The UFC has become more Entertainment then it is a Sport

[Mahkor]

It's fighting, it has always been more entertainment than sport.

 

[Shabutie]

"... has become"?

You have a Nov '13 join date TS

So, after the UFC put Chael Sonnen in a LHW title fight

The same Chael who had been wrecked inside 7 minutes in his previous fight, in the division 20lbs below LHW

The same Chael who hadn't fought at 205 for 7+ years

The same Chael who hadn't beaten a relevant 205er for close to a DECADE

And you're only just getting this now?

Why so salty on Chael? He had balls and was hilarious trash talker.

 

[surrealworlds]

The UFC was founded on spectacle. It was a contest made up by the Gracies to "prove" Gracie Ju Jitsu was the best Martial Art. It wasn't about sport exactly. Over the years there has always been a balance between entertainment and competition. That's combat sports in general. Lately the pendulum has swung more toward the entertainment side of things but i see it as a natural progression.
The sport of MMA had to prove it could sell in order to justify the higher paydays that we are now seeing. I think what will happen next will be the fighters will gradually gain more power through finance and eventually will be able to push it back toward the sport/meritocracy side of things.

I think we are already seeing a bit of power shift with the champs fighting less and making more demands and being more willing to sit on the sidelines or leave the UFC altogether. As we see more of this we will see them have more control.

Also we are seeing fighters getting fed up with being passed up for legit shots in favor of the spectacle. That power shift combined with these situations will eventually swing the pendulum back toward the sport side of things. Right now you just have to either enjoy the spectacle or cringe as we live through it. Whichever.

 

[AimedWithV]

think we are already seeing a bit of power shift with the champs fighting less and making more demands and being more willing to sit on the sidelines or leave the UFC altogether. As we see more of this we will see them have more control.

No, they have no control and will have even less control.

Also we are seeing fighters getting fed up with being passed up for legit shots in favor of the spectacle. That power shift combined with these situations will eventually swing the pendulum back toward the sport side of things. Right now you just have to either enjoy the spectacle or cringe as we live through it. Whichever.

They simply have a voice. They can bark, but they cannot bite. There is no power shift and it will not happen here. No reason for it to happen.
Sorry. I understand your wishful thinking , but no need to be delusional.

 

[Thenewguysnm1]

The fact you said ufc instead of MMA means you have no credibility
Anyway MMA was never a sport it’s simply prizefighting
Calling it wwe because a couple of fighters are trash talk is ridiculous

 

[ArtemV]

Nice of you to catch on... let us know what other prophets you have just uncovered...

 

[gspfedkobe24]

I thought the UFC was where only the best in the world compete? You can't have it both ways just cant......

 

[LilChuckLil]

No shit.

I came here to say this, however first comment #/thread

 

[chinarice]

What the fighting world has become as it is all about money instead of "climb the ladder and you will eventually get a chance." Now all new fighters are trying to become the next Conor by talking smack and hoping to get a title shot. Fans don't care about the technical aspects of fighting anymore, they just want to see two guys swinging like a couple drunks until someone gets knocked out. Lastly fighters that are not champs are paid more than fighters who are champs.

Become? It's been this way over a decade.

It started with TUF where it basically became an expectation.

Before that, you basically only had TIto and Tank shit talking like crazy and being about entertainment.

 

[kflo]

Ok, once again... mandatory defenses in boxing, an older prize fighting sport. UFC doesn't have mandatory defenses, the #1 contender could be skipped over for years, it's all on the whim of what the UFC wants to do for "money fights."

when has that ever happened?

it happens in boxing all the time because of all the different sanctioning bodies.

 

[kflo]

I thought the UFC was where only the best in the world compete? You can't have it both ways just cant......

noone ever claimed every top fighter fought in the ufc and the worst fighter in the ufc is better than the best fighter everywhere else.

 

[Szwok]

has Always been this way!

i remeber the days that Title shots were granted when there were no rankings… ppl would lost their minds when someone would get a TS

 

[kflo]

Your point was a non-sequitur and not relevant to the discussion and has nothing to do with my point about mandatory defenses. NFL changed to playoff system because it's a better system than owners voting for the winner, not to make more money per se. It would be more salient if the NFL only put in the most popular, major market teams instead of the divisional winners + the 2 teams from each conference with the best record that didn't win their division.

the "nfl" doesn't own the "nfl". the franchise owners do. the system was absolutely changed to make more money. the "nfl" can't make changes that fuck over the actual owners. because the "nfl" aren't the owners of the nfl.

 

[car epic win]

UFC is a private company that puts on shows of fighters who practice the sport of MMA. UFC was never a sport dummy.

 

[FrankieNYC]

Your point was a non-sequitur and not relevant to the discussion and has nothing to do with my point about mandatory defenses. NFL changed to playoff system because it's a better system than owners voting for the winner, not to make more money per se. It would be more salient if the NFL only put in the most popular, major market teams instead of the divisional winners + the 2 teams from each conference with the best record that didn't win their division.

Still missing the point and you don't understand the meaning of non sequitur.

But nothing is funnier than you thinking playoff changes were not 100% about money.
It shows you know zero history of business decisions by sporting leagues .

Have a good one though.

 

[FrankieNYC]

the "nfl" doesn't own the "nfl". the franchise owners do. the system was absolutely changed to make more money. the "nfl" can't make changes that fuck over the actual owners. because the "nfl" aren't the owners of the nfl.

Imagine thinking adding teams to playoffs wasn't a money decision lol.

 

[Shadowthrone]

 

[Chagaev]

At this point, I feel like I'm above the actual fights anyway.

I just wanna hate on some dudes and ramble on biomolecular chemistry and the geopolitics of Caucasus.

 

[VAfan]

they were trying to maintain a facade of credibility for a long while. it's only recently that they've given up on that, now they're not even trying to hide the fact that the only thing that matters is money.

which i find ridiculous, as there are dozens of other major sports leagues in the world out there operating right now that care about rankings, regulations etc. and still manage to make money.

 

[Cat Biscuits]

That was my point...Being the best means nothing these days.

The guy I was quoting was talking about how it's "prize fighting" but should really call it Prize "fighting" as there isn't as much fighting as there is talking these days. Dudes sitting on the sidelines, talking shit for months/years before they fight once.

I miss when fighters were actually active. Talking shit was ignored if you weren't active enough. It used to be "shut up and fight" but now people love the drama and twitter wars. The millennial culture sucks, and the UFC is catering to it which is lowering the quality of their product.