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One thing that has infuriated me as a UFC fan lately is the lack of title fights within divisions. The ONLY people not guilty are Mighty Mouse and Tyron Woodley... So the question is, what can the UFC do to force champions to defend their belts more often? And I'm not even talking about questionable title defenses like the proposed Woodley vs Diaz (which is ridiculous). As long as champions are active I'm happy.
Simply put, champions should be forced to defend their belts twice a year. What can they do to enforce this? I would suggest the UFC do something to reward active champions. Higher PPV cut if they defend within 6 months? A flat cash bonus if they defend within 6 months? I also think there should be an injury penalty for fighters. Fighters should be required to purchase insurance for their match, and if it doesn't go through (their fault) the insurance pays the UFC. Inconsistent fighters would eventually get too expensive to insure and ruin their career, which they deserve if they are AKA.
At the end of the day I'm really starting to lose interest in the UFC, and I'm sure other people are starting to feel the same way. If the UFC can't get a handle on the situation and force their champions to defend more often, they are going to start losing viewership.
Some of the more recent Championship Defense delays (there have been many in the past 5 years):
135 - I'll give Cody Garbrandt a pass here since he's doing TUF, which takes time. 7 months inactive.
145 - Jose Aldo last fought July 2016... literally gifted the championship and has no scheduled defense. This guy is a major repeat offender for not defending. At least 12 months inactive.
155 - Conor McGregor... enough said.
185 - Micheal Bisping used to fight a lot -- he defended against Henderson after only a few months. However he seems to be cherry picking opponents now. He hasn't fought since October and has no scheduled fight. At least 9 months inactive.
205 - Daniel Cormier went over year and a half without defending his belt between July 2015 and April 2017. Some of the problems here were injuries, but still. Let's hope he fights Jon Jones this summer. Went ~21 months without defending belt.
HW - Stipe Miocic will defend his belt in May 2017, which sadly doesn't seem that bad compared to some other champions. But this is still a full 8 months inactive, which is too long.
Simply put, champions should be forced to defend their belts twice a year. What can they do to enforce this? I would suggest the UFC do something to reward active champions. Higher PPV cut if they defend within 6 months? A flat cash bonus if they defend within 6 months? I also think there should be an injury penalty for fighters. Fighters should be required to purchase insurance for their match, and if it doesn't go through (their fault) the insurance pays the UFC. Inconsistent fighters would eventually get too expensive to insure and ruin their career, which they deserve if they are AKA.
At the end of the day I'm really starting to lose interest in the UFC, and I'm sure other people are starting to feel the same way. If the UFC can't get a handle on the situation and force their champions to defend more often, they are going to start losing viewership.
Some of the more recent Championship Defense delays (there have been many in the past 5 years):
135 - I'll give Cody Garbrandt a pass here since he's doing TUF, which takes time. 7 months inactive.
145 - Jose Aldo last fought July 2016... literally gifted the championship and has no scheduled defense. This guy is a major repeat offender for not defending. At least 12 months inactive.
155 - Conor McGregor... enough said.
185 - Micheal Bisping used to fight a lot -- he defended against Henderson after only a few months. However he seems to be cherry picking opponents now. He hasn't fought since October and has no scheduled fight. At least 9 months inactive.
205 - Daniel Cormier went over year and a half without defending his belt between July 2015 and April 2017. Some of the problems here were injuries, but still. Let's hope he fights Jon Jones this summer. Went ~21 months without defending belt.
HW - Stipe Miocic will defend his belt in May 2017, which sadly doesn't seem that bad compared to some other champions. But this is still a full 8 months inactive, which is too long.
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