UFC does best when there are long reigning champs because that makes for story lines, the proverbial 'good vs. bad'. People want to see a dominant champion, and everybody else wants to see that guy get beaten. Parity works for team sports, and even then there still needs to be a little continuity (like Patriots, Yankees). I hope UFC does something about this, aside from the most die hard fans nobody wants to see a bunch of new guys every few months, especially because the future of the sport is basically gonna be a bunch of guys with the same styles and skill sets. If anything I can definitely see UFC losing a lot of interest down the road because of this.
The best fights are because of anticipation between two guys with great records, not two guys batting .500.
You do know the nfl is full of parity? And they are the biggest sport in the US. I think there is some saying for it? Gosh idk any Givin Sunday. Or something like that. Also pats only have two if maybe three years on top once Brady goes he is like 39 this year. They will be getting first draft picks and old Hoosier will have some losing seasons again.
UFC is gonna be in a lull, just like Schaub said before a bunch of nerds started parroting hate on him. He's absolutely right as far as the stars falling. These fighters needed to be built up to having an aura of invincibility but they don't have that chance because everybody in UFC is relatively on the same level, and there are too many fighters. Like I said in another thread, the real reason people want to see Mayweather fight is because he's 49-0, so half the people wanna see him win and say "see I told you so" while the other half are like "I can't wait to see this asshole lose". Meanwhile if his record was something pedestrian like 10-4, that would cut interest in his fights drastically. Jones getting suspended was also a huge blow to the UFC for this exact reason.
You can't compare team sports to individual sports though. For one, in the NFL there are just 32 teams and each of those teams has their own individual fanbase. UFC on the other hand has how many fighters? How many fights per event? 16 weeks plus playoffs so like 20 weeks total, meanwhile UFC has how many events (not just PPV).
Exactly this! And that´s what´s been going on in the LW division since BJ Penn, just a bunch of top ten killer guys who could beat each other at any given night.
Most of the UFC(and MMA) guys have no personality and when they try to have one it comes off as fake. They need to be schooled by the WWE in this manner. If it's going to be fake, don't make it cringe worthy( like Jonathan's good guy, or Ronda's "I can beat men" or Conor's Irish Mayweather persona"). Make it over the top, bring some drama and theater to the sport. It will do the sport a lot of good.
The reason they fight so well is because they couldn't talk shit on the schoolyard, or wherever people were first fucking with them. That's just the nature of it. And it's why the guys who can string sentences together are so beloved. And people are most drawn to guys who have the looks with the personality, and seem to "choose to fight" vs "having to fight". I agree the UFC needs them, but you cant teach deez tings.
Now, you just sound silly. The Atheltic commission would never allow them to fight in masks. It would pretty cool if they did though.
Well said. Look at Chael, he knows this better than most. He was great with hyping fights. More fighters should follow in footsteps.
I think stories are good and I enjoy them. Just not manufactured b.s. ones. If two guys legitimately don't like each other it makes a fight more enjoyable to watch. If two guys used to be training partners and now they are fighting for a title, that adds to the fight. If you have a cool back story on a guy, like he came from nothing or he has a Brian Stann like background that can add to the fight. If it's fake drama just to build up a fight though, then it's too wwe for me.
I followed the UFC back when no one could hold a belt and it was extremely rare for champs to defend more than once or twice. It was awesome. It made things more exciting that new faces could come in at any time and shake things up and challenge for the belt. It made it that much more special when guys like Militech or Frank Shamrock or Tito or Hughes actually could stay on top for a while. And now we are seeing more competitive championship fights with the whole sport at a higher level. I love it. Who wants to watch fights where the outcome is (almost certainly) predetermined?
In general you are of course right. Dominant champions sell to the general public. Hardcore fans though, we do want that champion to be challenged. It did get a bit boring for hardcore fans when the best they could put against GSP were Hardy, Koscheck 2, against Anderson Silva were Côté, Okami and Leites, against Jones were Belfort and Sonnen.
