Quote Originally Posted by VanChilds
I think the thing that will keep the UFC on the top of the hill is at the moment there just isn't enough top fighters to fill more than two orgs, and for the forseeable future the money is in the UFC.   Hopefully with the integration of the bulk of the Pride fighters we will see more stacked PPV cards, and more of the up and comers on free TV.  IFL/Bodog/k1 Heroes all have some fighters that could compete at the UFC/Pride level but not many and most of them were at one time in UFC/Pride.  Until the sport grows  to the point that there just isn't room for the UFC to contract and showcase all of the top fighters in the world I don't think we will see a true rival org.  Even when Pride had arguably a deeper stable of fighters, was putting on great cards and selling out stadiums in Japan they never did a very good job of marketing to the US audience.  A rival org will need to come from the states or do an awesome job of marketing its fighters and cards to the, at times, somewhat less MMA educated American.
Thats what i'm saying, from a business stand point, they are doing an excellent job at monopolizing but because of the sudden popularity in such a short time, a rival org isn't completely out of the question. It's not as concrete a monopoly as the nfl was by the time a league was ready to challenge it (pro football was underground for atleast 30 years before anyone even paid attention to it. Hell the first two superbowls weren't popular even tho the greatest dynasty of all time won them). It'd be easier to form a rival org for this than it would any other pro league simply because its an individual event which requires a lot less people as opposed to a team event. People would probably watch an mma bout regardless of whose brand it is due to its shear popularity so funding will basically take care of itself. It'd probably take a few years to develope it well but it's definitely doable.

edit: Also, you have to be honest and admit that the IFL looks a lot like amateur hour compared to most outlets and that org has very mainstream coverage. Where i live its on foxsports and a local basic cable channel.