I’m not Albert Einstein releasing his theory of relativity to the world when I say the UFC is the premier MMA organization in the world. It’s a well know fact and the UFC has played off that fact frequently when recruiting young prospects to join the organization.
Of course, given they are the premier organization, it also creates a dilemma for them when recruiting the rawest of talents. Should they sign fighters who clearly aren’t ready to face UFC competition?
The recent odyssey of Gable Steveson is got me thinking about this. Steveson was a highly sought-after talent after winning the gold medal in wrestling at the 2020 Summer Olympic Games (which took place in 2021).
I’m not just talking about MMA organizations either. He was ultimately signed by the WWE to a developmental contract, leaving MMA organizations out in the cold. Unfortunately for Steveson, he was released from his contract at the beginning of May, the WWE being unhappy with his development.
With Steveson on the market again, there were many who thought the UFC would be crazy to not pursue him. But there was also the question of whether it would be feasible for the UFC to pursue someone without any MMA experience.
How long would the UFC have to wait until he was ready for the big show? Would he be able to gain experience on the regional circuit? Or would an organization like PFL be in better shape to sign and develop him given the overall lower level of competition the organization provides?
We didn’t get an answer to that as Steveson opted to sign a contract with the Buffalo Bills, despite not having played football at any level.
However, if I may point out, Brock Lesnar took a similar path before winding up in the UFC. After leaving the WWE in 2004, Lesnar signed with the Minnesota Vikings despite not having played football since high school.
Lesnar was one of the final cuts, an impressive feat given his lack of football experience, but was cut nonetheless. Ultimately not making it in the NFL put Lesnar on the MMA path. Could we see a repeat with Steveson?
Given Steveson has less football experience than Lesnar did, I wouldn’t be the least bit shocked to see him on a chopping block again. Not that I’m hoping for that, but I’m attempting to be realistic about the situation. Should that happen again, will the UFC be in a position to develop him?
That has been a notable chink in the armor for the UFC over the years. The UFC hasn’t been able to take those at the beginning of their MMA career path and sign them right away.
Sure, there have been some exceptions such as Lesnar and Bo Nickal, but even those names weren’t at the very beginning of their path. Lesnar had a fight before signing to the UFC and Nickal had one before his opportunity on DWCS.
But signing guys without any real experience? Amir Sadollah, Matthew Riddle, and Matt Mitrione are the only ones that come to mind in the modern sense.
Oh wait... I can’t forget about the marvelous Phil Brooks experience, aka CM Punk.
While Sadollah, Riddle, and Mitrione went on to have respectable UFC careers, they also proved their mettle in the TUF house before making it to the UFC. Thus, even if we want to count them, there’s an asterisk that needs to be applied.
Plus, it’s been almost 15 years since Mitrione made his MMA/UFC debut. It’s been a long time since a legit prospect made their way into the UFC without any real experience.
Then again, I’m going to extremes here pointing out prospects without professional experience. It has become rare for the UFC to sign someone with five or less professional contests under their belts, particularly in the men’s divisions.
Women’s MMA is still behind in its development in comparison to men’s MMA. Thus, we still see the occasional talent break through without much experience.
Carli Judice’s fifth professional fight was her UFC debut earlier this month. The book is out on whether she has been signed too early. Juliana Miller’s fourth professional contest marked her UFC debut in 2022 and the early returns indicate she wasn’t ready for UFC competition.
Bellator’s structure let them develop prospects in a way the UFC can’t or won’t. While there were many fighters they signed to multi-fight deals, there were many they would sign to one-offs.
Those fighters were frequently local to wherever they were running their event. It served as a tryout in addition to helping to boost ticket sales as friends and family would go to see/support the local fighter.
Because of that one-off system, Bellator was able to feed credible competition to younger fighters. That isn’t to say there weren’t hiccups – Aaron Pico did lose his MMA debut – but it worked well for the most part. It was also something the UFC is unable to replicate.
How does the UFC find a solution to this problem?
Simple, the UFC needs to develop or purchase a farm system.
For the uneducated, a farm system is a development league. Major League Baseball is the most prominent user of a farm system. When they draft a player, that player doesn’t immediately go to the big leagues.
The player is assigned to a minor league where they play against other recently drafted players. Thus, players can be tested against a lower level of competition before making it to the big leagues.
The UFC wouldn’t have to have several different leagues. They could have the cards be run similar to how their current cards run: have the lower-level fighters on the prelims and the more developed fighters on the main card.
However, I would recommend multiple organizations that would serve as a farm league. Given the UFC frequently recruits talent form the LFA, that’s an organization that feels like a natural fit. Invicta FC is another one that feels right.
Aside from that, it’s hard to say for sure. Would they want their farm system to reside strictly in North America? Given the global nature of the sport, that would seem inadvisable.
That would be more difficult to break into those markets, but I don’t believe that means the UFC shouldn’t at least put out feelers. I feel it would likely be needed for them to develop their own organizations in other continents, but provided they advertise it as the most surefire way to get to the UFC, I don’t think it would be too hard of a sell.
Given the UFC is on the stingy side, I can see the argument they aren’t willing to put forth the money for the endeavor.
However, if done correctly, it could be a money-making proposition. If these farm organizations are officially tied to the UFC, they can market the fighters as future UFC stars.
Plus, they can use the same type of model Bellator used with regards to local fighters, signing them to one-offs, and providing a try-out for them to see if the UFC has any interest in them beyond being a test for their prospects.
After all, it isn’t going to officially be the UFC, so they’ll have more leeway with the level of competition, as well as the contracts offered.
They don’t have to get rid of DWCS either. They could use it as the final testing ground before moving onto the UFC. In fact, it might help enliven DWCS as fans would have a better feel for the competition on the show if they’ve been able to follow their development.
Who's to say it needs to be exclusively for fighters coming up the farm system? They could still allow fighters from unassociated organizations fight there to prove their mettle.
Adjusting DWCS from a seasonal show to a monthly one could help with scheduling. Should that happen, I’d hope the UFC would be more stingy with their signings, but that’s just me.
I get all of this is far easier said than done. I also have a hard time believing the UFC hasn’t entertained the idea before.
That said, I find it ludicrous the UFC should miss out on a talent like Steveson because they don’t feel like he’d be ready for UFC competition. Believe me, the PFL wouldn’t hold out on offering him a sizeable contract right off the bat if they get the opportunity.
Steveson comes across as a once-in-a-generation heavyweight talent. It’s not like Steveson is the only reason to look at a farm system. It would also allow the UFC shots at talents like Pico, not to mention a more appropriate development ground for the likes of Raul Rosas Jr.
It’s inevitable they develop a farm system someday. They’d be better served to do it sooner rather than later.
But this would require the UFC to care about the content of its fighters, not just the quantity and controllability. A farm system works be amazing for the sport, but would it help the Dana make more $$$ at the expense of its fighters? A farm league is a long-term investment and UFC just doesn't invest in fighters like that (sadly)
I believe that Invicta FC already serves as a farm league for the UFC. I think I remember it being explicitly announced by the head of Invicta years ago. An example: Angela Hill came into the UFC through TUF, underperformed and was cut, went to Invicta where she won the strawweight championship, then came back to the UFC. Invicta champions are coming through the UFC all the time.
But, yes! I agree that making more systemic use of a farm system would be very beneficial to developing talent and to the UFC.