Last week, Monday’s MMA Musings took time off for Easter. There is nothing more important than the Easter Bunny in my life.  So now that I have had my fill of chocolate eggs, here is another rendition of thought-provoking candy for your MMA mind.

Monday’s MMA Musings and More

Round 1: UFC on FUEL TV 9

When most looked at last Saturday’s free UFC card on FUEL TV, you can understand how many couldn’t help but wonder how it was going to turn out from an entertainment stand point. It wasn’t exactly a star studded card, and even I wondered on the entertainment value that it may or may not provide. Just imagine if you were Swedish and had a ticket.

I have always said that you can’t judge a UFC card, free or PPV, based on the Main Event alone. Due to an injury, Alexander Gustafsson ended up pulling himself from what could have probably been an entertaining fight with Gegard Mousasi.  Regardless of the change of Main Event, the rest of the under card including the prelims ended up being pretty good. This isn’t the first time this “phenomenon” of saying a card is going to suck and it turning out to being pretty good has happened, yet we still pre critique a card that might not have a ton of hype around it; maybe it’s human nature for us fight fans.  I’m of the belief that a UFC event should be judged on overall entertainment value and not just the Main Event. I remember that is what most MMA fans did back in the day. We watched because we wanted to see all the fights.

Now it seems like most people only care about the Main Event. Just look at some live shows where people start arriving to their seats for the last three fights of the night… if that. I’m not sure what happened, but MMA crowds are turning into boxing crowds. Maybe it’s partly because the UFC focuses a lot of their energy trying to sell a UFC PPV based solely on the main attraction instead of the full experience.  Anyway, I enjoyed the UFC on FUEL TV card, and to be honest it’s something the UFC should continue to do when booking for these types of free cards. It’s FUEL TV folks, it’s not like they are going to stack the card with “name’s names.” These are the shows where you introduce and build new talent, with a main event that also adds some intrigue, but it shouldn’t be the only selling point.

Round 2: Fighter Sponsorships

I’m curious if any of you really read the advertising on a fighter’s shorts? Maybe you notice the main brand of shorts or t-shirt, but do you read all the little ads? Is that kind of advertising really effective? Sure it gives a fighter additional income, but it has got to the point where it has become just visual noise. Seeing “Al’s Lumber Emporium” on some dude’s ass does nothing for me. It doesn’t make me want to go out and buy lumber.

You see so many people walk into the cage or ring with fifteen different sponsorships on their shorts, that you wonder how it adds any value to any of those companies who spent large sums of money to be near a fighter’s ass crack. From a marketing stand point I would advise most companies not to waste their time. The best way to sponsor a fighter is through exclusivity. Simple is better. If Affliction wants a fighter to wear their gear, they should ask that no other logos are added to the shorts and make it worthwhile for the fighter to do so.

I’m so tired of these MMA brands that seem to be hanging around. Affliction? The only people I ever see wearing Affliction is someone who is paid to do so or some older dude at a bar who thinks it’s still trendy. The UFC really needs to let that one go.

RYU (Respect Your Universe) is out of the MMA game and that is a shame. They actually had something going on with what they were doing. Their designs were clean and simple, and best of all; the product was made with organic material. They had a story, a brand, a niche and they could have been a big name not just in MMA world but in a lot of different sports. My take is they should have picked better spokes people for their brand. Jon Fitch wasn’t going to cut it. They should have looked for athletes who were passionate about the environment and social change. They should have got behind people who were outspoken about the issues that RYU deemed as important like sustainability and respecting one’s universe. It just goes to show you that sometimes it doesn’t matter how many former Nike executives you have or how much money is backing you, creating a successful clothing brand is damn hard. Still not sure how Affliction is still around and RYU is out.

Round 3: How young is too young?

I was reading the bios of Rory MacDonald and Jordan Mein the other day. Both guys started training and competing at a young age, in fact Jordan Mein’s first pro fight was against Rory back in 2006. At the time Jordan was sixteen-years-old. However, he started training when he was much younger and even taking kickboxing matches at eleven-years-old. “Young Guns” had a 6-1 amateur record when he was fourteen.

I have a young son, and I would love to put him in Jiu-Jitsu and Kickboxing at a young age. I think that is where the sport is at right now. In the not too distant future the sport will start seeing an influx of fighters who trained from a very young age who are on a completely different level than the great athletes we see today. Many talk about George St. Pierre as being this super athlete, but one day he could be beat by a younger version of himself.

Obviously I am not going to push my son into a sport he doesn’t enjoy. However, I will give him the opportunity to experience martial arts over hockey. In Canada if you want your kid to play hockey and a chance to succeed at the higher levels, you have to be able to spend the money for equipment and year round training. You might as well take out a second mortgage.

I’d much rather put the time and money into training my kid in different martial arts like Jits. You are starting to see other parents do the same with many MMA gyms seeing an increase in enrollment by young boys and girls wanting to train. I’m not advocating full contact sparring sessions between five year olds, what I am saying is starting your kids in Jiu-Jitsu and kickboxing is a great way to teach the foundations of MMA at a younger age. It’s no different than kids learning how to wrestle at a young age in the USA.

I mentioned this fact to my mother-in-law and she said that the sport was too dangerous and that why would I want to promote that kind of physical abuse to my son. Ironically enough in the background on her television set was a sports story on concussions in hockey.

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You can listen to Trevor on MMASucka Radio heard weekly on MMASucka.com and Sportsnet.ca. Follow him on Twitter @tdueckMMA