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Before you all riot, hear me out.
There are obviously a ton of exciting unranked fighters, but they belong on ppv prelims and fight night main cards.
Why?
Because ppv main cards should be about movement. Whether you think the current rankings are bullshit or whatever, they're good for one thing, and that is determing future contenders and/or championship fights. While we may be on the edge of our seats watching unranked fighters who we're fans of, and who we want to eventually be champion, the reality is that should they win, they'll probably still be more than two fights away from a title shot. When ranked contenders go at it, more is on the line. This makes them even more exciting. If we're fans of said fighters, or hate them on the contrary, we're even more gripped, knowing that the time they'll potentially get gold wrapped around their waste is either close or further away. They can even become intruiging for casuals or non-fans too. This brings me to my second point.
How do non-fans become followers of the sport? It normally begins during ppv main cards, given the fact that's the only time they'll probably be watching the UFC. While waiting for Conor or Ronda to come on, there may be a fight or fighter who picques their interest. The sport becomes more than just the biggest names. If that person wins and becomes next in line, then the non-fan takes interest in the future event in which they'll fight for the belt, which is the beginning of their fandom. If that fighter is unranked, it means they're still a long way away from a title shot, then there'll be nothing for them to be excited about. They'll probably lose interest in said fighter. An example is my youngest brother. He was watching Conor/Khabib with me, and came over to my place during the start of Lewis/Volkov. When Lewis won, he loved it, and upon hearing he was going to be fighting for the belt, he wanted to watch 230 with me. If that had been Tafa knocking out Juan Adams, he probably would've never become a fan.
There are obviously a ton of exciting unranked fighters, but they belong on ppv prelims and fight night main cards.
Why?
Because ppv main cards should be about movement. Whether you think the current rankings are bullshit or whatever, they're good for one thing, and that is determing future contenders and/or championship fights. While we may be on the edge of our seats watching unranked fighters who we're fans of, and who we want to eventually be champion, the reality is that should they win, they'll probably still be more than two fights away from a title shot. When ranked contenders go at it, more is on the line. This makes them even more exciting. If we're fans of said fighters, or hate them on the contrary, we're even more gripped, knowing that the time they'll potentially get gold wrapped around their waste is either close or further away. They can even become intruiging for casuals or non-fans too. This brings me to my second point.
How do non-fans become followers of the sport? It normally begins during ppv main cards, given the fact that's the only time they'll probably be watching the UFC. While waiting for Conor or Ronda to come on, there may be a fight or fighter who picques their interest. The sport becomes more than just the biggest names. If that person wins and becomes next in line, then the non-fan takes interest in the future event in which they'll fight for the belt, which is the beginning of their fandom. If that fighter is unranked, it means they're still a long way away from a title shot, then there'll be nothing for them to be excited about. They'll probably lose interest in said fighter. An example is my youngest brother. He was watching Conor/Khabib with me, and came over to my place during the start of Lewis/Volkov. When Lewis won, he loved it, and upon hearing he was going to be fighting for the belt, he wanted to watch 230 with me. If that had been Tafa knocking out Juan Adams, he probably would've never become a fan.
