Proposal to make the BMF belt objective and coherent

[NicholasJBasile]

The BMF belt was meant to reward the most exciting fighters in the UFC, the ones who step in to finish fights, not play for points.
But the idea lost direction. It became a marketing trophy without clear criteria or continuity.


Here’s a simple fix: one measurable rule that defines what “BMF” actually means.

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Core criterion: Finishing rate
Finishing rate = (wins by KO or submission ÷ total wins) × 100
Eligibility threshold: finishing rate of 70% or higher in UFC fights


This captures what really matters, how often a fighter ends the fight instead of leaving it to the judges.

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Eligibility rules
• Only UFC fights count, to keep the comparison fair.
• Fighters need at least five UFC wins to qualify.
• The 70% threshold can vary slightly (65–75%) depending on divisional averages.

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Activation
• When two eligible fighters meet, the UFC can announce that the fight will be for the BMF belt.
• There’s no fixed schedule; the title appears only when the matchup deserves it. Keep it scarce.

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Champion rules
• The winner becomes the new BMF.
• The title isn’t linear, each BMF edition stands on its own (BMF I, II, III, etc.).
• No mandatory defenses. The champion holds the title symbolically until the next eligible fight.

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Why it works
• One clear metric, easy to verify.
• Focused on finishing, not point-fighting.
• Keeps the belt rare and meaningful.
• Rewards the style fans actually want to watch.


In short:
The BMF belt should remain symbolic, but earned.

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Yes, this text was formatted using AI, but the idea is mine.

Let's be real -- the BMF belt is a glorified kickboxing match in MMA context.

 

[barillas]

That was a lot of effort just to then say "they just do it whenever they want".

Its always been symbolic. You didn't make it more prestigious by adding prerequisites.

Yeah, genius, that’s called structure. “They just do it whenever they want” is exactly the problem. The point of criteria is to make the belt earned when they do it, not random PR. A symbol with standards becomes tradition.

 

[barillas]

Let's be real -- the BMF belt is a glorified kickboxing match in MMA context.

I doubt it will be one if Charles fight for it.

 

[barillas]

Well that's not what the belt was for. It was theoretically supposed to be a fight between veterans who fight everybody, step up on short notice, and strike/brawl most of the time. The actual purpose was to squeeze a main event out of a non title fight that also wasn't Conor.

Sure, that was the original marketing reason, to headline Masvidal vs Diaz and sell a ppv. But thats exactly why adding criteria makes sense now. If the belt already served its promotional purpose, the only way to keep it relevant is to give it identity beyond "the one time we needed a main event", otherwise just get rid of it for good.

 

[barillas]

It's an interesting idea, though I'd suggest a few changes.

I don't think finishing rate is the right metric, it's entirely possible for fighters to get boring KOs like Mir vs. CroCop and shitty subs happen all the time too. A better measure is post fight bonuses, those are generally handed out to fighters who go hard and have exciting fights even if they don't get a finish. I'd say somewhere around 1 bonus per 2 fights is fair, and you get extra ratings if one of your fights makes fight of the year like Shogun vs. Hendo.

Next, rules. The belt can only change hands by finish, and it's Pride rules with elbows. Also, unlimited 10 minute rounds until someone is finished, and the only way out is tapping out or going unconscious. There's no throwing the towel or doctor stoppages, if you wanna fight with a broken leg you can keep doing that until you tap out or pass out.

Finally, all fights shall be reffed by Mario Yamasaki or Vyacheslav Kiselev.

Excellent answer. fight bonuses could be another good criteria, thank you for you answer, very constructive.

 

[Rear Naked Toke]

Propose one better. I just think it could make the belt more valuable if it had some criteria for obtaining it. Otherwise it just look like a gift from the UFC.

But what if that's essentially all it ever was? But it's not even that. It's a gimmick at the end of the day. A marketing tactic.

It's a device UFC created simply to drive more PPV buys. Nothing more, nothing less.

Edited to take into consideration one of your previous replies acknowledging that it was made to sell a PPV - Yes, get rid of the belt.

 

[barillas]

But what if that's essentially all it ever was? It's a gimmick at the end of the day. A marketing tactic.

It's a device UFC created simply to drive more PPV buys. Nothing more, nothing less.

If the UFC isnt going to define criteria, they should retire the BMF belt entirely.


Because without structure:
- It competes with no division title but also represents nothing.
- It cant build a legacy, each edition just resets as a marketing prop.
- It dilutes meaning for both the fighters and the fans.

 

[Rear Naked Toke]

If the UFC isnt going to define criteria, they should retire the BMF belt entirely.


Because without structure:
- It competes with no division title but also represents nothing.
- It cant build a legacy, each edition just resets as a marketing prop.
- It dilutes meaning for both the fighters and the fans.

I agree with you. I edited my post when I saw in a previous reply that your reasoning behind criteria formation was to either legitmaize it or scrap the gimmick.

 

[AMAZINGUFC]

Proposal to make the BMF belt objective and coherent​

 

[Natural Order]

Nobody has, or will, recognize the UFC’s “BMF Belt” as anything but a corny ass PR stunt. It was embarrassing then, it’s embarrassing that youre talking about it now. Let that thing fade to the dustbin of bad ideas.

 

[JBJ was here]

The entire point of the BMF belt, and too many interim belts, was to fulfill a contractual obligation with ESPN to headline a PPV with a title fight. Reading anything more into it is silly.

 

[Thepaintbucket]

Just no man. The UFC has worked so hard to trick people into thinking this sport is legitimate. Although BMF was a fun little venture it's time to let It go. Less like the WWE and more like a real sport from now on

 

[barillas]

Nobody has, or will, recognize the UFC’s “BMF Belt” as anything but a corny ass PR stunt. It was embarrassing then, it’s embarrassing that youre talking about it now. Let that thing fade to the dustbin of bad ideas.

Embarrassing that I’m talking about it? Yeah, man, discussing ideas is such a wild concept. Imagine using your brain on an MMA forum.


You calling it a PR stunt doesn t make you insightful, it just means you stopped thinking where the marketing department started. Everything in sports begins as promotion, the ones that last are the ones people bother to improve. Most things in sports start as marketing, the Allstar Game, the slam dunk contest, even the ballon dor in football. Over time, structure turns gimmicks into tradition

 

[barillas]

The entire point of the BMF belt, and too many interim belts, was to fulfill a contractual obligation with ESPN to headline a PPV with a title fight. Reading anything more into it is silly.

Just no man. The UFC has worked so hard to trick people into thinking this sport is legitimate. Although BMF was a fun little venture it's time to let It go. Less like the WWE and more like a real sport from now on

If the UFC doesn’t want to build it into something real, fine, just retire it. But pretending that “it started as a PR tool” automatically means “it can never evolve” is lazy thinking

 

[Natural Order]

Embarrassing that I’m talking about it? Yeah, man, discussing ideas is such a wild concept. Imagine using your brain on an MMA forum.


You calling it a PR stunt doesn t make you insightful, it just means you stopped thinking where the marketing department started. Everything in sports begins as promotion, the ones that last are the ones people bother to improve. Most things in sports start as marketing, the Allstar Game, the slam dunk contest, even the ballon dor in football. Over time, structure turns gimmicks into tradition

BMF = No chama

 

[Tito Tapped]

Yeah, genius, that’s called structure. “They just do it whenever they want” is exactly the problem. The point of criteria is to make the belt earned when they do it, not random PR. A symbol with standards becomes tradition.

There’s no fixed schedule; the title appears only when the matchup deserves it.


In other words, whenever the fuck they want.

 

[barillas]

BMF = No chama

It's also a great way to market superfights that have no championship in line, like Jones vs Poatan, probably the greatest fight this sport can see.

 

[barillas]

There’s no fixed schedule; the title appears only when the matchup deserves it.


In other words, whenever the fuck they want.

A schedule forces events even when they don’t make sense, a standard filters which ones actually deserve it.


If you can’t see the distinction, you’re proving exactly why the belt needs rules

 

[barillas]

Another criteria could simply be to make the fans vote for the matchup

 

[Natural Order]

At this point I can only assume @barillas is actually Dwayne Johnson…