How LW should be matched up if it was legit sports league

[Koya]

All these cards are booked in advance, and sometimes the fight gotta just be done when and where it can be done.

Yeah I mean I just provided the comparison that was asked. I said before I agree that entertainment plays a role. It just need to not be 100% entertainment and include legitimacy and performance.

A good example of a bad example is Jones/Stipe. It had zero legitimacy and wasn't even what the fans wanted.

 

[fortheo]

Precisely, I don't think BSD had that step sideways matchup. And it's an important one for a fighter's progression.

Gamrot feels like on a downwards slope and needs to prove he deserves his ranking while BSD is now on an upward slope and needs to prove he deserves a top 3 matchup again.

He already got it with Poirier and he wasn't ready. He has a chance to take it step by step this time and prove he's ready for the top again. I think that's the right move for him.

No offense to Beneil but beating him in 2025 doesn't mean you're automatically too 5 material. Just my opinion of course.

BSD finished 3 guys in 6 months, one was ranked right next to him in ruffy, another was ranked right ahead of him in dariush. Gamrot is another fight at that level. Just seems like a momentum killer at this point. I don't hate it though because I do think bsd needs more seasoning. Just saying that I'd rather bsd vs. Paddy or hooker

 

[JKS]

And not an entertainment business before being a legit sport.

- Ilia Topuria Vs Arman Tsarykuan : champion Vs #1 contender

- Charles Oliveira Vs Max Holloway : can set up the next #1 contender

- Justin Gaethje Vs Paddy Pimblett : can also produce the next contender

- Dan Hooker Vs Renato Moicano : is fun

- BSD Vs Gamrot : moves the division forward

- Chandler Vs Dariush (when dariush recovers): see what they have left

So pretty much the way the fights will be booked as is with the UFC

 

[Koya]

BSD finished 3 guys in 6 months, one was ranked right next to him in ruffy, another was ranked right ahead of him in dariush. Gamrot is another fight at that level. Just seems like a momentum killer at this point. I don't hate it though because because do think bsd needs more seasoning. Just saying that I'd rather bsd vs. Paddy or hooker

BSD Vs Paddy is not happening next we both know that. Gaethje too because he's not taking that fight.

I'm ok with the Hooker matchup but I'm 90% that BSD smokes him and that it doesn't tell me anything about if he's ready or not.

Because styles make fights. An I'd like to see how BSD solves the challenge that Gamrot poses, or not.

I'm perfectly fine with the Hooker matchup if it happens. Career wise, Gamrot seems like a better opportunity to gather valuable experience.

 

[Koya]

So pretty much the way the fights will be booked as is with the UFC

I hear a lot of talks about Ilia Vs Paddy lately

 

[fortheo]

BSD Vs Paddy is not happening next we both know that. Gaethje too because he's not taking that fight.

I'm ok with the Hooker matchup but I'm 90% that BSD smokes him and that it doesn't tell me anything about if he's ready or not.

Because styles make fights. An I'd like to see how BSD solves the challenge that Gamrot poses, or not.

I'm perfectly fine with the Hooker matchup if it happens. Career wise, Gamrot seems like a better opportunity to gather valuable experience.

I think hooker has a better chance of exploiting bsd's questionable defense than gamrot does. I actually like the gamrot fight because as a bsd fan, I know gamrot can't really hurt a fly lol. I just don't think think it moves either guy anywhere in the division.

Doesn't matter much though. I'll watch either way

 

[Koya]

I think hooker has a better chance of exploiting bsd's questionable defense than gamrot does. I actually like the gamrot fight because as a bsd fan, I know gamrot can't really hurt a fly lol. I just don't think think it moves either guy anywhere in the division.

Doesn't matter much though. I'll watch either way

I thought about that too but Dan can get overwhelmed when there's too much pressure put on him and BSD loves to put the pressure. And yeah Gamrot isn't finishing anyone soon. We'll see what happens.

 

[Mohawk Banditó]

And not an entertainment business before being a legit sport.

- Ilia Topuria Vs Arman Tsarykuan : champion Vs #1 contender

- Charles Oliveira Vs Max Holloway : can set up the next #1 contender

- Justin Gaethje Vs Paddy Pimblett : can also produce the next contender

- Dan Hooker Vs Renato Moicano : is fun

- BSD Vs Gamrot : moves the division forward

- Chandler Vs Dariush (when dariush recovers): see what they have left

I'd like to swap Chucky-Max with Paddy-Justin. I know Justin vs Charles is a rematch, but I think it's A) An acceptable rematch given the excitement of most guys, plus now without any weight controversy (minimal as it was the first time around), B) An easier fight for Justin to agree to in the middle of this diva fit he's got, and allows him to get a win back and C) A step back fight from the championship for Charles who has had enough title fights that I think beating a guy at the top that he's already beat shows he's not falling away from the top.

Max vs Paddy isn't gangbusters or anything, but they are the younger pair of the 4, so either of them seems like they'll have the chance to rebound later if they lose here

 

[b00tysweat]

A good example of a bad example is Jones/Stipe. It had zero legitimacy and wasn't even what the fans wanted.

you're saying us fans didn't want GOAT vs HW GOAT?

are you serious?

 

[JBJ was here]

Paddy Pimblett vs. Grant Dawson. Paddy should have a step up in competition before fighting a gatekeeper or borderline contender.

 

[Tito Tapped]

Let's compare it the to the most prestigious sports league in the world : UEFA Champion's league. Top football clubs from each European countries play against each other in a tournament with home-and -away games, except for the final which is played in a neutral location.

Sounds "may the best win" no-nonsense type of fairness to me.

You didn't suggest any type of MMA tournament, you simply cherry picked who you wanted to fight who.

 

[Mohawk Banditó]

What do we want???

 

[HHJ]

It's Fedor...

 

[JKS]

I hear a lot of talks about Ilia Vs Paddy lately

I highly doubt it's gonna happen since Arman won last weekend. The talk about this fight was prior to the Arman fight and perhaps the UFC tried to sneak it in there before Arman/Hooker. But it didnt' fall into place that way. So I think we'll be seeing Ilia vs Arman.

 

[El Fernas]

Its a sport, what the UFC or combat sports in general are not, are leagues, they dont work as in the league model.

So far only PFL has some league style format, not very successful.

 

[Koya]

you're saying us fans didn't want GOAT vs HW GOAT?

are you serious?

I'm saying us fans didn't want Jones Vs 42 yo Stipe inactive for 3 years straight who was sent to the shadow realm in his last fight

 

[Koya]

You didn't suggest any type of MMA tournament, you simply cherry picked who you wanted to fight who.

Yeah from the start I agreed that entertainment plays a part. But it should be just that, a part. Not everything.

 

[whocares]

Division is pretty faded, looking like the scrubbed up Usman Colby Leon Masvidal WW situation from a few years ago. 3 old fighters whose careers have already been written in the top 5 (Max is ancient in fight years despite being slightly younger), a champ with commitment issues who is seemingly more interested in handcrafting a "perfect" career than running any division, one legit contender and one hypejob. Not a whole lot coming up. They should make Ila vs. Arman, aside from that don't care what they do, there's nothing compelling. If there's one fighter they should give a crack at climbing into the top 5 it's BSD coming off a strong year, but they probably will waste his time with some other lower ranked retread.

 

[Doctor Grudge]

Do they?
Last I checked 90% of the sports are either tournaments or you play everyone.
Unless by "all professional sports" you mean MMA and boxing

Yeah...? That is by design for entertainment purposes, not for "sports purposes". There is still matchmaking in them. Not all the divisions or conferences are balanced in terms of ability when there are times when they obviously should be.

Tournaments are also obviously designed to try to get big name teams to face each other in the end.

Boxing does have tournaments. World championships, the Olympics, Golden Gloves countless others. MMA has tournaments also...while we're here. The UFC does not have tournaments outside of the Ultimate Fighter - and the Ultimate Fighter is definitely entertainment based, to say the least.

Can use the original K1 as something that is CLEARLY entertainment based first even though it heavily revolved around tournaments.

The fact that you think that sports leagues are not thinking entertainment first when they design regular seasons and post season schemes shows how good they are at their jobs.


Anyway, the obvious reason why everyone in MMA cannot fight each other each is because

- there's not enough time since people need to recover and train

- it's redundant and pointless for the best people in a league to verse the worst people even if occasional upsets happen, this literally only happens for ticket sales and media


Having a booker doesn't make something exclusively "entertainment first" more than a company that does not have a booker. You're seriously gullible if you think the NBA is a "real sport" because the Nets have to play the Thunder twice a year (whatever that means, NBA and UFC are not sports, almost every sport's top org is a bastardization of the sport and is for profit).


Professional and amateur sports have different goals, so obviously this is reflective in the matchmaking, regardless if it is from a booker or a regular season. (PFL has a regular season, it is less entertainment based than the UFC).

 

[haj02]

I've often thought about this question by the way OP and in my mind an ELO based ranking system where you always match people with the next person up or down would create the type of transparency and meritocracy of a more legitimate sporting league.