Everyone knows that the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is the biggest and strongest of the mixed martial arts (MMA) promotions. However, there is a growing contingent of MMA fans who have been turned off by the UFC’s current direction. Among the commonly heard complaints are:
- exploitative treatment of fighters by the UFC management
- a glorification of behaviours that are more commonly associated with professional wrestling
- a degeneration of technique, and a de-emphasis/discouragement of grappling
Luckily for disenchanted fans, there are a number of other mixed martial arts promotions offering high-quality events in Japan, China, Brazil, and beyond.
Sengoku
Sengoku is the product of a Japanese MMA promotion called World Victory Road (WVR), run in cooperation with the Japan Mixed Martial Arts Federation (JMM). There have been eight Sengoku events since March 5th, 2008 and the events have attracted world-class fighters including:
- Roger Gracie
- Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
- Takanori Gomi
- Muhammad Lawal (aka King Mo)
- Josh Barnett
- Jorge Santiago
- Kevin Randleman
- Hidehiko Yoshida
- Xande Ribeiro
The most recent Sengoku card occurred on May 2nd, 2009.
Art of War Fighting Championship
The Art of War fighting championship is China’s premiere MMA promotion and its events are being held under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, UAE. Art of War rules are similar to the old Pride rules (ie. allowing stomps, soccer kicks, knees on the ground).
The Art of War Fighting Championship 12 takes place on May 23, 2009 in Beijing, China and includes fighters from China, Indonesia, Sweden, Uzbekistan, Brazil, Denmark, USA, Korea, Mexico, Finland, and Russia. The most anticipated fight is Rolles Gracie’s Asian debut vs. Russian judo expert Baga Agaev.
There are four more Art of War events planned for 2009: July 11, September 5, October 31, and December 26.
Strikeforce
The Strikeforce MMA promotion is run by Scott Coker and Silicon Valley Sports and Entertainment (SVSE). Strikeforce has been active in the MMA world since 2006, hosting 18 events in total. Strikeforce’s highest-profile fighter is Frank Shamrock, who has lost in his two most recent fights (vs. Cung Le and Nick Diaz). Other Strikeforce fighters include:
- Matt Horwich
- Robbie Lawler
- Frank Trigg
- Jake Shields
The next two upcoming events are Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields on June 6, and ShoMMA 2 on June 19, 2009.
Jungle Fight
Jungle Fight is promoted by legendary Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitor Wallid Ismail, a black belt under the late Carlson Gracie. Holding their first event in 2003, Jungle Fight has been a testing ground for household MMA names like Lyoto Machida, Gabriel Gonzaga, Fabricio Werdum, and Paulo Thiago.
The most recent event took place on May 9, 2009 and saw Antonio Rogerio Nogueira defeat Dion Staring by triangle choke.
Dream
Dream is the sister promotion of the legendary K-1 kickboxing promotion. It was founded in 2008 by Sadaharu Tanigawa, president of Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG). There have been eight Dream events (and one joint Dream/K-1 event) since its inception. Notable fighters in the Dream have included:
- Shinya Aoki
- Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza
- Joachim Hansen
- Gegard Mousasi
- Jeff Monson
- Kazushi Sakuraba
- Masakatsu Funaki
- Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic
Dream 9 (Featherweight Grand Prix 2009 second round) and Dream 10 (Welterweight Grand Prix 2009 final round) are scheduled to take place on May 26 and July 20, 2009, respectively.
More Non-UFC MMA Promotions
- Maximum Fighting Championship (MFC) - Canada
- Fury FC - Brazil
- Affliction - USA
- Shooto - Japan
- M-1 Global - Russia
- Gladiator Challenge - USA
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