So Jacare beat a nobody? (okami thread)

[lfd0311]

It makes zero sense to cut a guy like Okami. I could see cutting Fitch. Wasn't overly exciting, didn't really have a fan base and had lost more then he'd won over the last few years. But cutting Okami makes no sense, unless it's to keep him from ruining anyone else's hype.

 

[GrindingANARCHY]

Dan Hardy gets to stay because he has a Mohawk and he doesn't derail hype trains

Lombard was the man to dethrone Anderson they said. Biggest hype train bar none.

 

[spankdaddy]

I think any serious sports organization would want to keep the best athletes around, but the UFC is an entertainment company.

With that said, there may be a silver lining for Okami. Not being signed to the UFC may allow him to fight more often and to do so in Japan, where his marketability is obviously greater. So he may not be any worse off financially.

 

[Momanjabo]

This whole situation aside - Okami is no "nobody".

 

[Taric]

The Okami and Fitch's of the world are there to legitimize the divisions. They won't put butts in the seats, but what they will do is when they lose the fighters who beat them can be sold to the fans as the next big thing. Gatekeepers are just as important as your big stars. They're there to keep your divisions grounded with a structured hierarchy. Without them your whole divisional structure goes out the window and all you've got is the WWE.

 

[RJ43]

The main takeaway from Okami being let go is that Zuffa has given up on the Asian market. If they believed in any way they could get a nice foothold there they would have kept him.

If Dana was 100% truthful he'd say: "Jacare is, fuck, hey listen, the kid is an animal, OK? He beat Okami who is a fuckin awesome fighter. He's not in the UFC anymore because we don't care about the Asian market , but Okami, fuck, he would have derailed half of our MW contenders if we kept him."

Then a week later someone asks Dana how he feels about Bellator having a top 10 MW (Okami): "Who? Okami coudln't beat anyone. Look, we got Tim Boetsch. Go watch the Boetsch fight and tell me we don't have all the MW talent. Jacare killed Okami, he's not a top 10 fighter."

 

[phatron]

The main takeaway from Okami being let go is that Zuffa has given up on the Asian market. If they believed in any way they could get a nice foothold there they would have kept him.

My first thought was along these lines as well. Why would they cut him when they are trying to expand into that market? My guess is that they are having issues with sanctioning and/or tv deals and its going to be ~2 year wait....so why pay him in the meantime. And two years from now that can just find/make another "okami" that's younger, stronger and cheaper.