Why do former contenders lose the hunger to reach the champion they lost to? - Page 2

MMun · 01-31-2013, 09:59 AM

Fear. Same reason why Hughes never asked for a third fight with Hallman.

Hez · 01-31-2013, 10:39 AM

Except for the phenom! Vitor belfort! The man has a heart of a lion, won't turn down any fight. Get that clown chael out of there! Vitor vs jones! Rematch for the ages. The dude would prob fight cain and be fearless. One of the last true warriors in the game, much respect!

Uchi Mata · 01-31-2013, 10:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fzoid4454

The WW, MW, and LHW champs are very, very dominant. Most people losing to them aren't very competitive in doing so, making the prospect of a rematch less than compelling to the fans, so not attractive to the matchmakers.

So, what do you do in your career if you can beat just about everyone but the champ, but won't be fighting the champ again for a while? You hover around, treading water.

Perfect answer. The UFC doesn't want you to beat the other contenders they're trying to build up, so they won't feed you truly top guys because fans know that even if you beat them, you're not beating the champ.

I call it 'John Fitching'.

Fruits · 01-31-2013, 10:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Real Pedro

I'm not sure this phenomenon is limited to MMA, but applies broadly in many sports. When you're badly beaten in the biggest competition of your life, it's a jarring experience. I seem to remember comparing the records of the winning team and losing team in the Superbowl in their next years. The team that loses often has a crappy year, the team that wins usually goes back to the playoffs.

Not sure if that's what's really up, but one can really see what you're talking about, especially recently at LHW.

This is a good summary. Look at the Pitssburg Steelers. Ever since they lost to the Green Bay Packers they just haven't been anywhere near the same team ever since.

Andre Xiong · 01-31-2013, 10:53 AM

you mean like Rich Franklin risking mental and physical health in a 3rd bid for Anderson's title?

Or you mean like why did Edgar move down to 145 after losing his title. I think partly he was pressured by UFC since 145 is thinner and they want fresh faces for 155 belt. Ex: Maynard could be LW champ but not if Edgar is around, move Edgar out, Maynard is a contender again. Plus, for Edgar, why stick around at 155 to work back up to a title shot when he can get an immediate shot at 145.