5 MMA Stories to Monitor in 2012

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From the rise to superstardom of Jon Jones and Junior dos Santos to the retirement of Randy Couture and Brock Lesnar and everything in between, the past 12 months in mixed martial arts can only be described as historic.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship landed a major network television deal, introduced health coverage for its 350-fighter roster, bought out another would-be competitor, drew 55,000 fans to a single event and returned to Brazil for the first time in more than a decade. The Japanese MMA scene, once the heart and soul of the sport, continued to decline but nevertheless faced a natural disaster of unimaginable scope when the earth shook and the sea moved in March. Meanwhile, Bellator Fighting Championships secured much-needed investment capital from Viacom and announced plans to move to Spike TV in 2013, filling the void left by the UFC’s departure to Fox.

As the calendar flips and another year dawns, storylines abound. Here are five stories worth keeping an eye on in 2012.

Shelved Champions: The UFC enters the New Year with significant uncertainty surrounding its top two fighters. Battling a shoulder injury, middleweight champion Anderson Silva has not fought since he blitzed Yushin Okami at UFC 134 in August. He has won a record 14 consecutive fights inside the Octagon but may not return to active competition until summer. Silva turns 37 in April. Welterweight titleholder Georges St. Pierre tore a knee ligament in training, withdrew from his scheduled showdown with Nick Diaz in February and underwent reconstructive surgery. Cut down in the prime of his career, he figures to return sometime during the third quarter of 2012. With that said, St. Pierre turns 31 in May, and one has to wonder if he can come back to the cage in top form.

Viable Alternative: With Bellator still a year away from arriving on Spike TV, questions remain about whether or not the tournament-based promotion can emerge as a viable alternative to the UFC. To this point, Bellator has done an excellent job of mining and developing young talent. However, that has not always translated into hearty television ratings and gate receipts. Until it can make itself available to a wider at-home audience, Bellator needs to stay focused on promoting emerging stars like Michael Chandler, Eduardo Dantas, Ben Askren and Patricio “Pitbull” Freire and hanging on to established veterans like Hector Lombard and Eddie Alvarez. It returns to MTV2 in March, switching to Friday telecasts in a clear effort to avoid head-to-head conflict with UFC pay-per-views. The pieces for success are in place.

Flyweights Take Flight: The UFC will introduce flyweights to its rotation in March, with the start of its 125-pound tournament. The four-man draw will feature the top-ranked Ian McCall, Shooto champion Yasuhiro Urushitani, onetime UFC bantamweight title contender Demetrious Johnson and Team Alpha Male
ace Joseph Benavidez.

The division figures to serve as a consistent source of action and entertainment as the UFC beefs up its schedule. In the semifinal round of the tournament that will give rise to the UFC’s first-ever flyweight champion, McCall will face Johnson and Benavidez will lock horns with Urushitani on March 3 in Sydney, Australia. Buckle up.

Network Growth: The UFC debuted on the Fox network on Nov. 12 with a heavyweight title bout between dos Santos and Cain Velasquez. It took the Brazilian a little more than a minute to dethrone Velasquez, and while many viewed the finish as anti-climactic, nearly nine million people tuned in to see it. In August, the UFC reached a landmark seven-year agreement with Fox, which includes televised events on FX, Fuel TV and Fox Sports Net, along with four live shows annually on the flagship network. The second of those events will unfold on Jan. 28 in Chicago, headlined by a pivotal light heavyweight matchup between former champion Rashad Evans and the unbeaten Phil Davis. How the UFC audience grows or shrinks in the next 12 to 24 months will be fascinating to watch, all while providing valuable insight into the future health of mixed martial arts.

Murky Future: The Strikeforce promotion was granted a stay of execution when its broadcast deal with Showtime was renewed in December. However, with the dissolution of the heavyweight division and the exit of former champions Diaz, Dan Henderson and Alistair Overeem, the situation bears monitoring. That is especially true as it pertains to lightweight titleholder Gilbert Melendez, who has all but run out of worthy contenders and has done nothing to hide his interest in moving to the UFC. The Cesar Gracie protégé remains one of Strikeforce’s few bankable stars and, along with women’s featherweight champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos, will be looked upon to push the interest needle and keep the organization afloat.