I agree. This is the absolute worst, and IMHO, there is NO REASON for the UFC NOT to ban all unaffiliated training facilities immediately, or sell the business (ASAP) that is unsustainable without such drastic action.
Truth be told, Dana & the UFC brass began killing the UFC circa 2010 with the dramatic, drastic, unjustified increase in the overall fighter roster size.
The UFC went from around 200 of the best MMA fighters on Earth competing for extremely limited fight slots to put their talents on display 3 or so times per year. Today the UFC employs over 620 on the total roster (F-tards & fighters combined).
FFS TS, there is the same damn 365 days in a year, 52 weeks in a year. The FUCKING EXTREMELY LIMITED fight slots in 2009 for the 200 great professional fighters have not increased at all today in 2016 for 620+ (collection of fighters?).
Instead of getting to see among the best 200 MMA fighters on the planet compete 3+ times per year, we now have the opportunity to watch this collection of good and bad (do what they do) around 1.4 times per year.
The UFC pre 2010 could have been considered the highest level of MMA as Professional Sport. Now there is no viable competition (for the UFC in top talent), and the frequency of competition between the top ranked fighters has declined to a point that no longer supports a true sport that's title shot selection is based on relative rankings of the top fighters (that no longer compete against one another of any significant frequency). It (MMA) is now strictly spectacle (albeit fascinating)
Like it or not, this is fact. I fucking hate it more than sin.
I am however in the minority. The prohibitive extreme vast majority of MMA fans want NOTHING TO DO with "sports" involved in MMA. Most just want this type of "spectacle" without the limitations presented by a straight ranking based title contention combat sport format.
Fights like McGregor vs. Diaz @ 170 have ZERO fucking chance in a 100% ranking based title contention combat sport format that I describe above. The sanctity of the "sport" means LESS THAN ZERO to children and immature MMA fans demanding their spectacle. PPV has spoken clearly, and decided what has won in the world of MMA.
Spectacle has walked all over Sport. It wasn't even close. In fact, it was the first death in the UFC.
R.I.P. MMA as a sport!
TS, you are still ACTING like a idealist. Best case scenario, all of these "top" fights getting cancelled you mention are adding up POSSIBLY to 1.4 per year per fighter.
Who gives a rats rectum if the top (say 15 ranked) fighters miss 1 of their 1.4 fights per year??????
Why would you even raise this point?
FFS, we have over 100 total LW's and WW's on the UFC roster to provide spectacle for you! Why sweat a fight with a couple of ranked fighters getting cancelled when you have completely and totally worthless F-tards not ranked in the top 50 chaffing at the bit to compete in the Octagon on a moments notice for peanuts?
This is now MMA (a 100% spectacle). Get used to it, the decision has been made. Deal with it!