This topic comes up periodically and with AXS.TV starting to speak up and get some press with a cross-promotion fight card with WSOF, it got me thinking again.
With UFC obviously #1 and Bellator and WSOF, #2 and #3, instead of challenging WSOF why not officially combining the regional MMA orgs and build up the company this way. AXS TV airs RFC, Legacy, XFC and some others. I'm guessing the only other bigger ones in NA would be MFC in Canada, KOTC and Titan FC, now on CBSSports (I think ProElite and Shark are on 'permanent hiatus', and Tachi Palace is back but exclusive to that Tribal Council)
Here is the key though. No, don't just do the classic 'big money guy' come in and buy them all up and form big MMA org. I think we've seen that before and it doesn't work. We are talking about the #4 MMA org. You'd have to operate it still mostly regional. Mainly because you have fighters who might get paid $1000 tops for the fight so it's not like they can afford to travel cross country to fight etc. You'd essentially only do #1 contender fights and champion vs champion fight cards, still having regional fight cards too. Call all the orgs the same name, but for instance, the fights in Florida will be mostly the guys already fighting in that area for XFC. Same for Legacy in Texas etc. But now you can have 3 or so (with what would have been cross-promotion) fight cards a year with the lightweight champion from what was called Legacy vs the RFC or MFC lightweight champion. Since these guys are a 'bigger name' in their org. (being champion) the card will be bigger, and they should/would get paid more and have more hype.
Ok, I'm rambling but you get the picture. I figure everyone wins. Regional fighters now get a bigger bump because now, not only would they be a regional champion (though with this, you would not call it that...too many titles floating around gets confusing) they would also get more hype beating another regional champion and more exposure. Someone like AXS.TV's Abdelaziz and Mark Cuban wins because in addition to the regular regional fights they show, they'll now have those 3 or 4 cards and one unified product to rally behind and push. And the fans get a better card and might even spark more loyalty to a fighter that may come from their region that they can support when they fight against a different region's champion....ok, now I'm sounding like Hunger Games. Anyway, what say you? First key would be getting the regional promoters/owners to agree to sell or merge/work together.....which very well could be the downfall to it all.