5 Years Since The Sale: Is The UFC Better?

I still enjoy it, not sure whether it's better. To be honest I prefer pre-USADA UFC, the fights seemed a lot more fun for some reason...
 
No, the Conor era was arguably the highest peak the UFC experienced, Conor sold the UFC for them single handedly
 
Again - no real problem with anything here. UFC is a WWE model so no surprise they bloat and dabble in circuses. Mouths sell...the ultimate goal is more cash.

I have numerous splendid evenings watching MMA (particularly the UFC) so I would say better. I see more variety of fighters and more movement between orgs. Lots for me to feast my eyes upon.

I generally do not concern myself with tertiary shit...jus Fights and to some extent obv fighters...
 
TempleoftheDog said:
No, it’s trash. All ducking, waiting out, and looking for money fights. The best rarely fight the best. And even though it was before my time. The champs used to always face the next guy in line.

Conor changed the game alright. He turned it into a circus.
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You aren't wrong, but it taps into a tension at the heart of MMA fandom in North America. We hate that the UFC makes MMA more about the brand and less about the fighters, but as the fighters slowly gain a little leverage, we hate how they use that leverage in picking and choosing fights etc. Truth is, the interests of the promotion are often closer to the interests of the fans than the interests of the fighters are.
 
For me my interest has waned mainly because there are only a couple of fighters I really enjoy watching anymore. I really like watching guys like Izzy and a Gaethje and a couple of others. I used to never miss fights but now I pick and choose the fights I want to watch and don't buy every ppv. During the Zuffa era I lived and breathed MMA. I couldn't wait to watch undercard guys like Spencer Fisher and other guys who were outside the top 10 because they brought it.
 
IngaVovchanchyn said:
You aren't wrong, but it taps into a tension at the heart of MMA fandom in North America. We hate that the UFC makes MMA more about the brand and less about the fighters, but as the fighters slowly gain a little leverage, we hate how they use that leverage in picking and choosing fights etc. Truth is, the interests of the promotion are often closer to the interests of the fans than the interests of the fighters are.
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You’re good Shit Inga. Quite knowledgeable. All due respect.

But, aren’t we both fans? Do you not want to see the best vs the best? If not I don’t see much of a point in watching. Any random asshole beating some other random asshole doesn’t mean that much. The point of sports has ALWAYS been.. Who is the best. I’ll go back to my CFL Football and be content. At least it isn’t pro wrestling. If you find your team in the Grey Cup Game.. It’s because they earned it. By beating everybody else.
 
TempleoftheDog said:
You’re good Shit Inga. Quite knowledgeable. All due respect.

But, aren’t we both fans? Do you not want to see the best vs the best? If not I don’t see much of a point in watching. Any random asshole beating some other random asshole doesn’t mean that much. The point of sports has ALWAYS been.. Who is the best. I’ll go back to my CFL Football and be content. At least it isn’t pro wrestling. If you find your team in the Grey Cup Game.. It’s because they earned it. By beating everybody else.
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I dig you too.

I think you and I may agree here. My point is that as fighters gain more power, they discover that it is not in their own best interests to fight the best very often. And that causes a kind of tension in fans who instinctively sympathize with fighters. In other words, fans and fighters often do not want the same things out of MMA. That comes as a shock to fans when they first see it.
 
IngaVovchanchyn said:
I dig you too.

I think you and I may agree here. My point is that as fighters gain more power, they discover that it is not in their own best interests to fight the best very often. And that causes a kind of tension in fans who instinctively sympathize with fighters. In other words, fans and fighters often do not want the same things out of MMA. That comes as a shock to fans when they first see it.
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My point will always be.. The champ faces the next guy in line. Takes on all comers, until he loses, or retires. Not because of how many social media followers a guy has. Or what the casual audience wants to see. Or how much money he will make. But, because he is the best and wants nothing more than to prove it by beating the number 1 contender.. And then the guy after that.

I’m old school in my thoughts. But, to me that’s what a champion does. I realize that doesn’t mesh with the UFC money making machine. And it’s the reason I will never respect a champion like Usman. But, that is how I think.
 
TempleoftheDog said:
My point will always be.. The champ faces the next guy in line. Takes on all comers, until he loses, or retires. Not because of how many social media followers a guy has. Or what the casual audience wants to see. Or how much money he will make. But, because he is the best and wants nothing more than to prove it by beating the number 1 contender.. And then the guy after that.

I’m old school in my thoughts. But, to me that’s what a champion does. I realize that doesn’t mesh with the UFC money making machine. And it’s the reason I will never respect a champion like Usman. But, that is how I think.
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what does that have to do with Usman? cuz you think he's ducking Leon?
 
TempleoftheDog said:
My point will always be.. The champ faces the next guy in line. Takes on all comers, until he loses, or retires. Not because of how many social media followers a guy has. Or what the casual audience wants to see. Or how much money he will make. But, because he is the best and wants nothing more than to prove it by beating the number 1 contender.. And then the guy after that.

I’m old school in my thoughts. But, to me that’s what a champion does. I realize that doesn’t mesh with the UFC money making machine. And it’s the reason I will never respect a champion like Usman. But, that is how I think.
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It’s hard to say what a champion does when just about zero champions follow that ethos, and because it does require putting some sort of code before family, prosperity, wealth and individual power. Would you put a code first, ahead of your family interests?
 
Ufc will sell in another 5 years
 
Pancake Sprawl said:
what does that have to do with Usman? cuz you think he's ducking Leon?
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Are you seriously going to try to defend him calling out an Ex-LW he just beat? And you think that’s a legit title defence, compared to a guy on a 7 (I believe) fight winning streak at the time?

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Should I just assume you’re a GSP hater, or do I need to actually search your history. lol
 
I don't know if it's BECAUSE of WME but there's a lot more diva behavior although that was kinda starting to happen anyway. There's way more money disputes as well. And the watering down.
 
IngaVovchanchyn said:
Truth is, the interests of the promotion are often closer to the interests of the fans than the interests of the fighters are.
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The history of combat sports very much say otherwise.
IngaVovchanchyn said:
My point is that as fighters gain more power, they discover that it is not in their own best interests to fight the best very often.
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I think you're misinterpreting the problem here. Fighting higher ranked fighters is in your interest when you are compensated accordingly. Given the UFC chose a pay structure that earns you the same (for 99 percent of fighters at least) no matter who you are fighting or where you are fighting on a card, the problem here seems to be on the promotional side. People have come to accept that fighters in mma compete for promoters, even though that's the inverse of how most sports work.
 
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