UFC is killing the sport spirit

[KoreanZawmbie]

Hey guys. I am a long time sherdog reader and always had the desire to post and join conversations about MMA. Unfortunately, I will have to start with sharing some frustrations I had.

I think the UFC is killing the sport for pay per views or big events. I was very disappointed when they let Volk fight against Islam without proper training. Wasn't Gamrot was available? Why not put Gamrot and make a fight with Volk when both fighters are proper trained? Volk was the best champion UFC had back then, and could continue to make more history in the sport.

And for last, I thing belal is boring too, I would not like him as a champion, but come on, but give him the fckn title shot! He deserves. How many fighters beat the entire division to get avoided by the champions or matchmaking? So many examples, bisping avoiding Yoel... Alvarez avoiding Khabib... Cejudo cherry picking Cruz, that makes the title holder a clown and not a champion. I think now it's lacking a real champion status, a lot of fighters got the belt by favorable circumstances.

2024 account. Okay. The majority of your post was just a huge, opinionated disappointment about VOLK losing the belt. Also, something about Belal being too boring and Cejudo cherry picking but KOing CRUZ in spectacular fashion. Got it.

 

[AmonTobin]

I have come to terms that meritocracy is largely gone from the UFC. Took me a while to accept that to be perfectly honest. When you get past that and just watch fights for fun, it’s not so bad. It is sad, but at the end of the day we are all still here. Many other orgs out there as well, give them a try if you haven’t already, especially ONE.

It’s not about the best fighting the best anymore, otherwise the number 1 contender would always get the title shot.

It’s about the champs sitting on their belts as long as possible, taking time off, ducking contenders, dreaming about second belts, fights where you got nothing to lose and just to gain.

And ofcourse everyone picking the easiest fights for the most possible money and claiming it’s about legacy.

We are lucky to have a few fighters left, who are ready for any challenge and willing to put on a show for us fans. That’s the reason I still follow the sport.

I think a lot of us feel the same way. At least we can openly discuss and shame fighters here when they’re guilty of ducking, squatting, cherry-picking, belt hopping, and show our respect and admiration to the real ones when they do things the real way. Maybe, in time, public perception will change how fighters make decisions and how the UFC operates. The best fighters might not have all the money but they’ll have all the acclaim. Or if they’re lucky, they’ll have both.

 

[Rio Ferdinand]

Is this just another UFC is dying thread, but in disguise?

 

[Kb7]

What always gets me is how the promotion has structured the system and convinced the talent that it's their job to do the promoting.

I mean it's a weird situation, the UFC can't really promote talent if theirs really nothing in said talent that stands out to promote. Woodley was crying for years & probably still is to this day, when the valuable thing aside from his talent to promote was non existent, he was boring, victim, an a crybaby as you can't really promote that. Pereira can't even speak English and he's became a draw & fan favorite in a few years time.

 

[ernestventures]

2024 account. Okay. The majority of your post was just a huge, opinionated disappointment about VOLK losing the belt. Also, something about Belal being too boring and Cejudo cherry picking but KOing CRUZ in spectacular fashion. Got it.

What is your point?

I started today and there is other hundreds of subjects I want to talk about too.

I don't even care for how long you have been talking nonsense here. I came for real discussions that I think you can't contribute.

 

[Istryker]

I think the slap stuff has to do with it, ever since this got traction the MMA side of things seem to be on the back burner.

What traction? Other than Dana sinking money and resources into it. Views on tik Tok and YT shorts is nothing.

 

[jx820]

In hindsight, the days of Condom Depot and Rick's Tire Barn actually had the spirit of bushido.

Champs like Islam and Volk agreeing to fight on any amount of notice seems more busido than quite a bit of the old school stuff.

Off the top of my head:
GSP and Anderson fought unranked reality TV show winners for the belt.
Tito ducked Chuck for ages claiming he'd never fight his bestie.
Chuck fought Jeremy Horn who wasn't even in the organization in his previous fight.
Hughes fought Royce Gracie 13 years after he was relevant.
Brock got a title fight when he was 1-1 in the org.

 

[ernestventures]

About money, I think more money would be good, with a better sport plan, like tournaments. There you can't avoid a opponent.

I don't like the idea of a belt holder could settle and continue to be the "champion". I think to be the champion you have to continue hungry, maybe tournaments could fix it. More tournaments won, more money, more good fights. I don't know, what do you guys think?

 

[Oscar Madison]

Hey guys. I am a long time sherdog reader and always had the desire to post and join conversations about MMA. Unfortunately, I will have to start with sharing some frustrations I had.

I think the UFC is killing the sport for pay per views or big events. I was very disappointed when they let Volk fight against Islam without proper training. Wasn't Gamrot was available? Why not put Gamrot and make a fight with Volk when both fighters are proper trained? Volk was the best champion UFC had back then, and could continue to make more history in the sport.

And for last, I thing belal is boring too, I would not like him as a champion, but come on, but give him the fckn title shot! He deserves. How many fighters beat the entire division to get avoided by the champions or matchmaking? So many examples, bisping avoiding Yoel... Alvarez avoiding Khabib... Cejudo cherry picking Cruz, that makes the title holder a clown and not a champion. I think now it's lacking a real champion status, a lot of fighters got the belt by favorable circumstances.

Fighting is a carnival sport -- a fringe entertainment -- illegal beatings that have since been normalized and monetized and legalized.

Fighters losing their health for money -- eventually figure out its better to get paid more for their suffering. Want bigger accolades and fame and money -- AND this aligns with bigger spectacle events that may not be driven solely on merit of the fighter.

It's all driven by perspective: Fighter Perspective vs Promotor Perspective vs Sport Perspective vs Paying Fan Perspective vs Sherdog Fan Perspective vs Shit Pundit Perspective, etc.

 

[Noraaq]

Its bad when fans and even "journalists" began to justify questionable match ups by looking through the lense of the promoter.

A few popular opinions Ive seen:

"belal is not a draw, so i totally understand colby getting another title shot. it just makes sense" *Belal is on a 9 fight win streak, colby alrdy lost 2 title fights*

"theres nobody besides Volk that is able to step up AND sell ppvs" *Gamrot was ready and willing to step in*

"Just give Izzy another title shot. hes a familiar face to the fans so it would do huge numbers!" *lost a boring 50-45 in his last fight*

Chito getting a title shot over Merab/Cory etc

MMA "journalists" are incentivized to side with the promoter due to their jobs relying on content views etc.

 

[Soggust]

I mean it's a weird situation, the UFC can't really promote talent if theirs really nothing in said talent that stands out to promote. Woodley was crying for years & probably still is to this day, when the valuable thing aside from his talent to promote was non existent, he was boring, victim, an a crybaby as you can't really promote that. Pereira can't even speak English and he's became a draw & fan favorite in a few years time.

Sounds like a poor carpenter blaming his tools, imo. (ufc not you)

I think a lot of the lack of starpower is self-inflicted due to poor matchmaking, unwarranted title shots, shorter press conferences, constantly fighting out of the APEX, and other business decisions.

When we say things like "Rankings are just a marketing tool. They don't mean anything", then it's easy to see how contenders get to be top 5 without anyone knowing or caring who they are.

 

[Poirierfan]

They're definitely making it more bland. From the rule set, to the stupid uniforms, to the oversaturated roaster (over 700 fighters), so yeah.

 

[maximus__]

Damn. Didn't realize Volk got that bag

Yeah man. He basically became one of the highest paid UFC athletes, by rolling the dice.

It's on the UFC for that more than him. His job is to accept and take fights. The UFC should have saved that fight until it actually made them big money.
Instead they burnt probably the only deserved superfight rematch on a short notice shot. It's kinda exemplified the UFC lately with all these super short trilogies and constant rematches killing divisions.

 

[LiQuiD42]

In hindsight, the days of Condom Depot and Rick's Tire Barn actually had the spirit of bushido.

But after decades of poor choices fueled by dick pills and cocaine, Dana has devolved into a Cisco bathing wife-beating trashbag that gets hyped watching adults with a 3rd grade education take turns slapping each other in the face for a few hundred bucks.

I honestly had no idea Dana was bathing with Cisco networking products but it doesn’t surprise me one bit.

 

[Clark Rogers]

Eh, don't worry about it OP.

None of the fighters were never that good to begin with, in hindsight. Never our friends, either.

The spirit has just been running off the fumes of initial niche excitement.

 

[RockyLockridge]

Hey guys. I am a long time sherdog reader and always had the desire to post and join conversations about MMA. Unfortunately, I will have to start with sharing some frustrations I had.

I think the UFC is killing the sport for pay per views or big events. I was very disappointed when they let Volk fight against Islam without proper training. Wasn't Gamrot was available? Why not put Gamrot and make a fight with Volk when both fighters are proper trained? Volk was the best champion UFC had back then, and could continue to make more history in the sport.

And for last, I thing belal is boring too, I would not like him as a champion, but come on, but give him the fckn title shot! He deserves. How many fighters beat the entire division to get avoided by the champions or matchmaking? So many examples, bisping avoiding Yoel... Alvarez avoiding Khabib... Cejudo cherry picking Cruz, that makes the title holder a clown and not a champion. I think now it's lacking a real champion status, a lot of fighters got the belt by favorable circumstances.

Welcome to the forum, hope you enjoy posting here.


The UFC often does what makes immediate money today, rather than planning things out for the future. Thats why you see huge stars fizzle out quick, while simultaneously feels like it takes forever for new stars to be born.

 

[Psychojoe86]

The trend has primarily been lightweight and below. Those divisions have lots of specific fights and needs, compared to welterweight and above. Obviously there are exceptions but in general that's how I've seen it the past several years.