Stay active VS sit out and wait?

[The Legendary Scarface]

Which one do you think is more beneficial for the fighter nowadays?

You have guys like Holland who are always a phone call away and that keeps money in his pockets, allows him to squeeze into some FN Main Events and has helped him gain him a bit more popularity.
Or even Burns, who's made a name for himself and climbed his way to the top quickly because he was rewarded for his activity.

But then you have someone like Ortega who lost to the Champ, sat out for like 2 years, came back to beat a top 5 guy and is now immediately pushed to the big stage to fight for a title again (and get a TUF gig) .

Even Masvidal.. loses a UD , doesnt fight anyone else, just chills on Twitter for a year and he gets a rematch , headlining PPV fight.

It's a strange dynamic because it's really hard to gauge what's the better thing for your career and what Pink Goof will do.

So, which one is it dawg,
Stay active
Or
Sit out and wait?

 

[Kryptt]

I'm in the "Stay Active" column (ask a mod for a poll) but I fully understand why fighters sit out.

My vote is purely selfish as I only care about my pleasure and the scrap and the rest be damned pretty much.

Like a stripper "Dollars for the Dance, then Done".

 

[Hellowhosthat]

Depends on where you are in your career really, early on it's always better to stay active. Once you've got a name and a position to protect it might sometimes make sense to wait for the fight that you want.

 

[13Seconds]

Gus has always been inactive as fuck and got like 100 titleshots anyway
Dana confirmed today that Colby is next in line for the titleshot
Masvidal
Weidman sat out for a while before he got the shot vs Silva

 

[The Legendary Scarface]

Depends on where you are in your career really, early on it's always better to stay active. Once you've got a name and a position to protect it might sometimes make sense to wait for the fight that you want.

Great point.
Gotta crawl 'fo you ball

 

[Sakurabaism]

Depends on the manager. it's beneficial for some dudes like Ortega and Gayci to just wait on the sideline until they get a title eliminator or straight for the belt, while Colby and Leon need to stay busy to get on Dana's good grace.

 

[Kos Fan]

Big names can sit out.
No name guys like Leon Edwards have to stay as active as possible and hope a big winning streak can get them a big fight.

 

[sdpdude9]

Depends on the situation. If you’re rising through the ranks, better to stay active. Helps you build your name and get more experience. Once you’re an established contender near a title shot, lot of times probably better career wise to wait for the right match up that gets you to the title shot.

 

[moreorless87]

Depends on your status of course but sadly sitting out and waiting is probably best if you are inline for a title shot.

 

[Diamond Dallas Poirier]

Which one do you think is more beneficial for the fighter nowadays?

You have guys like Holland who are always a phone call away and that keeps money in his pockets, allows him to squeeze into some FN Main Events and has helped him gain him a bit more popularity.
Or even Burns, who's made a name for himself and climbed his way to the top quickly because he was rewarded for his activity.

But then you have someone like Ortega who lost to the Champ, sat out for like 2 years, came back to beat a top 5 guy and is now immediately pushed to the big stage to fight for a title again (and get a TUF gig) .

Even Masvidal.. loses a UD , doesnt fight anyone else, just chills on Twitter for a year and he gets a rematch , headlining PPV fight.

It's a strange dynamic because it's really hard to gauge what's the better thing for your career and what Pink Goof will do.

So, which one is it dawg,
Stay active
Or
Sit out and wait?

Depends on whether the fighter is the real deal. Are you accepting of the fact that you aren't the best, and are looking to get lucky with that shot? Or are you the best? That's what "champion" is supposed to represent. Though casuals who care about name value ruin that. And "hardcores" obsessed with pro records and UFC rankings ruin that too.

Take Conor McGregor, perfect example. He knocked Poirier out in the first round. Coulda waited as long as he wanted to fight Aldo. Instead, fought lower-ranked, mismatched Dennis Siver. Gets derided for that, despite dominating and destroying him. Then, when his title shot came, he suffered a severe career-altering injury. Pull out and wait, or take a risk and fight? Conor carried on. Then, Aldo hurt his rib. Pull out and wait, or take a risk and fight? Conor carried on. Then, Chad Mendes, worst fight in the division is offered. Pull out and wait, or take the risk and fight? Conor carried on. Won. Then knocked out Aldo in the biggest moment in UFC history. I could go on; take on easy challenger or fight risky RDA; wait for injured RDA or fight Nate; take featherweight fight or rematch guy who just finished you, etc. etc.

If you're the real deal, then fight. If you aren't, then by all means, play the system.

 

[You Will Vote For Dreyga]

Depends on where you are in your career really, early on it's always better to stay active. Once you've got a name and a position to protect it might sometimes make sense to wait for the fight that you want.

 

[spinup]

Depends on your status on the roster, on your fighting style and on the damage you take each fight.

 

[Bubba32]

depends who you are

 

[j18lee]

If you are confident in your skills and think that you'll more than likely win, then you should definitely be active (Jon Jones pre-champ days, Cowboy Cerrone during his contender years). If you think you're a journeyman who lucked into a great position/title shot (Masvidal), then you absolutely should sit out and wait for the big money fight because you know you got almost no shot of winning a title or getting another legit title shot so you better not risk taking another fight because you'll likely lose.

 

[cooks1]

I's easier to stay active when you are fringe top 10 or lower. When you are a top 5 fighter, particularly coming off a win, it's a lot harder to fight every 3 months.

Obviously money plays a role as well. If you are making 500K + a fight, it's a lot easier to sit out.

 

[TempleoftheDog]

If you are a draw or very highly ranked you can just sit and do nothing and not even lose your ranking (Except Edwards, but that was bullshit).

But, as a fan if you sit out I just don’t give a damn about you. You may as well retire for all I care. It’s complete bullshit to get rewarded for sitting though. However the UFC does whatever it wants. So, I just hold my nose and watch the bullshit fights anyways.

 

[FIghtxIQ]

Active for money and moving up rankings. Wait if you have money already or saved from past fights and trying to hold your spot or close to the belt and you can let others fight and make the way for you to the belt easier. This would be if you are in the top 5. You can get your title shot by just waiting out the process of elimination. Which a lot of fighters do in the top 5. Unless they offer a guaranteed title shot to the winner, that's usually when those fighters take the fight.

 

[Sticko]

If you're not one of the guys with a loud personality like Masvidal, Colby Covington or Conor, does sitting out ever work for you?

If you're an awesome foreign fighter who doesn't speak English I'm not sure you can successfully sit out.

A bland guy like Leon Edwards tried sitting out and Dana took his ranking away from him. Didn't give it back until Leon agreed to fight unranked Khamzat.

 

[dildos]

Ortega had injury after injury whilst he was out you goof, and he gutted his team and rebuilt it. That takes time as a fighter.

 

[G10]

Depends on where you are in your career really, early on it's always better to stay active. Once you've got a name and a position to protect it might sometimes make sense to wait for the fight that you want.

This. Also, a lot of it comes down to how liked the fighters are by the UFC. Dana's shown that he's been willing to cut a lot of breaks to inactive guys if they are on his good side. A few fighters come to mind who liked to fight all the time, but they rubbed the boss the wrong way and their careers paid for it as a result.