The Shine Promotions MMA event that will be held at the Patriot Center on September 10th will be an eight-man, single-elimination, one-day tournament in the 155 pound weight class. All of that is fairly routine and traditional, what is not traditional, is how the promoters will be selecting the first round card.
Shine has announced that they will allow fans to vote on the match ups they want to see, and that the four match ups that receive the highest amount of votes will comprise the tournaments first round.
In their quest to mold Shine Fights Promotions into MMA's most fan-friendly organization, CEO Devin Price and COO Jason Chambers have taken the unprecedented step of allowing Shine fans to play matchmaker for the company's upcoming Lightweight Grand Prix Tournament, which will be televised nationally on Pay Per View. Eight of the fight world’s best 155-pound competitors have been selected to put their skills to the test against one another on Sept 10th at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, VA. History will be made, as fans have never been given the opportunity to actually choose the fights they want to see.
It's an interesting idea, because it makes the fans feel as though they are a part of the tournament. But the organizers have to be careful not to let a match up that would best be seen in the finals is selected by the fans to open the tournament.
Also surprising, is that Thomas is also reporting that Shine hasn't done any advertising for the event, instead relying exclusively on word of mouth. Both approaches to organizing this fight are new and interesting. If everything goes well, this tournament could change the way MMA events are organized.