The Fate Or Future Of The IFL

Speculation on the financial health of the International Fight League is rampant. Depending on the source, the first-of-its-kind mixed martial arts team-based league is either on the verge of collapse or thriving. The problem with such speculation is that almost none of it is rooted in fact. But required financial documents filed last month by the IFL shows that it might have as little as 6 months left to live right now.

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I think they're doing some good things and they've made some right moves, but they've probably gone too far forward too fast in other areas, and it's resulted in them taking on more than they can handle. Hopefully they can still turn the ship around as it seems they have time to, if done properly they can still become a viable competitor to UFC for a nice slice of the MMA pie.

Man I really hope they can stay in business. I really like the IFL and like that it is on TV so much. Chris Hordecki is one of my ten favorite fighters and the legends matches are cool. I also kinda like the team thing. It would also be a shame to see people like Pat Militich, and Ken Shamrock (even though I don't particularly like him) wihthout a prominent place in MMA on Television since I see IFL as the second most visible promotion to UFC on TV.

They dont even air their events live, do they? There are so many things that I dont like about the IFL, I dont even know where to start..

They are shown on FSN from what I know, they might be on a bit of a delay.

I would really like to see the Rothwell-Ricco fight. I heard it wont even be shown live.

The FSN broadcasts are usually taped. They'll air the IFL Finals in the next couple days before it airs on MyNetworkTV next week.

They are a publicly traded company. If you take a look at their balance sheet, it is not a pretty picture.

I hope the IFL can keep it together. I have been a fan from the start.
They have some great fighters, have had some great fights and rivalries etc.
I believe the main problem is the team format.
MMA it is a unique individual sport that doesn't translate well to a team sport.
They need individual, recognizable champions.
Lose the team format...the fans want champions and title fights.
With their Grand Prix tournament coming up soon it would be a shame to lose them...just as it is going to get good. They may have waited too long.
Hopefully it's not too late.
The announcers and commentary could be better...even though Bas Ruttan is unintentionally pretty funny.
They could use some televised live events...MMA is much more exciting live.
Last but not least...lose the ring please...cages are where it's at.
Pro wrestling is the only "sport" that should utilize a ring...even the dead horse that is called boxing doesn't really need a ring.
With a few changes the IFL could the next big thing.

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Posted by Sir_Karl

I hope the IFL can keep it together. I have been a fan from the start.
They have some great fighters, have had some great fights and rivalries etc.
I believe the main problem is the team format.
MMA it is a unique individual sport that doesn't translate well to a team sport.
They need individual, recognizable champions.
Lose the team format...the fans want champions and title fights.
With their Grand Prix tournament coming up soon it would be a shame to lose them...just as it is going to get good. They may have waited too long.
Hopefully it's not too late.
The announcers and commentary could be better...even though Bas Ruttan is unintentionally pretty funny.
They could use some televised live events...MMA is much more exciting live.
Last but not least...lose the ring please...cages are where it's at.
Pro wrestling is the only "sport" that should utilize a ring...even the dead horse that is called boxing doesn't really need a ring.
With a few changes the IFL could the next big thing.

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Good post. There needs to be some distinction, like you said. They even all wear the same shorts. The ring has to go. They need elbows. No live events is just dumb..

Btw, I'm near Oswego.

Agree and thanks!!

i dont know where to watch the ifl if i did i would watch it alot

I just found and posted here another story from last night-Kurt Angle now claims he and IFL can make a deal. Very intriguing, but if I'm IFL I do not take this chance now. He likely wouldn't be ready for over a year and given his wrestling background and name recognition it would be easy to overpay severely for him, which could cripple IFL's finances to the point of beyond repair. Seems to me of a case where the negatives would outweigh the positives for IFL.