Lack of benefit: what is the probability of a match between the UFC and the ACA

A press conference was held in Moscow by the leadership of the Absolute Championship Akhmat (ACA) promotion, during which the results of 2021 were summed up and plans for 2022 were announced. Mairbek Khasiev and Aleksey Yatsenko explained how the sanctions imposed on it by the US government had an impact on the league, announced their desire to hold 16 tournaments with a total prize fund of $1 million, and also presented the next fight of star light heavyweight Ivan Shtyrkov. However, one of the most discussed was the statement of intention to arrange a match confrontation between the leading representatives of the organization and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

“No matter how it sounds, we have this idea from the very beginning - from the moment the leagues merged (WFCA and ACB. -

). We have not given up on it. We will work on it in 2022. At a meeting with the management of Match TV, we received support, approval, a promise to assist in this matter from him, ”Yatsenko admitted during a press conference.

Thus, the ACA once again made it clear that they are interested in a joint tournament with the UFC, in which the fighters of the Russian and American promotions could meet each other in a cage.

At the same time, they did not explain in what format they expect to arrange a show and who exactly they are ready to put up to defend the honor.

Yatsenko and Khasiev refrained from further comments on this topic, but noted that they were no longer considering the possibility of holding a similar duel with colleagues from Russia.

“It is unacceptable to cooperate with Russian leagues.

We have to compete with the best, namely the UFC.

It is necessary to break their backbone, ”Khasiev noted.

Back in February 2019, the ACA approached Bellator with a proposal to cage the champions and first numbers of both promotions.

Khasiev wrote about this on his official Instagram page.

“Friends, you will probably agree with me that only play-offs between two leagues can determine which one is better! At one time, the DIA repeatedly suggested this, and most recently, the ACA approached the leadership of Bellator with a proposal to hold a match meeting! Several weeks have passed, but there is no answer, in connection with this, I decided to declare on the whole Instagram! Hey Scott Cocker, what's the problem? Are you not attracted to such an event? Let's do what millions of MMA fans are waiting for! Two teams - champions and first numbers! One tournament in Russia, the second in the USA!” Khasiev wrote.

At the same time, the functionary compared a possible duel with the confrontation between the hockey teams of the USSR, the USA and Canada, which allowed "to defuse the situation in the world for many years."

Khasiev assumed that the battle between ACA and Bellator could be just as successful and bring not only financial benefits, but also moral satisfaction.

“Don't you want to be one of the first to organize such an event and go down in world MMA history?

I think yes.

I perceive the refusal as weakness and uncertainty in the victory of Bellator.

I am waiting for an answer here so that there are no omissions, ”Khasiev concluded.

Almost three years have passed since that moment, but progress has not been outlined.

Neither Bellator nor the UFC expressed their desire to compete with the ACA.

In addition, neither Scott Cocker nor Dana White commented on the initiative of the Russian league.

And there is every reason to believe that changes should not be expected in the near future.

Yes, from a sporting point of view, the battle between the fighters of the two promotions seems to be quite curious and interesting.

After all, many would like to know the answer to the question of whether the American League is really superior to its competitors in terms of level, or is it a well-functioning PR machine, which in many ways provided the UFC with the status of the strongest in the world.

The clash of the strongest athletes could dot the i's and change the state of affairs in the world of MMA.

Many domestic athletes have repeatedly stated that the level of competition in the ACA is no lower than in the UFC, and Magomed Ismailov in an interview with RT expressed confidence in defeating the reigning UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.

“It doesn't matter if Israel is in front of you or Paulo Costa.

The only difference is that they are in the largest and most popular promotion in the world, and I am in ACA, which ranks third on the planet.

But that doesn't mean I'll lose to their champion.

I'll take it out.

Bring me Adesanya here and I'll show you who's who.

It all depends on your approach to business.

The more serious the opponent, the more painstaking the preparation for the battle, ”Ismailov said in November 2020.

However, it is unlikely that American promotions will suddenly respond to the ACA challenge in the near future. Carrying out such a series of fights will not bring them any dividends, but it is associated with a serious risk. If representatives of the conditional UFC perform unsuccessfully, they will noticeably spoil the reputation of the championship and demonstrate that not all athletes get there purely on sports principles. In addition, defeating the conditional Francis Ngannou or Kamaru Usman will automatically help his opponent gain star status. And White's plans hardly include the promotion of third-party fighters.

The UFC would probably agree to put a lot on the line if they understood that the show was guaranteed to bring them huge profits. But there are no prerequisites for this. The vast majority of stars already fight with them, therefore, in order to arrange a major fight, local White does not need to cooperate with colleagues from Russia. Currently, there is not a single athlete listed in the ACA whose presence on the card could attract the attention of the local public, therefore, provide both high ticket sales and paid broadcasts. Namely, this largely determines the interest in such events.

In addition, to arrange this match, it would be necessary to sign an agreement on cooperation and joint holding of tournaments. Consequently, the name of the show would include not only the name of the largest MMA promotion on the planet, but also the Russian one. But suffice it to recall that this was in many ways the stumbling block in the negotiations between the Absolute Fighting Championship and Fedor Emelianenko. The last emperor was ready to play either under the auspices of M-1 Global, or at tournaments organized by the domestic league together with foreign ones.

And if Dana White and the company did not agree to make concessions then in order to attract Emelianenko, one of the biggest stars of mixed martial arts at that time, then this is hardly possible now.

To have leverage over the UFC, the ACA needs to have a fighter comparable in status to The Last Emperor, such as Khabib Nurmagomedov, on the roster.

It just doesn't have the necessary resources.