MMA World Titles

Are there any MMA World Titles?

Looked at UFC, Pride and KOTC and nowhere do i see them adverise that there chapions are the World Champs.

So is there any? Or do the UFC and KOTC just have their own event Champs?

Also does Pride even have Champs as i can't find them on the web site.

Each belt is given from the organisation(UFC,pride etc). Just like XFC have their own champs as do Spartan.
Since Pride and UFC are the biggest shows, they're champs are considered world champs by most people I would assume.
Also UFC announce their championship fights as ie "This fight is for the UFC LHW champion of the world".

UFC has a WW(Hughes) and LHW(Randy)champs at the moment HW champ Sylvia was suspended and LW and MW have been vacant for a while.

Pride has MW champ Silva, HW champ Fedor also interim HW champ Mino, oh and they have Grand Prix champs 2!

If there is no governing MMA World body, then we can probably stage a World Title of our own???

Keats, I'm thinking we hold it at the Shepparton RSL Club, we decide the matches and fighters, Bingo and Pokies for the girls, get the local bondage shop to do up some funky Title Belts, finger food and drinks, $500 to enter, $50 for spectators and sell the pay-TV rights to the highest bidder.


Keats my friend, we are going to be very rich and infamous!!!!

Haha, seriously mate, very interesting question. From memory the UFC Champs always get introduced as 'UFC World Heavyweight Champ' by Bruce Buffer, I think Pride does the same????

Regards

Gerald.

Sounds great G, we have 2 bondage shops up here so 1st thing tomorrow i'll go and see who will do the belts the cheapest! I was thinking $50 was cheap some tikets at the Melb Shooto were $95. Thinking we could charge at least $95 and i could call around to all the pubs and collect the dregs and give the spectators that.:)

So is XFC now in bed with KOTC? Like the OPBF with the WBC in Boxing?

Wouldn't this be a good way for an organisation to become a truely World Oraganisation and have World Titles?

If so does the UFC or Price line themselves with smaller organisations also?

I think UFC has a lot to do with KOTC, but I could be wrong on that. Pride seems to feed from all over.

When coleman won the first pride fc,look at his belt, it says "WORLD FIGHTING CHAMPION"

So is it fair to say UFC has alot to do with KOTC and KOTC has alot to do with XFC???

The XFC might think it's got a lot to do with KOTC, it would be interesting to hear what the KOTC knows/says about the XFC.

Remember, a promoters job is to promote, which by it's very nature means "talking things up"

No offense meant to anyone, but just because you book a few fighters that happen to fight in one show, doesn't mean you have a relationship with that show.

In fact, it could even be the case (and I'm not suggesting it is in this case) that the show has no idea or interest in what fighters are doing, outside any contract they may have.

I don't think the UFC and KOTC are in bed, but KOTC seems to run a lot of shows, so it stands to reason that if you are doing well there, you might get a call to go to "the big show" one day.

I know no facts about the whole XFC/KOTC thing, so I could be way wide of the mark (where is that humble pie thread ??) but I think there is too much being read into the fact that fighters are fighting at different promotions. It's not like team sports where a player signs a contract for years at a time.

Fighters are lucky to have a contract longer then about 3 fights from what I read.


Tank

Wouldn't it be worth one of the big shows hooking up with a smaller show who hooks up with many smaller shows around the world? That way couldn't fighters fight for a REAL World Title? Kind of set up like the World Boxing Council. But the difference is there would only be one organisation doing it. Well one at 1st :(

Or is this not in the smaller organisations interest as they could possibly have to change ect.

I find boxing world titles a joke but i find MMA world titles a bigger joke.

UFC i think has a pretty good system but i think there should be somewhere to get new prospects from.

I have looked at KOTC ratings and find some of their ranking very weird!

I know nothing is going to be perfect but just be good to try to put something inline so fighters had something to aim for and when they won they would win a real world title.

I think shooto has some kind of system set up so fighters can progress from local shows to bigger ones, and there is a connection with KOTC and pride. As far as I know other organisations are all "world titles" but obviously some are respected more than others. I think part of the problem is that the sanctioning organisations that give out the belts are also mostly promoting shows, so they have an interest in keeping their fighters from trying to unify their title by fighting for other organisations. If you win a UFC title but your contract ends and you want to fight in Pride you have to leave the UFC title behind when you go (at least that's how it seems to work). Some of the shows get together but it's not that common. Also there are weight class and rules differences and different standards of testing.

Keats,

Remember this. The 4 main boxing groups around the world are entitled to hold and award their own "World Titles" because each represents a different set of rules, and IF I'm right, they are also founded in different countries. Essentially, they may appear to be the same, but one common aspect separates them from one another, MONEY! Each group pay the fighters differently. One may pay a HW champ $20M, while another will only pay $5M.

Angelo

If anything, KOTC is a feeder show for Pride rather than the UFC.

The UFC keeps an eye out on all the minor shows to look for up and comers. They are not directly affiliated with any show in particular.

Shooto does have a headquarters in Japan and international branches, USA, Australia, I think also in Brazil and Europe (not sure on this last one).

Pride is similar to the UFC. They are there own show, though they do have links with KOTC. They also now have Pride Bushido which appears to be for the lighter weights (But appeared initially for the up and comers).

There are alot of organisations out there.

Pride and UFC would be the top dog or most respected titles (K-1 is currently making a bid to enter this market it appears).

Below that you have Shooto, Pancrase, UCC, KOTC, etc (in no particular order).

Below that you have shows like Extreme Challenge, Hook n Shoot, WEF, RSF and other small shows.

There have also been lots of shows that have come and gone. Mostly in Brazil and the US.

K-1 has a good chance of getting it right. It already has the structure setup with the K-1 and also has the money. But they're too new on the market to say for sure. Shooto has the right idea. They have amateur and Pro shows. They have Organisations in different countries around the world. The only thing holding them back is that they don't have the same financial backing that alot of the bigger shows do.

Elvis

Thanks to Elvis and Dogmeat for clearing that up for me (and others, obviously).

"Pride and KOTC used to have a working relationship where fighters from each show would appear on the other one. However nothing seems to have happened like this for a couple of years now. "

Looks like this is happening again, though. UFC sent Liddell to the GP and Takada said he'd send a couple back to the UFC in return. Maybe we'll see something eventuate.

Thanks Elvis and Dogmeat.

Elvis since your competed around the world at the highest level, do MMA fighters go after world titles and if so what do the elite beleive are the true world titles for MMA?

Keats, Pride and UFC are the biggest, richist shows in their respected countries and therefore have the most respected belts.

Having a UFC or Pride belt means you are the top dog for your weight division. Until, if ever pride and ufc have unification bouts we will never really know who really is best in the world. So I guess it is up 2 the UG to debate who is best at each weight.

"Elvis since your competed around the world at the highest level, do MMA fighters go after world titles and if so what do the elite beleive are the true world titles for MMA?"

As I stated earlier, the UFC and Pride titles are the premier titles that fighters strive for. For the lighter weight guys, Shooto titles also rank highly.

Elvis

Thanks guys.

No probs, happy to help.

Elvis