How do you book?

[Grudge]

I know this was asked many many times on the wmma2 forum but i'm interested now with competative credability being a factor if you book straight forward #1 vs #2, 3# vs #4, etc....or do you pick and chose your favorites and throw them cans to build up to a number one pretender?

[Lex Star]

Personally, I tend to book people against eachother trying to make a good co-main event and a good main event, and then try to make match-ups that aren't main event or co-main event level on the undercard (using the fan feedback button, so I don't give away highly anticipated fights on the undercard), so I can save those for other fight cards.

 

I do try and make match-ups for people close to eachother in my company's ranking, I currently have 4 weight divsisions, Welterweight to Heavyweight, and 25 fighters in each division.

 

Other than that, I do try and give people matches they ask for via e-mail.

[Daffanka]

In the case of lower level guys I always try to book guys whose last fight was around the same time and losers vs. losers and winners vs. winners so I end up with one guy in a better position, either to surprisingly rocket up the rankings or to be sacrificed against a better guy who's also on a win streak.

 

If you're talking about prospects or the top 10-15 I generally have some sort of long term plan as haphazard booking won't cut it if you're trying to make contenders. If you book properly you'll generally end up with at least one huge fight a year, which in 1999 was Manuel Silva vs. Charles Stiles, the #2 and #3 welterweights in the world and top 15 p4p guys duking it out in easily the biggest fight in FLB history.

[grits207]

For the most part the only times I put two ranked fighters against each other is if the fight is main event or co-main event. Other than that I just pad my ranked fighters records with mediocre opponents.

 

One thing I try to do is build up mediocre fighters until they are ranked around 15th in the world and then I feed that fighter to one of my elite fighters. This gives my best fighters an easy win while still maintaining the illusion that they are facing a tough opponent. Chew Chua has been perfect for this so far in my game.

[ElJay]

I headline every PPV with a title shot. For the co-main event I book guys fighting in the same weight class, with the winner being next in line for a title shot...that way both guys have the same recovery time, and I don't have to worry about my #1 contender not being ready by the time the belt defense comes up.

 

I'm similar to mrtimmins in that I don't "waste" co-main events/main events on the undercard. After I book the co-main event, I book one fight in each weight class and make sure a top-25 fighter from my organization is fighting...that way I have some movement in the rankings in each weight class after each PPV. I always have a total of ten fights.

[Bigpapa42]

I have not developed any one set approach that I follow consistently. I doubt I will. The approach varies depending on a lot of factors.

 

I try to keep two contenders in each weight class at all times. One for short term and one for long term (the next shot). Both are going to be popular, skilled fighters - top ten in their weight class and probably top five within the company at that weight. For example, in my current GAMMA game, I knew I was going to do Foster vs Boyer for the HW title on the first show, and that Raul Hughes would face the winner. I could have left Hughes on the sidelines until his shot, or had him face another top 5 HW to truly establish a #1 contender. I had him fight (and destroy) a lower-level HW, which popped him up in the rankings a bit and made the title fight against Boyer a bit stronger.

 

When there are a number of different options for a contender, I don't always pick the strongest one. Same game, I had a lot of options to put against Rubenstein at LHW. I picked Mike Watson, coming off an easy KO over a lower level guy. Thinking it would be a fairly easy title defense for the champ... and he lost. I immediately have some strong contenders for the belt, though.

 

For not quite top guys (say, in the 8-15 range in their weight class in the company and not ranked in the Blurcat rankings), it really depends on what my intent is for that fighter. If I'm looking to build them up, they are getting favorable match-ups - either guys they should be if not outright cans.

 

Prospects are built up by facing cans. When they get real competition - either against other prospects or more established solid fighters - is going to depend on the skills and plans.

 

Basically, the short answer is "it depends".