Women’s MMA deserves the support of a major promotion

Mark- A lot has been said lately, with the demise of EliteXC, about the possibility of Affliction or the UFC promoting women’s MMA fights. This is a terrible idea because if you give women an inch, they want a mile. We teach them how to read, they demand the right to vote. We let them drive cars, they demand equal pay. We give credibility to women’s MMA, then…? Seriously though, I really don’t think we’re at the point where either promotion could sustain a division of women’s MMA. Gina Carano is a big star but there aren’t enough Gina Caranos to make it feasible and while there are many gifted female fighters, I don’t think the talent pool is deep enough to consistently produce high-level fights. For now, as sexist as it sounds, it makes more sense for the UFC to have girls walking around the octagon with a number rather than fighting inside of it.

Kelly- You must have read my post last week where I said Affliction should pick up women’s MMA and run with it. Women’s MMA wouldn’t work in the UFC, but it would certainly be a good idea for Affliction monetarily. EliteXC pumped a lot of money into promoting those chicks and Affliction could continue the strategy and use women’s MMA to bolster their vaunted heavyweights. Carano is the face of women’s MMA, but she’s not the only one. Julie Kedzie, Amanda Bucker, Tara LaRosa, Cristiane Santos, and Shayna Baszler are all talented fighters. At the rate Affliction produces a show (once every six months seems to be their pace) they don’t need a deep talent pool. Those six women already named plus two more (say Kelly Kobald and Debi Purcell) could fight in a grand prix style and keep them afloat for eighteen months. Like the average red-blooded American male, I enjoy checking out the ring girls, but it’s also pretty damn entertaining when they smack each other around.

Chuck Liddell will reclaim the UFC light heavyweight championship before he retires

Mark- Yep. Most people will say no these days, especially because the sport of mixed martial arts is evolving and Liddell isn’t. He also fights in the most stacked weight class in the sport and the ranks of talented, versatile, young light heavyweights grows daily. Still, Chuck Liddell is a huge draw. I could forsee him being thrust into a situation like Brock Lesnar where he gets a title shot handed to him for the PPV numbers rather than earning it with wins. He has enough power to take out any other light heavyweight, so he would at least have a shot against most fighters. Still, he’s passed his prime and I don’t see him ever reclaiming his spot at the top of the food chain in the division, even if he manages to win the title again.