WrestleMania Season: Reflections as MMA Rages On into Big Apple

It’s time! No, not for Ultimate Fighting Championship announcer Bruce Buffer’s trademark introduction to a main event fight (at least not yet). It’s time for the UFC’s last barrier of entry into the mainstream -- New York City, and the combat sports mecca in its midst, Madison Square Garden.

Mixed martial arts were banned in New York for 19 years. Countless legal battles and one corrupt imprisoned Sheldon Silver later, MMA has finally arrived in the world’s media capital thanks to the New York State Assembly surpassing the required approval mark, 76 votes, with 113. Only 25 opposed it (although the absurd speeches too extensive to get into here made it seem like it’s still 1993-level ignorance about the sport).

The news is long overdue -- a sigh of relief for anyone who loves thin pizza slices and sanctioned combat sports just the same. The UFC’s lobbying dollars and media campaigns should receive the lion’s share credit for the sport crossing the last hurdle (MMA media sites and New York-based journalist Jim Genia too). The UFC last brought the Octagon to New York in 1995 when MMA was still no holds barred. It’s not just the industry leading UFC heading for New York, either. Bellator MMA and World Series of Fighting attached their name to “I Love New York” slogan upon the official declaration MMA is legal.

The UFC’s storied history looks ahead to an all-eyes-on-the-Octagon scenario for Madison Square Garden at the moment. But there’s a major matter to attend to before the UFC hits MSG.

It’s UFC 200, an event seven years in the making from the last landmark summer event of such significant magnitude, UFC 100. That July 2009 landmark topped by Brock Lesnar versus Frank Mir II is still the UFC’s all-time pay-per-view leader. UFC 200 goes down in four months in the same Fourth of July-ish slot as UFC 100. Madison Square Garden is being targeted for November or December 2016, according to UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta on a Tuesday conference call. New York’s long-anticipated entry into the UFC’s schedule now presents a challenge the Las Vegas-based promotion has not previously encountered: have two proverbial WrestleMania-level flagship events in one banner year.

WrestleMania I, pro wrestling’s catalyst into the mainstream in 1985, transpired at Madison Square Garden. It wasn’t for another three years building the WrestleMania brand that Vincent Kennedy McMahon could expand his franchise for a second major show, dubbed Summerslam. For a more direct combat sports connection to what the UFC has to live up to making a splash at MSG, boxing’s Muhammad Ali versus Joe Frazier undisputed heavyweight title fight, the “Fight of the Century,” back in 1971, emanated from MSG.

For the UFC to pull off two landmark events to meet UFC 200’s demands and MSG is a true test for the promoter. The events are well positioned for success based on their historical anchors, marking UFC 200 and breaking ground in the modern-era City That Never Sleeps. However, what the UFC does during this new chapter has implications far reaching beyond one event or building.

UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor has been breathing down the promotion’s pay-per-view record (if not already passed it), in addition to breaking the organization’s gate record in Nevada. UFC 200 will mark the UFC’s entry into the new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, where McGregor is expected to rematch Nate Diaz -- the first fighter to defeat him in the Octagon, earlier this month at UFC 196. It’s strictly a mulligan and money grab for McGregor because he’ll draw more attempting to avenge the loss to Diaz than against anyone on his radar right now. What happens with McGregor at UFC 200 informs in a large way what UFC at MSG will feature. Asking McGregor and Ronda Rousey to carry the weight for Madison Square Garden and this new generation of stardom is short sighted in opening MSG’s doors to the entire roster. They’ve stepped up and earned it in every respect, although more focus needs to go to spreading the mainstream spotlight among those that have the competitive accolades or fan ambassadorship to galvanize live audiences. The roster’s depth needs to be reflected at the top with a round robin of stars instead of less than a handful.

What emboldens WrestleMania to live up to its can’t-miss pop culture status is the idea anyone can have their WrestleMania moment. Madison Square Garden’s rags-to-riches stories in boxing have a similar effect. Right now, with the UFC’s view dismissing champions, former champs and contenders on all fronts when it suits them, and focusing on the top one-percent current cash cows, it will struggle to find the MSG mark on a consistent basis if it doesn’t have the peaking stars to sell it out.

The first disclosed million-dollar UFC purse came for McGregor against Diaz. As the UFC grows into its Super Bowl-WrestleMania-“Fight of the Century” big event format, whether its from UFC 200-style cornerstone commitments or trips to the fight mecca, Madison Square Garden, so must the pursues that propel individual stars above the UFC brand. Fans care about Floyd Mayweather Jr. because the money he boasts. The same has been true for McGregor. Audiences won’t care about prizefights worth a few hundred thousand the way they do disclosed millions or multi-millions when it comes to New York.

Committing toward creating stars significant enough to turn an MMA fight into Empire State’s the hot ticket is a new endeavor. Promoting one or two fighters aggressively while others simply serve an overstuffed schedule where it’s difficult to stand out must change.

The UFC’s eight male champions and the contenders that might characterize the current or incoming title reign must be propped up at any time for a highly visible run at the top. The same is true for the women’s 135-pound and 115-pound champions and those aiming to make their mark on the young division’s history. What separates MMA from boxing has been losses don’t kill off a fighter’s drawing power in full. If UFC continues trending toward the boxing model, only giving credence to few, that might change and hurt MMA’s ability to roll on. Utilizing accomplished and popular fighters year-round instead of when their name up on the schedule is crucial going forward.

The international infrastructure UFC amassed during its current FOX era will serve the MSG relationship well, but what MSG represents to the UFC is a way to elevate its American fan base to catch up to Ireland and other international audiences that made the U.S.A’s backing American stars seem stagnant. In short, MSG is the epicenter for the sport’s new standards of success.

The UFC is more than capable. From the world-class title fight action between welterweight champ Robbie Lawler and Carlos Condit at UFC 195 to Diaz and Miesha Tate’s upsets of McGregor and Holly Holm at UFC 196, it’s been a year trending toward surpassing a highly successful 2015. It’s not without its problems though. UFC 196 originally was so thin and impacted by a headliner injury, it downgraded into a Fight Night rather than cancelled pay-per-view. Just to get to UFC 200 on time, the UFC has had to sacrifice star power for that event in order to construct those leading up to it.

It’s certainly possible for the UFC to connect to the mainstream with two mega-shows this year, UFC 200 and UFC at MSG. Look at the one-two punch of Ronda Rousey-Holly Holm and Jose Aldo-Conor McGregor that capped off 2015, the million buy pay-per-view blockbusters back-to-back shaped the promotion’s best year to date. UFC has more time to ensure UFC 200 and UFC at MSG’s success.

It’s a new era. The stars big enough to fill MSG should have McGregor-plus sized bank accounts. New York City is expensive. Fighters are going to need more flash cash if they wish to compete for the media’s attention alongside all other major sports, and boxing and pro wrestling’s rich history in the Big Apple.

Danny Acosta is a SiriusXM Rush (Channel 93) host and contributor. His writing has been featured on Sherdog.com for nearly a decade. Find him on Twitter and Instagram @acostaislegend.