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 Within the past year, there have been quite a few fights ending in draws, and main-event fights leaving fans unsatisfied.
The UFC has finally done something to help fix this problem. Dana White has said that all main-event fights that are not title fights will now be five rounds. How does this help? It gives judges more rounds to score, and the chances of there being a draw in three-round fights is higher. But the most significant purpose of the addition of the two extra rounds is to give the main events a chance to be more definitive and to extend an exciting fight for the fans. Of course there is always the possibility that some main-event fights will now be two extra rounds of slow-paced action, but it does set the stage for fighters to clearly show that they won the fight. The way this can set a stage for the fighters is that, if a fighter is losing, he will very much realize this if he has gone four of the five rounds being taken down or out-pointed. The fighter will know this much better after four rounds than two. This should tell the fighter that this last round is when they need to push for a finish if they want to win. Also, with more rounds, you may find those fighters that start to dwindle into the “championship rounds." This creates an opportunity for the opponent to capitalize and get a finish, since the gassed fighter is not defending himself, has slowed down or is just feeling the wear and tear. This new modification will take place immediately, with the exception of Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis at UFC 133, and Dan Hardy vs. Chris Lytle at UFC on Versus 5. With this news, the UFC has also announced it will be bringing the Flyweight division to its organization. This weight class is 125 lbs and is very fast-paced and exciting. Many Japanese fighters fight at this weight, and even UFC fighter Demetrious Johnson will very likely drop to 125 when the UFC integrates it. The WEC originally was going to add the Flyweight division, but it never came to fruition. With the merger of WEC, it was a matter of time before 125-pounders would have the UFC to call home. In fighter news, Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz, who is facing UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre at UFC 137, will vacate his title and try to claim the one that has been long-held by the Canadian superstar. This means that two fighters will fight for the vacant Welterweight title, similar to Ronaldo Souza fighting Tim Kennedy for the SF Middleweight Championship. Diaz, for now, is mainly a UFC fighter. If it weren’t enough that the UFC is changing itself again from the inside, there are talks and rumors of the organization altering their media empire. It is being said that the UFC is interested in buying majority ownership of the video game and electronics channel G4. According to MMAfighting.com, the target audience for G4 is men ages 18 to 34, which reflects their audience reached by Spike, which is in a similar spectrum. The reason for this is because Spike may be unwilling to pay the requested amount by the UFC. Nearly doubling the contract fee for Spike, the channel that has hosted shows like The Ultimate Fighter and shown fight prelims are supposedly not in favor of the proposal. Bellator is said to be the successor for showing fights on Spike if the UFC were to make a deal elsewhere. But Dana White has stated that negotiations are ongoing and are going on with all the networks. For right now, these are just rumors. As this year has rolled on, more news and exiting fights have been making this year one of the best years for the sport. The best part is, we are only halfway through. With many great events already scheduled and even more to come, 2011 should prove to be one of the biggest years yet. What do you think is next to come? Share your thoughts in the comments section. *Follow the @FightersCreed on Twitter!
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