to use it at 4 different events (so far) before I get to use it at my own event. This isn't a problem for me. They have helped me in the past, without hesitation, and I gladly return the favor. We share contact information on fighters and news about the industry. We advertise each others events, at our events, and look out for each other. If a promoter calls me few days out from their event and say they've had someone drop out, I will do my best to find them a replacement. We are trying to compile a database of fighters, which will further the pool of fighters for our events. The down side of this is when promoters do not want to participate. Some promoters go out of their way to sabotage other promoters. You will find promoters having fighters make agreements to not fight for anyone else, take sponsors, and try to edge others out of venues, or arrange events on the same night as others.
While looking at the different points of promoting it is important to look at the divisions of fighters. Amateur fighters receive no compensation for their efforts. Most are paying for their training and work a full time job while training. Imagine working 40 hours a week and then trying to get ready for an upcoming fight. Now imagine going through all that, paying the incredibly ridiculous gas prices to get to an event, and then having to bring your own gloves/gauze/tape, water/energy drinks, food, and have no dressing room to change in. I have been to events where fighters were placed in a room, with no chairs or benches, and had to change and prepare for a fight right across the room from their opponent. Some promoters have had professional fighters fight amateurs, without the amateur fighter knowing who they were fighting. We have to remember that, in a lot of cases, the fighters are young men or women. The experiences they have directly reflect on the industry as a whole. Take, for instance, a fighter going into his/her debut fight. They know nothing about their opponent until they are in the cage/ring and its fight time. That young fighter has been paired against a fighter with 5 or 6 fights. You know what the outcome is more than likely going to be. What do you think the fighter, friends, and family or team are going to think about MMA? Often times they will have several people there to see their debut. What kind of statement does this make for the industry? They are fighting for you for free, and you are making money off of the event. It is your responsibility, as a promoter, to PROMOTE the sport.
Professional fighters are on a different plain. They know that they may end up fighting an opponent with many more fights. It's the nature of the beast. The upside to this is the fact that they have so many outlets to find info on their opponent. I can't count the number of websites that keep records on pro fighters. Often times you can find video of their fights online. Pro fighters have the ability to be very prepared for their fights, and so much more so than amateurs. The downside of pro fighters can be the greed of a promoter, and the fighters desire to fight. There are so many people getting into the business that you can pick and choose who you bring in. There are fighters who will fight for the price of gas and a hotel room, just for the experience of the fight. Some promoters will exploit this to lower their out of pockets expenses. It is one thing to try and host an event and show a profit. It is another to use people just to make a profit. Now some will try the "Well if they are willing to do it for free it's not my fault" point of view. Sorry but that is crap. You are using people and profiting off of their desire to get into the sport.
As a Promoter we assume the burden of looking out for others. We have to be aware of the pitfalls and dangers out there. We have to provide a safe environment for those who work for us. There's no doing things halfway or carelessly. You are dealing with the well being of others, and the future of the sport. The young fighter that gets thrown into a match, against someone who is out of their league, could very well have been the next Jenz Pulver or Chuck Liddell.
No comments:
Post a Comment