Yep, that’s the title of my master’s project, which I have recently defended (successfully). I’ll spare you 40 pages and give you the quick and dirty.
1. MMA salaries are efficient, meaning that the more you pay out in salary per fight card, the more revenue you are likely to make. This is a no-brainer that I’ve proved with the data; the higher quality fighters get (demand?) higher salaries and consumers pay more for higher quality.
2. If a fighter gets ~200k show and 0 to win, that fighter is likely getting a cut of PPV.
3. The system of PPV revenue sharing works; giving guys a cut of PPV sales drives up PPV buys.
4. The art of matchmaking matters. From a salary perspective, you’d think that compelling match-ups would consist of taking the top quality (paid) guys and matching them up against each other. However, there is no “balanced ticket effect” – salary fairness/equality between fighters doesn’t boost PPV sales or Live Gate numbers (attendance). Fans may bemoan Joe Silva’s match making, claiming XYZ fighter needs to fight ABC fighter, but from a revenue standpoint, they are doing things right: the UFC is making money.
5. MMA fighters are underpaid, and I can prove it. (Monopoly/Monopsony market effects on salary, inter-sport comparisons, etc)
There is a lot I still don’t know, and plenty more research to be done. However, I’m happy to field questions about any of these points or various MMA salary issues in general. I’d love to hear your thoughts and theories of MMA salary!
Nothing feels as good as smashing an uppercut square into your opponent’s grill. Conversely, nothing feels worse than having it done to you – assuming you don’t get knocked out brutally and avoid “feeling” it at all. In that case, good night sweet prince.
In this uppercut strike, you really see a nice corkscrew as Brad twists and pushes from his back leg.
Say what you will about will about Chael, he’s a mildly entertaining dude who has shown that Anderson Silva isn’t immortal, just bad-ass. Sonnen has more or less given the blueprint to world on how potentially to beat Silva:
Have a good power double.
Nobody is immune to a good double leg takedown.
Keep smart pressure on Silva and don’t allow him his choice of range and foot placement.
In the first fight, we noticed Silva and Sonnen exchanging blows – something very rare for the elusive Spider. Anderson’s timing and footwork are generally immaculate. When allowed to setup his feet and get his range down, he becomes a master at picking shots and avoiding any return fire.
Keep Silva down (but actually hurt him when he is there).
With solid wrestling, I believe the advantage is sided with the man on top. Chael’s problem is he just doesn’t do any damage when he’s pounding. I’m not sure I fully understand it yet, maybe its posture, maybe its the endurance vs explosiveness in his muscles, maybe its the caution to hold a guy down and not open up a can upon your opponents face – Chael doesn’t seem to give the umph in the ground and pound department that someone like Mark Munoz does.
Do not do silly things, do not take a break.
A spinning backfist is something you have to kinda catch guys unaware with. Unlike various kicking + punching combos, where you can almost force an opponent to each or exchange punches, the spinning backfist isn’t a high percentage technique. Pair that knowledge with the fact that Anderson Silva is clearly one of the most superior strikers in MMA and you get silliness. There is no time to give Silva room to set up shop (read: the spider-web) and pick you apart. There are times when various fighters have had moments of success against Silva. They all involve pressuring him into their game and not standing in the middle of the octagon. Relentless attack seems like the way to go if one hopes to beat the champion.
Anything missing?
Anyway, what are your thoughts? What fighter or gameplan would you construct to put an end to Silva’s reign?
Among many of the awesome things at UFC 139, there were a number of solid uppercuts. Thus inspired, I threw together a little video with commentary. Hope you enjoy.
References:
BJ Penn’s book, the MMA book of knowledge, has a solid introduction to the uppercut punch with a couple of variations.
If you are just looking for a quick video on how to throw the uppercut, here’s one for that.
