Is the UFC No Longer Interested in Hiring The World's Greatest MMA Fighters?

[bully4me]

I dont think they ever were. Pride had better fighters and Strikefoce too. They bought them and incorporated them into UFC system out of competition fears not "bringing in best". Since competition is waining it's all money fights. Shelve wrestlers like askren/usman etc

This is a stretch. Don't get me wrong ,I loved Pride and Strikeforce but... Come on. I've been to multiple Strikeforce cards and one Pride card. Pride was awesome but people live in this every card was great and totally full from top to bottom amazing fights , same for Strikeforce. No! There were some strange Mis matches and boring fight in Pride.. Strikeforce had a few great fights on cards and a number of so so fights with regional fighters. Thing is now we watch all of the best fights that are available and some we can't even get prelims for (Strikeforce).

If you added up all the greatest UFC fights and fighters they would easily outway both organizations put together. Issue is the UFC has had so many thousands of fights there are going to be some duds and we can't remember every one.

Problem now is many of the fighters that got us into the sport are gone. Even the guys starting out back then we watched while our hero's were the main focus are now retiring. Guys like Lawler, Condit, Shogun, GSP, Silva are all at the end of the careers. Even the generation after that is declining and there's so many new guys it's hard to keep up.

Having more fighters , more weight classes, WMMA , is a lot to deal with. Some of which older fans may not appreciate, which makes it feel watered down. Fighters are better, better rounded , which makes it harder for guys to stand out of the crowd.

Personally I think the UFC should put on less cards ,maybe 20 a year total and stack the shit out of them.

Needing to build fighters put out some sort of UFC minor league to help build newer fighters instead of watering down cards with these guys. Put them on TV maybe weekly with four to six bouts. So it wouldn't take hours to watch and fans keep interest in the sport without spending 6 hours in front of a TV each Saturday ( well close too) . This would make us more excited for the Big cards and appreciate them. Just a thought

 

[Tuf_guy]

The UFC doesn't need all the greatest fighters. They need 1 star per division at best and a bunch of jags (just another guy) to fill out the division. Jags fight cheap

 

[ZOD66]

Zuffa boxing is priority now

 

[jonnyboy316]

Thats a shocker about Paddy. Figured he'd be next blue chip for UFC. You sure thats how it went down? I understand Harrison/askren though (not money fighters).

He is not ready for the UFC in my opinion. Very good BJJ but his stand up is very poor. There are also big question marks over his commitment towards his diet/strength & conditioning. If you saw the interview on the MMA hour it looked like he had put on about 30 pounds of fat since his fight a few weeks back. He recently moved to 155 because the 145 cut was too hard. He has no business at 155 with his tiny frame. I would estimate 2/3 of the UFC featherweight roster are bigger than him. If he was a professional he should make that cut without to much trouble.

Until this is addressed (and he does have time)he is best off in cage warriors where he can make solid money as a big regional draw rather than be cannon fodder in the UFC.

 

[daniel san]

My best guess is that the UFC has always been about making money primarily, just like every other company. Having the best talent is one of they key things to become the biggest player in the industry and making the most money. People are so sensitive nowaydays "it's all about the money!! :'(" or "I saw a woman fighting and I don't like it!!!! :'(". Ignore fights that suck, period. The one bad thing we're seeing happening is watered down events which is why people are losing interest.

 

[TheWobbler]

The fact that they didn't outbid Cage Warriors to get ahold of Paddy Pimblet for the Livetpool card is disgusting.
Or why have'nt they signed Andre Harrison and why the fuck was Ben Askren not even offered a contract?

Paddy pimblett said hes on holiday and wouldnt fight on that card anyway.

 

[HelloJapan]

There certainly is an interest in money fights first, everything else-second. They'd book Roseanne Barr vs Cyborg, if it would sell...and Cris would probably take the fight to.

 

[whougonnacall]

They never 100% were theres no offical criteria for getting into the ufc or rankings outside it
They try and gets lots of quality guys in but largerly recruit from u.s

 

[noizer]

The fight cards this year and years before have been top notch.

 

[bufetadanacara]

UFC has 682 fighters

That's about 400 too many

 

[Thesnake101]

This is a stretch. Don't get me wrong ,I loved Pride and Strikeforce but... Come on. I've been to multiple Strikeforce cards and one Pride card. Pride was awesome but people live in this every card was great and totally full from top to bottom amazing fights , same for Strikeforce. No! There were some strange Mis matches and boring fight in Pride.. Strikeforce had a few great fights on cards and a number of so so fights with regional fighters. Thing is now we watch all of the best fights that are available and some we can't even get prelims for (Strikeforce).

If you added up all the greatest UFC fights and fighters they would easily outway both organizations put together. Issue is the UFC has had so many thousands of fights there are going to be some duds and we can't remember every one.

Problem now is many of the fighters that got us into the sport are gone. Even the guys starting out back then we watched while our hero's were the main focus are now retiring. Guys like Lawler, Condit, Shogun, GSP, Silva are all at the end of the careers. Even the generation after that is declining and there's so many new guys it's hard to keep up.

Having more fighters , more weight classes, WMMA , is a lot to deal with. Some of which older fans may not appreciate, which makes it feel watered down. Fighters are better, better rounded , which makes it harder for guys to stand out of the crowd.

Personally I think the UFC should put on less cards ,maybe 20 a year total and stack the shit out of them.

Needing to build fighters put out some sort of UFC minor league to help build newer fighters instead of watering down cards with these guys. Put them on TV maybe weekly with four to six bouts. So it wouldn't take hours to watch and fans keep interest in the sport without spending 6 hours in front of a TV each Saturday ( well close too) . This would make us more excited for the Big cards and appreciate them. Just a thought

Coker loves mismatches.

 

[SuperNerd]

It's a popularity contest.

UFC will tell you who the best fighters are.

 

[chubbman]

Agree on Askren.

Pimblett is really poor, this coming from a scouser who actually likes his personality. Very weak build, sloppy strikes with little power and terrible wrestling.

When he fought Nad Niramani (?), that is precisely what his fights would look like in the UFC, man against boy.

He is clearly natural, which means he will be grapple fucked by all these big jacked atheletes.

The UFC should definitely look at Nathaniel Wood.

You think Chris Fishgold could make it in the UFC?

 

[DRMZ]

You think Chris Fishgold could make it in the UFC?

I’ve not seen much of him mate.

 

[chubbman]

I’ve not seen much of him mate.

Neither have I that’s why I was asking you lol, figured you’d be tapped into the Liverpool MMA scene

 

[Kowboy On Sherdog]

They could use some more... But it is all about selling the PPV. That's why we have Punk and not Askren...

 

[dertdent]

It was money first, then getting all the best guys.(With the Fertittas and Joe Silva.). Now it's just the money. The anti-trust lawsuit also curtailed the UFC's monopolistic tendencies.

 

[SuperNintendo]

For the first time in 7 years my interest in the UFC is on the decline. Thoughts?

 

[galleryy]

The fact that they didn't outbid Cage Warriors to get ahold of Paddy Pimblet for the Livetpool card is disgusting.
Or why have'nt they signed Andre Harrison and why the fuck was Ben Askren not even offered a contract?

Ben askren wouldnt kiss the ring

 

[91 seconds]

They're looking more for a mouth or someone with decent looks before hiring a guy ripping people apart but he's a bear man pig. Or if you have nutty last names can't help unless you're a woman or really good. I don't think it was always this way. Maybe to a degree it was but not to this degree.