UFC needs to eliminate these BS ways to earn title fights

[Deleted member 245586]

Seriously, I always see threads about how MMA is on the decline, and to be honest, a few years back I thought it was by far the best sport around. I never missed an event and was excited about cards and could tell you at least something about most of the roster. However, the way it is currently run is complete bushleague. How are people supposed to take a sport seriously when you have a guy like Sonnen being offered a chance to win a title fight when he has gone 1-3 in his last four fights (and being stopped in all the losses)?

What does this tell other fighters? Shit like this leads to people like Forrest and Bonnar being in the Hall of Fame. Listen, I am not saying the UFC shouldnt honor them, but you have to make something like the HoF sacred. You can have some other BS like a fucking wall or a ring of honor or some other BS name for a place that you put people like those two on.

Anyway, end of rant.

Fans continue to send their message through PPV sales, TV ratings, and attendance at live events.

 

[Emjay]

Ok I am not sure what you are looking for but here goes:

Legitimate means to conform to rules. Therefore, it would be helpful if there were specific outlines on how one earns a title shot that is not solely dependent on who steps in on short notice, etc. This would be a set a of rules, and then they would have to follow said rules

Ok ... Now that makes sense.

The volatility of MMA makes that impossible however. Guys get injured, fail drug tests and suspended, "need time off", etc... And this in between fights or as a result of fights.

There will never be a set protocol. That's a big reason why I always say rankings don't matter.

 

[born2killl]

If that is true then Vitor will smash him and you have nothing to worry about.

This times a million.

In other sports if the 2nd place team faces a 9th place team, does anybody bitch its not deserved?

Nobody needs to earn a shot at vitor; he doesnt have a belt so who the f' is he that other fighters need to earn

 

[SeattleFightFan]

Ok ... Now that makes sense.

The volatility of MMA makes that impossible however. Guys get injured, fail drug tests and suspended, "need time off", etc... And this in between fights or as a result of fights.

There will never be a set protocol. That's a big reason why I always say rankings don't matter.

yes.

i swear bitching about "undeserved title shots" is like R's bitching about gas prices. a year or 3 goes by and no big jumps in gas prices and no changes whatsoever to the marketplace or policies laws of economics, and then suddenly the price of gas will go up 20% in 3 weeks (again, just like it did a few years prior and a few years before that) and they will scream to high heaven, the world is ending as we know it, off with their heads, drill baby drill!!!!! and then it will go back down slightly and stagnate for a bit and they'll quit screaming.....until it happens again. and they seem completely unaware that there is a pattern, or how utterly cliche and childish their actions are.

same thing here. title shots never were held for the #2 guy. as it turns out, often the #2 guy got it, because the criteria that IS used (e.g. can this guy get us the best rate of return on the ppv) overlaps the criteria that these confused fans seem to think - or truly wish - was used (e.g. "the most deserving", based on recent fighting record).

it's as if no one can remember anything beyond last month. or bothers to use critical thinking. or both.

 

[BruceLeeOnTRT]

Only way to make it fair would be to make every contender for the title decided by a tournament in that weight class. Whoever wins gets the shot. Bellator runs a great model, but it doesnt have the fighters that ufc does.

 

[The Eye]

are you suggesting that a few years ago (back before it was in decline and you thought it was the best thing since sliced bread) there were no BS ways to earn title fights? no BS title fights?

if not, the internal logic or your argument is non-existent.

if so, do you need some examples?

No, you are right, things were very similar, but that doesnt mean that the sport should not evolve, particularly when Dana himself is trying to legitimatise the sport. Why keep that mentality as the sport grows? And also, I think Chael is a good example of why the whole premise is wrong, here is a guy that keeps getting title shots based on things that have nothing to do with his fighting skill. So I think that part of the problem with why interest has declined (at least for me, but I think there is a percentage of ppl like me) is due to the realization that the organization will continue to be run like a circus.

Ok ... Now that makes sense.

The volatility of MMA makes that impossible however. Guys get injured, fail drug tests and suspended, "need time off", etc... And this in between fights or as a result of fights.

There will never be a set protocol. That's a big reason why I always say rankings don't matter.

Agreed that fighting is different than many other sports. However, the UFC cards are always billed as being more than just the main event. If the company really believed that, they would just continue having PPVs "as is" after an injury/cancellation, rather than making replacement fights which carry irrational implications. I do agree with you that with these types of decisions the UFC basically makes their rankings irrelevant.

 

[The Eye]

Not sure if anyone is interested in this article, but I will provide the link anyway. Here is a quote:
http://www.mmafighting.com/2014/5/29/5761550/sorting-out-the-chael-sonnen-wanderlei-silva-vortex

Sonnen, who skipped in front of the line when making the move to 205 pounds to fight Jon Jones, is now returning to 185 (now that Anderson Silva has cleared out) with a chance to do the same. How this is possible can

 

[glennrod]

A tournament style is the only way..especially with the blatant bias and downright queer shit going on with the rankings themselves...

 

[drphil]

People are wasting their time making these threads.
The ufc has simply become boxing, you know, the thing dana swore they'd never become.

Lawler vs brown for #1 contender when brown still hasn't fought anyone in the top 10 is silly enough but this is on another level.

Chael in no way deserves a #1 contenders fight whether he's stepping up or not. But he makes ppv numbers so they'll try to make him a champ come hell or high water.

Just relax people, it's just boxing without the million dollar paydays.
Just remember it's a business not a sport, whoever makes the most money for them will get the title shots, rankings= meaningless.

 

[Emjay]

Agreed that fighting is different than many other sports. However, the UFC cards are always billed as being more than just the main event. If the company really believed that, they would just continue having PPVs "as is" after an injury/cancellation, rather than making replacement fights which carry irrational implications. I do agree with you that with these types of decisions the UFC basically makes their rankings irrelevant.

The UFC is a promotion company, not a sports league. So trying to decipher their production in an attempt to make sense out of it is just you spinning your wheels and not going anywhere.

 

[The Eye]

The UFC is a promotion company, not a sports league. So trying to decipher their production in an attempt to make sense out of it is just you spinning your wheels and not going anywhere.

One can hope