Opinion: The downfall of 205 and HW is the biggest tragedy in MMA

[Rampage_Jackson]

Those two are the two original divisions. Those were always the banner divisions with the most marketable fighters over the course of the first x number of years in MMA.

Be it in the earliest days with guys like Kerr and Coleman or the Randleman and Barnett's of the world through the Pride days with Fedor/Nog/Cro Cop to even the eary 2010s with JDS/Cain/Brock/Ubereem roaming around.

Same with 205. Liddell was the star of MMA and his trilogy with Couture was all time. Pride 205 division was insane.

Now these two classes are both empty shells with very little to offer fans in the way of exciting fights.

What a tragedy.

 

[TheSpider]

The downfall is that athletes that size don’t wanna get paid peanuts being a fighter

 

[GiTGuD]

It's Dana's fault TBH.


If he wasn't a greedy SOB and paid the fighters better, we would get better talent, specially in the bigger divisions.

 

[Rampage_Jackson]

The downfall is that athletes that size don’t wanna get paid peanuts being a fighter

Its true, so many guys at 205 and HW are guys who tried other sports and didn't make it. Stipe wanted to be a baseball player

 

[Rampage_Jackson]

It's Dana's fault TBH.


If he wasn't a greedy SOB and paid the fighters better, we would get better talent, specially in the bigger divisions.

I don't love Ryan Bader or anything but he's clearly a top tier LHW fighter and shit like letting Bellator outbid you for guys like that is a joke. I don't care if he's a big draw or not you pay to keep guys like that around.

 

[Brodie]

Agreed.

Now we have guys like Anthony Smith and Derrick Lewis who have both had title shots and are ranked top 5 in there divisions.

 

[Celeron]

MMA recruiting is also terrible when it comes to other sports and will continue to stay be behind. Incorporating an early 200’s format show like TUF is just dumb and old at this point.

Not having MMA as a sport at the youth levels really hurts it well. Until MMA is accepted in the Olympics, America and the youth levels it will always be niche.

As much good as Dana and comp have done for the MMA they have shown to only care about UFC and not helping develop the sport.

 

[Rampage_Jackson]

MMA recruiting is also terrible when it comes to other sports and will continue to stay be behind. Incorporating an early 200’s format show like TUF is just dumb and old at this point.

Not having MMA as a sport at the youth levels really hurts it well. Until MMA is accepted in the Olympics, America and the youth levels it will always be niche.

As much good as Dana and comp have done for the MMA they have shown to only care about UFC and not helping develop the sport.

Faber is probably the best MMA recruiter I can think of. Need more guys like that who have an eye for talent that are willing to go out of their way to pull in prospects.

 

[Make Sherdog Great Again]

HW has always been the weakest division, especially around 2002 to 2007 in Pride.

 

[Poatan Power]

MMA recruiting is also terrible when it comes to other sports and will continue to stay be behind. Incorporating an early 200’s format show like TUF is just dumb and old at this point.

Not having MMA as a sport at the youth levels really hurts it well. Until MMA is accepted in the Olympics, America and the youth levels it will always be niche.

As much good as Dana and comp have done for the MMA they have shown to only care about UFC and not helping develop the sport.

MMA recruiting sucks, sure, but wrestling is in the olympics. Judo is in the olympics. boxing is in the olympcis. BJJ has a huge competitive circuit that is global. kickboxing as well. you draw the youth from those pools.

 

[GangGangGang]

Agreed.

Now we have guys like Anthony Smith and Derrick Lewis who have both had title shots and are ranked top 5 in there divisions.

Anthony Smith is a stud bucko.. Forget when he whooped Gus, Volkan, Rashad and Shogun?

 

[HockeyBjj]

People get into mma sooner, they start controlling their weight for weight class advantages sooner, and the trained guys never reach 220+ pounds because adding muscle and moving up a class isn’t normally worth it. Reach advantage and down a class helps more.

 

[poor form]

MMA recruiting is also terrible when it comes to other sports and will continue to stay be behind. Incorporating an early 200’s format show like TUF is just dumb and old at this point.

Not having MMA as a sport at the youth levels really hurts it well. Until MMA is accepted in the Olympics, America and the youth levels it will always be niche.

As much good as Dana and comp have done for the MMA they have shown to only care about UFC and not helping develop the sport.

People are barely letting their kids play football, and hockey at this point. They might let kids practice MA. But mma will never become that mainstream.

 

[MirRocksFedor]

Those two are the two original divisions. Those were always the banner divisions with the most marketable fighters over the course of the first x number of years in MMA.

Be it in the earliest days with guys like Kerr and Coleman or the Randleman and Barnett's of the world through the Pride days with Fedor/Nog/Cro Cop to even the eary 2010s with JDS/Cain/Brock/Ubereem roaming around.

Same with 205. Liddell was the star of MMA and his trilogy with Couture was all time. Pride 205 division was insane.

Now these two classes are both empty shells with very little to offer fans in the way of exciting fights.

What a tragedy.

If you are 205 or above, you have a chance to do a "legit" sport where you can make a TON MORE MONEY NOT GETTING PUNCHEDD IN THE FACE.

When real athletes like Jon Jones come in, and yes, combine roids into the mix.... Its GG

 

[Taric]

The down slide of LHW and HW is embarrassing. Those divisions are your money divisions.

 

[wwkirk]

Incorporating an early 200’s format show like TUF is just dumb and old at this point.

Agree. It's backwards thinking. They already have DWCS, so why resurrect TUF?

 

[Fluffernutter]

The downfall is that athletes that size don’t wanna get paid peanuts being a fighter

But, think of the benefits. Like, they can be a supporting character in The Expendables 8.

 

[Natural Order]

Those two are the two original divisions. Those were always the banner divisions with the most marketable fighters over the course of the first x number of years in MMA.

Be it in the earliest days with guys like Kerr and Coleman or the Randleman and Barnett's of the world through the Pride days with Fedor/Nog/Cro Cop to even the eary 2010s with JDS/Cain/Brock/Ubereem roaming around.

Same with 205. Liddell was the star of MMA and his trilogy with Couture was all time. Pride 205 division was insane.

Now these two classes are both empty shells with very little to offer fans in the way of exciting fights.

What a tragedy.

100%....an sbsolute shell of their former glory!

 

[Guan Di]

To be fair, part of the problem lands on Jones's doorstep. While his performances have greatly decreased of late, his dominance derailed a lot of talented fighters early. Fighters like Bader whom he just steamrolled have a tough time gaining momentum when it seems obvious to fans that there is a massive difference in skill between fighters and few would want to see a matchup that is heavily one-sided have a sequel later. The loser of a blowout like that is also always viewed as not of the same caliber despite what they accomplish as their career goes on.

A dominant champion that is fairly high profile also deters new fighters from entering that weight class. Why fight in the division that has a champion who you are unsure you can beat when you can fight in a weight class further down if you can cut the weight?

As for HW, bear in mind that the man with the most title defenses in UFC history is the current champion. The heavies throughout UFC history have never been amazingly dominant. Instead, many from the past had charisma or had brutal KO reels that gained them popularity. In the current era of the heavies, a more balanced skillset is what keeps you at the top. Stipe lacks charisma but has a balanced set of skills that wins but isnt flashy. I honestly off the top of my head cant see any HW in UFC history that could come in and deal with the top of the division, it's just that the division lacks the spectacle that it once had. (Let me add that those of the past would also need to pass the testing in trying to compete with the modern era heavies)

 

[moreorless87]

It's Dana's fault TBH.

If he wasn't a greedy SOB and paid the fighters better, we would get better talent, specially in the bigger divisions.

This is ultimately what so much of the "old days vs modern MMA" discussion comes down to, people who want to see those divisions thrive and people who blindly follow UFC hype telling them there better than ever.