GAMMA - Dynasty and commentary on my decisions

[WCW Mark]

I was a big fan of WMMA 1 but didn't get to play WMMA 2 very much, as such when starting a game on number 3 I though I would go with a company I knew. Having looked at the rosters for Gamma and Alpha 1 I've gone with Gamma. Whilst they are number 2 in the world the roster is good and there are lots of fighters active in America I can hire.

My first job was to secure a PPV deal, I request goes in to negotiate with Public Access Select, this is the smallest PPV provider in the US so hopefully I should get a deal, it also broadcasts in Canada which is a bonus, I'd better look at pushing at least one Canadian star

Next was to look at the weight divisions and see where I needed to hire some extra stars, with my signings I'm going to be looking for a few things, some future stars, some current big names and some jobbers. I don't want to make too many signings though as I want to make sure there are plenty of fighters for the smaller companies. I'm also going to be looking at mostly signing fighters who are already based in North America.

Lightweights

This looks like a pretty strong division. The champ stands out as he is far more popular than the rest of the division. However Brandon Sugar and Truck Gleeson both seem like credible contenders and there are several undefeated fighters lower down the rankings. There are a few fighters who really don't make the grade but that's fine, I'll job them out and then sack them. Ian Linderman & Henry Baldwin I'm looking at you. Signings wise there aren't any big names available, I put a bid in for Brian Claremont as he looks like an exciting fighter with potential and Ashton Andrews and Nicky Shapiro who both look like they can do a job putting over some of my up and coming fighters.

Welterweights


The champ here appears to stand head and shoulders above the division, my number 2 ranked fighter, Nathan Chambers, has just lost his title to Julio Regueiro and as I'm not a fan of immediate rematches I need to find something else for the champ to do while I build chambers back up. There are a good number of veterans in the division but little in the way of up and coming talent. I put bids in for Callum Henson who is fairly popular, exciting to watch and on a winning streak and Delroy Rhodes who at 6-0 could be a potential up and comer. Lamont Banner is tempting at both lightweight and welterweight but he only has 1 fight under his belt and he is a natural featherweight and as such I decide to leave him for XCC to snap up if they want him

Middleweight

Mathew Dean is the champion here and he is ok but doesn't have great marketability or performance. Luckily the next 3 fighters in the rankings are exciting and marketable, De Vries lost his title to Dean but has since got back on track. Darling is as popular as the champ and Napier isn't far off. Lower down the rankings I have Garner and JJ Reid who are both impressive BJJ experts and Ashley Ballard who is an all action kickboxer. I've also got Osmosis Benn and Adam White, both of who could be potential superstars. This is a pretty healthy looking division. Signings wise Alex Cole is 7-0 and has potential, Gregg Atteveld provides a veteran with name recognition and Bernard Blue and Keith Place can provide decent opponents for some of my lower ranked prospects to gain experience against. Jonathan Huang is very tempting but will probably prove expensive and I decide to leave him for someone else to sign

Light Heavyweight

This was one of my favourite divisions in GAMMA in WMMA 1, lets see how it shapes up now.

My champ is Spencer Rubenstein but my number 1 ranked fighter is Linfield Ballard. He lost the title to Rubenstein but is now back on a winning streak. This seems like an obvious rematch. Lower down Marlon Joh is 11-0 and Anthony Le Toussier is 12-0, he could be one of the Canadian stars I try to push. Lower down is Derek South who was a favourite of mine in WMMA 1 and Mike Watson who should be a future star. Signings wise I put bids in for Guillermo Morales as a potential latin american superstar, Toby Sorkin as a future heel and Jerr Bogdonovich as I like him. I also put in bids for Glenn Pimm, Petey Barnum and Ernie Bruns to provide a bit of cannon fodder.

Heavyweights

At first glance this seems like a strong division, the champ, James Foster, is incredibly popular. I've also got 6 national level popularity fighters. Looking at the division more closely though and it is top heavy with veterans. 11 of the 15 fighters are over 30 and some of the big names like Jack Cobblepott and Norbert Vinkus really aren't very good. There are also several fighters who are pretty dull to watch, Tank Manu'a, Frank Sheedy and Randall Donelly can all consider themselves on notice.

Signings wise I need to look to the future and Chuck Dooley is an obvious choice. I need some more exciting fighters in this division and put in bids for Wilson Franklyn and Sly Twinge. Fletcher Merman, Norman Pike, Russel McPhee and Stan Blackheath round out the midcard. I then spot Christopjer Sharp, an excellent wreslter with a glass jaw I decide to take him on, with the right match ups I can hopefully propel him up the rankings before feeding him to an up and coming big puncher for a highlight reel KO. My final bid goes in for Khru Duangian. He is unknown in the US but has skills and is incredibly exciting to watch.

Right thats the bids in, now time to spin on a few days and see what happens. Then I get to look at booking my first card.

[BYU 14]

Will be interested to see how Foster fares for you. He seems to be losing his title early in most peoples GAMMA games.

[Scottie]

Yeah, I've always thought Foster is a bit of a Couture-clone minus his ability to fight at 205. He's still good enough to beat top level fighters here, but not consistently. I'm not sure what his destiny stat is, but I'm guessing he retires old.

EDIT: Didn't see the update.

GAMMA 1: Morrison vs. Regueiro

GAMMA Welterweight Title
Julio Regueiro vs. Sean Morrison
Could be won or lost on the ground. Neither fighter is great in the stand up, but I rate Morrison a more likely type to ground and pound Julio than Julio is to sub out Morrison.

Raul Hughes vs. Jeff Carlton
Not sure here. Carlton seems to have been given a boost in this game, but Hughes is super dangerous and hopefully wins by KO.

Truck Gleeson vs. Brandon Sugar
Sugar is a jet on the ground and I expect will expose Truck's weaknesses.

Osmosis Benn vs. Greg Atteveld
Poor Atteveld. Benn by brutal GnP.

Christopher Sharp vs. Frank Sheedy
Sharp is a bit undersized in this division but is a threat with his striking. Rate Sheedy's ability to smother out a decision higher, though.

Yevgeny Sipatov vs. Dan Halvorsen
Toss of the coin here. Two MMA legends, but the Bulgarian for me.

Jeremy Bogdonovich vs. Ernie Bruns
Bogdonovich blows hot and cold, but Bruns is well past it and succumbs to strikes.

Prelims
Brian Claremont vs. Ashton Andrews
Khru Duangjan vs. Randall Donnelly

[BYU 14]

GAMMA Welterweight Title
Julio Regueiro vs. Sean Morrison
I think Morrison wins, getting the better of the standup game.

Raul Hughes vs. Jeff Carlton
Carlton is at his peak right now and I think he destroys Hughes

Truck Gleeson vs. Brandon Sugar
Will take him down and pound him out

Osmosis Benn vs. Greg Atteveld
Benn made weight??? Surely a win then

Christopher Sharp vs. Frank Sheedy
Sheedy is declining

Yevgeny Sipatov vs. Dan Halvorsen
Fairly even match

Jeremy Bogdonovich vs. Ernie Bruns
J-Bog will run right over poor Ernie

[WCW Mark]

GAMMA 1: Reguerio v Morrison: Welterweight Title

Prelims

Duangjuan v Donnelly

Donnelly does well in the first round and cuts Duangjuan, however Duangjaun comes out swinging at the start of the second round, knocking him down with a kick and then diving on top and unleashing for the TKO win. Thats the part of the fight that will be replayed before Duangjuan's PPV debut.

Result: Duangjan by TKO, 0:46 Round 2. Match Rating: Great

Claremont v Andrews

Claremont starts aggressively and lands several good shots on Andrews, with the first round coming to a close he lands a good shot which puts Andrews down, Claremont jumps on him and unleashes several hard strikes before the ref pulls him off.

Result: Claremonet by TKO, 4:34 Round 1. Match rating: Decent

Main Card

Bogdonovich v Bruns

Both fighters trade punches in the first round and Bruns ust about edges it, Bogdonovich comes out more aggressively in the 2nd round and gets a TKO win when he puts Bruns down. Most of the fight was spent up against the cage and was a but dull, not the barnstormer I was hoping for for the opening match.

Result: Bogdonovich by TKO, 3:05 Round 2. Match rating: Poor

Sipatov v Halvorsen

Both fighters come out looking for the takedown from the off, after a couple of failed attempts for each of them Halvorsen gets Sipatov up against the cage, he goes for a single leg but Sipatov reverses into side control, he quickly gains the mount and unleashes.

Result: Sipatov by TKO, 3:17 Round 1. Match rating: Great

Sharp v Sheedy

First round goes to Sheedy as he constantly stuffs Sharps takedown attempts and lands jabs on the counter. He is breathing heavily at the start of the second round though and Sharp keeps attacking and looking for the takedown. He gets it about halfway through the round and quickly gets mount. It's soon all over as he rains down the pain.

Result: Sharp by TKO, 3:28 Round 2. Match rating: Average

Benn v Atteveld

There is controversy as Benn fails to make weight by 4 lbs. Atteveld being the pro he is agrees to go on with the fight but he is obviously going to be at a disadvantage here. Sure enough Benn takes him down after a couple of minutes and starts to pound away. The ref gives Atteveld a couple of chances but eventually has to step in. A good win by Benn but tainted by his failure to make weight.

Result: Benn by TKO, 3:15 Round 1. Match rating: Great

South v Cumming

South does't mess around here and goes straight after Cumming from the off, he lands several hard shots and rocks Cumming. This fight doesn't look like it will be a long one and sure enough a monster haymaker lands ending the fight on 2.19 in the first round.

Result: South by KO, 2:19 Round 1. Match rating: Great

Gleeson v Sugar

The winner of this one gets a title shot against Morrison regardless of the result of the main event. Sugar starts well clinching against the cage and frustrating Gleeson. However Gleeson comes out swinging in the 2nd round and lands a hard right cross to win by KO.

Result: Gleeson by KO, 1:47 Round 2. Match rating: Decent

Carlton v Hughes

This is a big fight for both competitors as the winner gets a shot against Foster for the title. The first round passes quickly with both fighters trading shots, Carlton is swinging and missing and Hughes is picking him apart on the counter. Good first round for Hughes. The second round is more of the same with Carlton getting rocked on a couple of occasions and put down late in the round. Hughes doesn't follow up and the round ends. The third round is more of the same until about the halfway mark, from out of no where Carlton gets the take down. He gets Hughes back and gets the hooks in. With 30seconds left in the fight he gets the rear naked in and Hughes has to tap. Great comeback for Carlton.

Result: Carlton by submission, 4:28 Round 3. Match rating: Fantastic

Regueiro v Morrison - Welterweight Title

This is the big one, with two fighters at the top of their division facing off. Advantage has to go to Regueiro who is fighting at his natural weight but anything could happen.

First round goes Morrison's way, he is keeps the fight standing and lands several good shots. Whilst he doesn't hurt Regueiro he frustrates him and takes the round. Second round goes the same way and Morrison is in control, coould he become a two weight champion? Morrison keeps up his game plan in the 3rd round but it seems to be taking its toll on him as his breathing is getting ragged. One mistake lets Regueiro take him down at around 2.30 and now he is in trouble. Regueiro goes for an arm bar and gets it sinked in, some how Morrison guts it out and wrigles free, Regueiro switches to a Kimura and this time Morrison taps.

Result: Regueiro by Submission, 4:10 round 3. Match Rating: Poor

Aftermath

Overall I'm pretty happy with the PPV. It scored Great in terms of commercial success and Decent in terms of Critical success. Attendence was 5,143 bringing in $411,440 and PPV buys were 175,202 for an income of $1,051,212. The rating for the main event was disapointing but despite the loss Morrison retained his credibility, he might want to work on that cardio though. Sipatov shot up to 3rd in the rankings with his win and overall eveone I wanted to win won. Benn needs to watch his weight and if he fails again will find himself moving up a weight class. Finacially the month was good with a profit of $901,168 being made.

Rest of the World

Not a very eventful month elsewhere, Sigma held a PPV on the last day of the month and Mannish Khan beat Lars Bohlin for the Featherweight Title. Alpha-1 signed Hyun-Shik Lim and Jiroemon Hasegawa but the big signing of the month is Heikichi Shimizu for Sigma. He could prove very dangerous in their Welterweight Division.

[Chris2K]

Best to be cautious with Benn, he missed weight twice for me at 185, then somehow he missed 205 as well. I thought Regueiro would take the win, kind of a GSP/Penn type feel about the fight. Must be nice to have a card with 10 finishes!

[WCW Mark]

GAMMA 1: Morrison v Reguerio

I managed to make all my signings and land that PPV deal so now time to book my first event. As this is GAMMA's first PPV I am going to reset the numbering and this will be GAMMA 1. This is really just to help me as it means in my notes event 1 will actually be my first event.

As this is my first PPV I want it to be memorable, which means putting on something a little special for the main event. I decide to go with Morrison v Regueiro for the Welterweight Title. Hopefully the chance to see two dominant champions face each other will draw the fans in. I expect Regueiro to win this one which is why I'm holding it at Welterweight. If Morrison loses he can blame the weight difference and his reputation won't be too badly hurt.

The co-main event is going to be a number 1 contenders fight in the Heavyweight division. I book Hughes v Carlton as it should prove an exciting fight and whoever wins will make a worthy challenger to Foster for his first defence.

The rest of the card looks like this:

Gleeson v Sugar LW - The winner of this belt will face Morrison for the LW title.

South v Cumming LH - This is a bout I hope South can win, Cumming has a poor chin and this will hopefuly lead to a good KO for South, whoever wins will be on a winning streak and will see themselves move up the rankings.

Osmosis v Atteveld MW - Osmosis is a fast rising young fighter, he has the skills but now needs to start building a reputation. Atteveld is no where near the fighter he once was but still has name value and a win over him shuld help Osmosis' career.

Sharp v Sheedy HW - Sharp makes his debut after signing his new contract. This probably won't be an exciting fight but Sheedy doesn't punch hard and hopefully won't test Sharp's chin.

Sipatov v Halvorsen WW - Two veterans who have fallen on hard times. Sipativ is the ex champ and needs a win to kick start his career. The loser of this bout may find themselves leaving the company in the near future.

Bogdonovich v Bruns - LH - Bogdonovich is a hard hitting brawler, Bruns has a dubious chin. I bet you can see which way I hope this one will go. This will hopefully provide a good start to the PPV getting the fans hyped up.

Prelims
Claremont v Andrews LW - Both fighters are making their debuts for GAMMA, I expect Claremont to win by KO, we can replay it before his next fight on PPV.

Duangjan v Donnelly HW - Duangjan is completely unknown in the States, Donnelly is known, known to be rubbish. Hopefully this will be an exciting fight to kick the card off and Duangjan will get the win.