Why take the risk with the patriotism gimmick?
The initial excitement over the big Ireland vs England card announcement quickly dissipated after witnessing some of the things that transpired at BAMMA's Irish debut.
BAMMA 22 showed that the Irish scene has the potential for exponential growth.
Its success indicates that there are genuine fans of the sport in the country, and not just UFC fans who have more of an appreciation of Conor McGregor's acerbic tongue than his talents as a fighter.
However, the night was far from perfect.
The fly in the ointment was the loutish behaviour from a select group that marred the event.
Alleged brawls in the foyer of the 3Arena, an appearance from the Gardaí and the belligerent reaction from the boozy crowd to Brendan Loughnane's contentious split decision loss left a putrid taste on the palettes of the real fans in attendance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7QcKLmEmEw
While BAMMA 22 was by no means a disaster - there were some stellar performances - the actions of that small group of delinquents are a worry for their ambitious sophomore event on Irish shores.
The premise, the timing and the marketing are all setting the organisation and the sport up for a major controversy, one which could cause irreparable damage to
public perception which took the guts of two decades to build into something positive.
https://twitter.com/BAMMA/status/644135595384639488
Irish fighters often fight English opponents without any trouble from the crowd. However, by marketing the event as an "us vs them" spectacle, staging it on the same day as the Six Nations clash between Ireland and England (hours after it of course, which leaves hours for drinking) and during the centenary year of the 1916 Rising might stoke the fires of nationalistic pride.
This could create a hostile environment in which conflict would thrive and all you need to do is throw in a healthy helping of MMA-induced adrenaline and some alcohol for good measure, and BAMMA 24 may have more fights than the sanctioned ones booked for the card.
It may not happen, everyone will certainly hope it will not happen, but even the most steadfast MMA fanatic can't deny that the promotion have created the perfect set of circumstances to allow that kind of trouble to arise.
Considering how much of a success the original was, the follow-up shouldn't need a gimmick to make it an attraction. Having faith in the fighters to turn up and put on a show should really be enough.
