Since the 1950s, the concept of an All-Star exhibition between a league’s best athletes has been an attraction to sports fans across America. The 4 major sports leagues (NBA, NFL, MLB & NHL) in the U.S all understand the importance and interests of weekend-long events All-Star events. Placing the premiere athletes of the world in a single city and having them compete against each other in a host of competitions is a concept that any sport should embrace if they hope to one day be on the same levels as the major sports.
If you haven’t guessed by now, with NBA All-Star Weekend rapidly approaching, I’m saying that it is time for MMA to join the contemporary spectacle of sport and include an MMA All-Star weekend. Not only would MMA All-Star weekend be reputably lucrative, but it would also solve a lot of MMA’s current issues. By creating this super event, MMA would be able to undoubtedly produce new stars by showcasing talents that would make supporters want to mobilize behind lesser known fighters. Also, the interest that the event would generate dollars… Massive dollars and prizefighting promoters love money.
I’ve put together what I believe to be a weekend-long event worthy of matching the cultural and financial impact an All-Star weekend provides the major sports of America. UNKNOWN MMA presents MMA All-Star weekend. Enjoy.
Schedule of events:
Friday: Celebrity Showdown (Celebrity Event) Rising Stars Event
Saturday: Bad Blood (Camp vs Camp event) Worlds Collide (Boxing Crossover event)
Sunday: TAPP’D (OpenWeight No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu Tournament) MMA All-Stars 1. (All-Star card)
Event I: Celebrity Showdown
Rules: Each celebrity trains at a top MMA camp of their choice, and finally settle their feud with their opponent. The money goes towards charities of their choice.
Main: Pusha-T vs Drake Co-Main: Cardi B vs Nicki Minaj Prelim: 50 Cent vs Ja Rule
Event II: New Blood. Rising Stars
Rules: The youngest USA prospects vs the youngest prospects of The World. One member of each fight must represent the UFC. The asterisk represents the UFC fighter.
MAIN CARD
Main Event: Featherweight: (Team USA) Aaron Pico vs (Team World) ZABIT MAGOMEDSHARIPOV*
Co-Main event: Welterweight: (Team World) MICHAEL VENOM PAGE vs (Team USA) MICKEY GALL*
(W) Featherweight: (Team World) KING REINA vs (Team USA) LEAH LETSON*
Light Heavyweight: (Team USA) JORDAN YOUNG vs (Team World) JOHNNY WALKER*
(W) Strawweight: (Team USA) MAYCEE BARBER* vs (Team World) ISTELA NUNES
PRELIMS
Bantamweight: (Team World) JACK SHORE vs (Team USA) SEAN O’MALLEY*
(W) Flyweight: (Team USA) ANDREA LEE* vs (Team World) JULIANA VELASQUEZ
Lightweight: (Team USA) MICHAEL TRIZANO* vs (Team World) RAFA GARCIA
(W) Bantamweight: (Team USA) LISA SPANGLER vs (Team World) LUANA SOUZA*
Flyweight: (Team World) ASKAR ASKAROV vs (Team USA) JORDAN ESPINOSA*
EARLY PRELIMS
Middleweight: (Team World) REINIER DE RIDDER vs (Team USA) EDMEN SHAHBAZYAN*
Heavyweight: (Team World) IVAN SHTYRKOV vs (Team USA) JEFF HUGHES*
Event III: Bad Blood
Rules: An event where all competitors are teammates, taking on another camp. Each win earns the camp a point and the camp with the most points wins a trophy to display at their gym, signifying them as the top gym in the world.
Chris Weidman vs Yoel Romero Al Iaquinta vs Dustin Poirier Aljamain Sterling vs Charles Rosa Gian Villante vs Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal Eddie Gordon vs Rashid Magomedov
Event IV: Worlds Collide: MMA vs Boxing
Rules: Self-explanatory. Traditional boxing rules.
Main event: Conor McGregor vs Pauli Mallinagi
Co-Main: Francis Ngannou vs Deontay Wilder
Anderson Silva vs. Roy Jones Jr.
Devin Haney vs Jeremy Stephens
Adrien Broner vs Cody Garbrandt
Event V: Tapp’d OPEN WEIGHT NO-Gi Jiu-JITSU Tournament
Rules: (Palm Strikes and slaps allowed) Two 5-minute rounds. Must end in a submission. Overtime (if needed) starts with a coin flip. Winner of coin toss gets to start the next round with their opponents back.
Participants:
Ryan Hall Gilbert Burns Damien Maia Beneil Dariush Brian Ortega Nate Diaz Rani Yahya Tony Ferguson Michael Chiesa Joe Lauzon Gunnar Nelson Ben Askren BJ Penn Dillon Dannis
Special Exhibition match: Cynthia Calvillo vs Mackenzie Dern
Event VI: MMA All Stars
MAIN CARD
Main Event: Light Heavyweight: JON JONES vs RYAN BADER 2
Co-Main Lightweight: KHABIB NURMAGOMEDOV vs MICHAEL CHANDLER
HEAVYWEIGHT: DANIEL CORMIER vs BRANDON VERA
(W) Flyweight: VALENTINA SCHEVCHENKO vs ILEMA-LEI MACFARLAND
Welterweight: TYRON WOODLEY vs RORY MACDONALD
Prelims
Middleweight: ROBERT WHITIKER vs GEGARD MOUSASSI
Featherweight: MAX HOLLOWAY vs ANDRE HARRISON
(W) Bantamweight: AMANDA NUNES vs JI YEON KIM
Flyweight: HENRY CEJUDO vs JOSE “SHORTY” TORRES
Early Prelims
Bantamweight: TJ DILLASHAW vs KYOJI HOROGUCHI
(W) Strawweight: ROSE NAMAJUNAS vs VIRNA JANDIROBA
Would you tune in to watch this weekend-long experience? Which events and matchups intrigue you the most? Do you think that an MMA All-Star weekend should unquestionably happen now? Let me know your thoughts. While doubtful to transpire, it’s intriguing to consider.
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