3 MMA promotions that failed to launch

No other MMA promotion has come near the heights the UFC has reached. Even the likes of Pride FC and Strikeforce, promotions with strong fan bases once upon a time, ultimately fell by the way side.

However, for every promotion that enjoys at least a few years of prominence before their demise, there are those who do not. MMA has seen a wide variety of flash-in-the-pan flops over the years.

From poor marketing to bad budgeting, many promotions have come undone due to behind-the-scenes issues. There are others who were seemingly doomed from the start on account of questionable ideas and concepts as well.

And then there are those that are all of the above and more. Here are three such MMA promotions that, due to a multitude of issues, failed to launch:

#3. U-Japan

In his first, last and only MMA fight, Bam Bam Bigelow found himself on the receiving end of a two-minute beating from Kimo Leopoldo. The former WWE star was coming off his infamous WrestleMania XI main event with NFL legend Lawrence Taylor a year prior.

According to Bam Bam, the whole thing was a work. That alone could be a devastatingly damaging accusation for an MMA promotion to endure. Sadly, the trouble didn’t end there. The show - which included one of the first ever women’s MMA fights and a Mark Hall vs Don Frye clash - was brutalized by the media.

U-Japan Superfighting Vol. 1 came at a time when the mainstream press in the US were ravaging the UFC. U-Japan adopted UFC’s octagon and early no-holds-barred style for a Japanese audience. Failing to find its footing advertising-wise and lacking any great action, the show was a box office bomb.

Despite promises of a Vol. 2 from its promoters, U-Japan quietly folded shortly after its debut show.

#2. Golden Boy MMA

Thank you for the memories, Golden Boy MMA. It was fun while it lasted. pic.twitter.com/wfLOWGOAPW

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) July 16, 2019

Chuck Liddell vs Tito Ortiz III could have been a good case of better late than never. The feud between these two MMA superstars is the stuff of legend. Their two fights in the UFC - both won by Liddell - did huge numbers by the standards of their time.

So when boxer turned promoter Oscar De La Hoya tried his hand at an MMA promotion, this fight was a good get. Golden Boy MMA was initially promoted as a place where fighters could secure a nice living outside of the UFC.

After just one event, the promotion folded. Why? According to Tito Ortiz, a lack of planning was a key issue. He cited the differences between promoting boxing and MMA, noting that perhaps De La Hoya had not done his homework for this new venture.

Worse still, Chuck Liddell came into the fight well past his prime. Beyond massaging Ortiz’s ego in regards to finally beating ’The Iceman’, the fight did little for anyone involved. When the pay-per-view buy rates came in, they were barely at 40,000.

Liddell and Ortiz both quickly backed out of doing further business with De La Hoya. Before anyone had even finished processing Golden Boy MMA’s first show, the promotion was dead and buried.

#1. YAMMA Pit Fighting

Alexey Oleinik wins via Ezekiel choke at YAMMA Pit Fighting 1 pic.twitter.com/rcnmxjYCwI

— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) September 14, 2018

Former UFC promoter Bob Meyrowitz decided to get back in the MMA game in 2008. His latest creation was YAMMA Pit Fighting, a doomed entry in the long list of MMA promotions over the years.

It more than lived up to its Pit Fighting moniker with a sloping, circular cage for fighters to ply their craft in. Unfortunately, the funnel-like structure of the cage made it very difficult for those in attendance to see what was going on once fighters took things to the ground.

YAMMA 1 proved to be a total disaster for all involved. Presented as a tournament - the first American MMA one-night tournament in over five years - the show was marred by numerous fighters pulling out shortly before the show.

Announcer Scott Ferrall, a radio personality by trade, filled the night with a whole host of bizarre one-liners. Other than Ferrall, however, the show was mostly passable in quality on the talking front. Commentators Bruce Beck and Jeff Blatnick in particular did a good job all night, calling the action astutely.

Most of the fights on the night were average, with several rearing into outright bad territory. The quality of the show eventually crashed and burned when enormous boxer-turned-MMA slugger Butterbean took on Patrick Smith. Often regarded as one of the worst fights in the history of the sport, it is sadly what most viewers remember best from the show.

Widely panned by critics, fans and pundits alike, YAMMA never quite made it to a YAMMA 2. While there were some interesting ideas in YAMMA’s approach to MMA, it was ultimately a disaster for almost everyone involved.