Three years ago to this day, YAMMA Pit Fighting debuted and disappeared. Since then, it has become the butt of many jokes in the MMA world and joined an army of one and done companies. Yet, this show has lingered on in the back of the minds of many hardcore MMA fans for a variety of reasons, some good but mostly negative. “I survived the YAMMA” was the slogan of people who saw the show, and I did not just survive it, but was there in person taking photos and soaking it all in. Little did I know what it would come to represent for the sport.
The majority of fans remember the YAMMA for its’ lackluster advertising, bizarre fighting surface, mediocre fighters with little name power, and super fights between old-timers, as well as the poor production value and grating announcing done by Scott Ferrall. But was the YAMMA really as bad as we remember it being? Let’s take a look back at this strange show and break down the events leading up to it, the outcome, and give it an unbiased assessment with all the facts on this, the third annual YAMMAversary.
YAMMA was the brainchild of Bob Meyrowitz, who was the original owner of the UFC and sold the company to Zuffa for the sum of two million dollars during the dark days of the sport. Meyrowitz, who began his entrepreneurial career with “The King Biscuit Flower Hour” TV show (ask your parents), was not done with MMA yet and teamed with advertising partners LiveNation (who had never advertised an MMA event prior to this and have not since) on his next attempt at making the next big MMA pay-per-view event would begin. Meyrowitz decided to revive the one-night eight-man tournament format that popularized the original UFC, as well as create an innovative place to hold the fights in. The mystery of just what the YAMMA was was kept under lock and key, which may have stirred more trouble than interest. Rumors swirled about just what it was, including that the cage would have hydraulics! But in reality, the peculiar name gave away what the company was all about.
In Russian, “Yama” means a bowl or pit, and in Japanese it means a mountain, both alluding to the interior of the cage which had a 24 foot diameter with a three-foot wide with a 19-inch incline around the edges of it, about a 20 degree slope. The exterior was a round cage, which was also relatively new to MMA at the time, although the World Combat League kickboxing organization had already been using a round sloped surface for their matches, difference being that the uncaged slopes did not contain the fighters but rather resulted in them sliding down and out of the area. The concept of the slope was meant to “funnel” the action into the center of the ring and keep fighters from stalling by clinching on the fence. The “pit fighting” part was meant to reinforce the sloped interior, but instead caused bad press by bringing back memories of illegal bare-knuckle underground fights or worse, dog fighting. The choice to use that as part of the name turned into a marketing nightmare, but the name would be the least of their problems.
If you remember the YAMMA, or think you do, check out my comprehensive article about the events before, during and after YAMMA with many rare videos and photos. Just head to this link here to read the rest of it and decide on just how bad the show really was! Happy YAMMAversary - I survived the YAMMA, did you?
R.I.P. YAMMA
I still wear your shirt all the time...
good ole butterbean... We're interviewing him Thursday :)
The original super fight was suppose to be Frye vs. Taktarov!
RIP YAMMA. So much potential, it is ashame you never really got started.
and... their champion Travis Wiuff posts here
YAMMA definitely inspired me to acquire a room with a view within my lifetime.
DWNOMERCY - R.I.P. YAMMA
I still wear your shirt all the time...
That you never sent
The concept was brilliant. I still believe that one day the Octagon will be replaced by the Yamma Pit.
Chris Power - YAMMA definitely inspired me to acquire a room with a view within my lifetime.haha.. I see what you did there, and I didnt want you to think this comment went unnoticed lol
i liked the pit idea, makes wall n stall alot harder
Travis is a good up and coming fighter
I will forever treasure my Yamma program
Nice read.
dont forget to light your menorah to celebrate the first night of YAMMAkah.
Remember the ramp! Too bad the tshirt they sent me was only big enough for my girlfriend.
Something not many people know about, and I only make mention of it because this ship has sailed so long ago...but the Yamma press packet included unauthorized use of UFC images. I was contracted to do some regional promotion of the show, and they sent me this press packet...it had pictures of Rampage, Liddell, a few fighters, all UFC images. No credit to the UFC or Zuffa of any sort...needless to say I passed on that information to the powers that be. What happened with it, I don't know...don't care either. I cashed my Yamma check and gave away a shit ton of shirts and hats. RIP Yamma, we hardly knew you and your dumb-ass pit.
STDC Mike
Something not many people know about, and I only make mention of it because this ship has sailed so long ago...but the Yamma press packet included unauthorized use of UFC images. I was contracted to do some regional promotion of the show, and they sent me this press packet...it had pictures of Rampage, Liddell, a few fighters, all UFC images. No credit to the UFC or Zuffa of any sort...needless to say I passed on that information to the powers that be. What happened with it, I don't know...don't care either. I cashed my Yamma check and gave away a shit ton of shirts and hats. RIP Yamma, we hardly knew you and your dumb-ass pit.
STDC Mike
It'll be back. It's just waiting for the right time 
caliphornia - It'll be back. It's just waiting for the right timecaliphornia is the prophet who has foretold of the second coming of YAMMA. many a zuul will roast in the depths of the pit that day, i can tell you! i wish i could get travis wiuff to acknowledge the YAMMA again, that would be awesome.
The Yamma champ is here!