Poll: Do you consider the UFC to be a legitimate sports league?

[ColombianFist]

The UFC is a MMA promotion who forces you to act like Mcg to sell PPV.

MMA is a NICHE sport, but a sport nonetheless.

 

[TheRassler]

UFC is a sports entertainment company.

I wish they would treat it as a sports entertainment company and cut all the boring wrestlers who’ve made my sig the moment they became boring, instead of waiting and waiting for them to decline.

 

[Beans & Cornbread]

I wish they would treat it as a sports entertainment company and cut all the boring wrestlers who’ve made my sig the moment they became boring, instead of waiting and waiting for them to decline.

they gave you Ronda, Conor, Broc, Adesanya, O'Malley... what more do you want?

 

[TheRassler]

they gave you Ronda, Conor, Broc, Adesanya, O'Malley... what more do you want?

For all the boring wrasslers to get fired and banned from this sport.

 

[MCS]

Somewhat. It's legitimate as a contest, but not in a playoff bracket kind of way.

 

[Beans & Cornbread]

For all the boring wrasslers to get fired and banned from this sport.

 

[Kvothe_the_kingkiller]

It's no less a sport than it ever was. It's always been a sport/entertainment hybrid. Just like boxing. It still is.

It's a bit further to the right on the sport/entertainment sliding scale these days. Just a bit more closer to entertainment and further from merit than it has been for much of our time since TUF 1.

 

[BrickHitBack]

lol platinum members.

 

[WarDosAnjos]

ROFL does this confirm that the majority of Sherdog only comes here to troll? I mean your talking about fans hardcore enough to come on to a 1997 karate cage fighting message board to post about ufc. There are no casuals here lmao. Just lifers who admit they don't even think ufc is a sport.

Wow. This is definitely BREAKING news

 

[TheRassler]

Tito stands and bang, bro.

 

[IGotAHugePeckah]

No, I would say it's more closer related to pro wrestling than an actual sport. Same with boxing.

It could be an actual legit sport, but it's more profitable to run it like a spectacle carnival show.

 

[VVarhead]

lolno

Bush-league pseudo sport

 

[sonhow]

I train ufc every weekend.

 

[shertardinho]

UFC is all about business not sport

 

[BEATDOWNS]

You're asking the wrong questions. The UFC is a league, not a sport.

Is MMA a legitimate sport? Yes.

Is the UFC a legitimate sports league like the NFL, NBA, MLB, or NHL? No. They manipulate rankings and obviously try to protect certain "cash cow" fighters.

You are correct, thanks. I edited the thread title but it won't allow me to edit the poll question. I hope it will be more clear now.

 

[kflo]

It's no less a sport than it ever was. It's always been a sport/entertainment hybrid. Just like boxing. It still is.

It's a bit further to the right on the sport/entertainment sliding scale these days. Just a bit more closer to entertainment and further from merit than it has been for much of our time since TUF 1.

I don’t think it’s any further than it always was. It’s far more competitive than it was at tuf 1.

 

[ferrisjso]

Reason i ask is the rankings system and the complete disregard to how the UFC uses them.

i.e undeserved title shots.

Anything else about the UFC make you feel like it is not a true sport? If you vote other please specify why!

Well a terrible system of determining who competes for a title doesn't mean something isn't a sport, the actual game has to be ruined and it typically isn't. Otherwise boxing with their alphabet championships wouldn't be real and college football wouldn't be legitimate. UFC has given some fighters title shots who clearly didn't deserve them but most of the time the champ fights someone who's one of the top guys where there's a case to be made that isn't insane. Even the undeserved title shots have reasons we just hate them.

Brock got title shots cause he has the WWE appeal(and now cause it seems DC asked for it to happen), Hendo got one as a retirement gift and cause he had beaten the champ in a very humiliating way and the champ deserved a chance to avenge that. People can mock the Chael title shot all day long but after the UFC 151/152 thing people were also screaming about how Jon Jones was afraid of Chael.

Just remember GSP is the 170 GOAT and he defended his belt against 8.5 top fighters. All those elite guys who earned their title shots couldn't win, and the guy who beat GSP won his title shot on a reality show. BS has a place in the sport, it's part of the magic. It's got to be rare though or it tarnishes the product.

Then again I'm someone who started watching MMA through Kimbo on Elite XC maybe I'm biased towards that kind of stuff.

 

[kflo]

No, I would say it's more closer related to pro wrestling than an actual sport. Same with boxing.

It could be an actual legit sport, but it's more profitable to run it like a spectacle carnival show.

It’s impossible to run an mma org like another league. It will always be flawed.

 

[Ancient Warrior]

The UFC is not a sport.
MMA is a sport.
But MMA in the UFC is half sport, half circus.

Not bad.

 

[Kvothe_the_kingkiller]

I don’t think it’s any further than it always was. It’s far more competitive than it was at tuf 1.

Here's Mike Brown's take:

“I think it used to be you would find it was 80 percent merit, and 20 percent entertainment/money to make the fights,” he told MMA Fighting at the UFC 208 Ultimate Media Day. “Now I think that it’s almost 80 percent money than the merit of who deserves the fight. I honestly didn’t see it coming so quickly.”
​

I like this quote. It's very matter of fact and succinct.