Just wondering how much a current champ gets to choose who he fights or doesnt fight. For example Bisping just straight up declined fighting jacare and wanted Hendo and thats the fight he got. Now with Woodley kind of the same thing, he just refuses to fight wonderboy and will most likely face someone like gsp IF he returns. So basically a champ can just decline the hard fights and go for the easier or money fights? Im confused.
Quite simple really. If you are a draw and make the UFC money they'll be more willing to listen when it comes to who you fight. Other than that maybe when there are a couple guys in the running I can see the champ getting some say in who they fight. In the case of Woodley though he is not a draw, not well known to casuals, is a new champ and Thompson is clearly established as the top contender. Wonderboy has to get this fight, it's really that simple.
You guys have a misconception about Bisping getting the Dan Henderson fight Only reason this fight made sense is because Bisping called out someone who has beaten him, Ko'd him brutally. The champ should be allowed to call out someone who he lost to in such a one sided pounding like that, infact it takes courage to make that call. Woodley calling out Diaz or retired GSP makes no sense what's so ever. At least with GSP he was the reigning Champion before the retirement but Diaz fight is just stupid.
The champ can call guys out, that automatically makes that fight more likely and a better draw. In the case of Woodley, it makes perfect sense, the names he threw out are two of the biggest draws in the UFC and aren't easy fights so why wouldn't the UFC give him one of them. In the case of Bisping it doesn't make as much sense because the guy is an easyish fight but that fight is the best draw they could have put together. I think Eddie wanting the winner of Diaz v McGregor 2 makes sense as well because they will draw a ton and be interesting match ups (not to mention that the so called number one contender hasn't fought anyone at all except RDA and that was 3 years ago). This is a business so as long as it makes more money, it makes sense and the UFC will do it. The other thing fans seem to forget is after these champs fight the money fights they will then have to fight the number one contenders. That will happen so lets see the big money fight first and then see the merit based fights next... that is the prize fighting game.
Not true. UFC 40, Chuck Liddell got passed over in favor of a 1-2 I think 40 something year old Ken Shamrock vs Tito. Brock had like a 2-1, 1-1 record if we only factor in UFC fights when he fought Couture for the title.
At the end of the day every fighter decides who they fight. It's up to the UFC to either accept it or punish them by not signing them to fight
I think it's a complete misconception to think these guys are calling their shots. The Bisping and Woodley scenarios are money grabs by the UFC. Nothing less, nothing more. Of course the UFC (and Woodley for that matter) would rather do a GSP fight than a Wonderboy fight. That's a no-brainer. As for Bisping, the UFC can market a Hendo rematch much more easily than a Jacare fight. Also, the UFC probably doesn't mind having a British champion to further cash in on the European market (thus giving him an easier fight). The GSP talk seems like a unique situation, being that he's the WW GOAT, he never actually lost the belt, and he's a huge draw. The Bisping-Hendo fight is obviously absurd. But don't get it twisted. These aren't examples of champions choosing whom they fight. The UFC controls the strings on these kinds of things.
