Unearned title shots: 2025 edition

[Dr Fong]

How weak of a bloke do you have to be to whine about incels. Well done pal, you're on a par with fat lasses on tik tok when you don't accept that 50% body fat is beautiful.
As for the topic at hand, yep, DDP destroyed him, as he will any middleweight or light heavyweight you put in front of him today. The outcome of the fight, however, is completely irrelevant in whether it was deserved.
The other options were:
Whittaker, who had already been destroyed by DDP, coming off a win over an unranked guy I couldn't even name.
Khamzat, without a ranked win at middleweight, coming off a win over a 7 days notice Kamaru Usman who hasn't won a fight in years.
Adesanya, coming off a one sided beatdown against Strickland, who hadn't won in years.

Who exactly deserved that shot more than Strickland? Cannonier? Vettori?

I thoroughly enjoyed you taking personal offence to the 'Strickland incel' line and protesting it by randomly bringing up fat women.

I couldn't have scripted it better.

 

[Mohawk Banditó]

I thoroughly enjoyed you taking personal offence to the 'Strickland incel' line and protesting it by randomly bringing up fat women.

I couldn't have scripted it better.

"How dare you mock sad, women-hating losers. God, you're almost as bad as a woman."

The other options were:
Whittaker, who had already been destroyed by DDP, coming off a win over an unranked guy I couldn't even name.
Khamzat, without a ranked win at middleweight, coming off a win over a 7 days notice Kamaru Usman who hasn't won a fight in years.
Adesanya, coming off a one sided beatdown against Strickland, who hadn't won in years.

Who exactly deserved that shot more than Strickland? Cannonier? Vettori?

No, they weren't. Your timeline is wrong.

When they booked Sean's rematch against DDP, Khamzat had beaten Whittaker.

 

[JBJ was here]

I'm not sure what you're missing here.

Losing a close decision in a title fight does not earn you a rematch. The idea that it does is profoundly stupid and the source of many of the worst title bookings in UFC history and many of the most moronic arguments in Sherdog history.

Losing a close decision in a title fight generally means that you're one or at most two good wins away from getting back to a title fight rather than at the back of the contender line, and if there's no one who's earned a title shot you might reasonably be given one despite not having earned it.

 

[Aurelian]

Losing a close decision in a title fight does not earn you a rematch. The idea that it does is profoundly stupid and the source of many of the worst title bookings in UFC history and many of the most moronic arguments in Sherdog history.

Losing a close decision in a title fight generally means that you're one or at most two good wins away from getting back to a title fight rather than at the back of the contender line, and if there's no one who's earned a title shot you might reasonably be given one despite not having earned it.

Take it up with the UFC. This is the standard and precedent they've set over and over.

This idea you have that it doesn't earn you a shot is clearly wrong since UFC follows this model consistently.

 

[Mohawk Banditó]

Take it up with the UFC. This is the standard and precedent they've set over and over.

This idea you have that it doesn't earn you a shot is clearly wrong since UFC follows this model consistently.

Rematches have no rhyme or reason. Plenty of not close fights get immediate rematches too. The UFC hasn't set some precedent that 'close fights earn you a rematch' as much as it has at the precedent that, "We'll make up any reason to do a fight we think will sell well."

 

[Aurelian]

Rematches have no rhyme or reason. Plenty of not close fights get immediate rematches too. The UFC hasn't set some precedent that 'close fights earn you a rematch' as much as it has at the precedent that, "We'll make up any reason to do a fight we think will sell well."

Right, the point boils down to UFC will do whatever the hell they want. People who come up with their own criteria for title shots is just using their imagination or what they think should happen.

Of course, if I'm the matchmaker I'm almost never doing instant rematches for a title. That's not how the UFC operates.

 

[Mohawk Banditó]

Right, the point boils down to UFC will do whatever the hell they want. People who come up with their own criteria for title shots is just using their imagination or what they think should happen.

Of course, if I'm the matchmaker I'm almost never doing instant rematches for a title. That's not how the UFC operates.

Regardless of how they pick or whatever justifications they make up though, I think we're still free to voice what we think is "deserved" or not.

IMO, when we had Sean off a Costa win and Rob off wins over Costa (first) AND Aliskerov, it was real cute that Sean thought he was ahead just because of the close DDP fight, but then he outright refused to fight Rob. Instead, Khamzat stepped up and ran through Rob with ease, so at that point, there was no reason to not tell Sean to sit on it.

 

[Aurelian]

Regardless of how they pick or whatever justifications they make up though, I think we're still free to voice what we think is "deserved" or not.

IMO, when we had Sean off a Costa win and Rob off wins over Costa (first) AND Aliskerov, it was real cute that Sean thought he was ahead just because of the close DDP fight, but then he outright refused to fight Rob. Instead, Khamzat stepped up and ran through Rob with ease, so at that point, there was no reason to not tell Sean to sit on it.

Sure, but I think that guy was stating his opinion as a fact and belittling others for recognizing and acknowledging what the UFC actually does in practice.

But when it comes to the Khamzat or Sean debate, I think Khamzat was next regardless. The timeline might not have matched up for him either or some other innocuous reason behind the scenes were not aware of.

 

[moosaev]

Alright folks, 2023 and 2024 were amazing years for guys getting title shots coming off losses, long layoffs or wins over random bums, so time to start a new thread to keep track of this nonsense for 2025.

(Note that WMMA is not included because who knows what is and isn't earned in that context)

Islam vs Moicano: Unearned

Merab vs Umar: Earned (Umar may not have really earned his title eliminator bout in the first place, but once he won that, you can't argue against his title shot).

DDP vs Strickland: Unearned - cue incel tears. Zero defence champion. A one-fight split decision win streak over a non-serious contender coming off a loss and 1-3 in his last 4 fights.

Poatan vs Ank - Earned

Volk vs Lopes - Laughably unearned. Volk riding a double KO losing streak, 3 in 4 fights AND a year-long layoff. Even Lopes is getting the shot over an undefeated guy who beat him.

Belal vs JDM - Tough one. I'm not sure beating an elderly Burns in the middle of a 3-fight skid really 'earns' you a shot. But JDM is also on an undefeated 7-fight streak. Also a replacement. I'll be generous and go 'earned'.

Merab vs O'Malley: Unearned. Title shot rematch off a dominant loss.

Pantoja vs KKF: Unearned. 1-2 in last 3. Win was over guy ranked 10 now riding a 3-fight losing streak.

DDP vs Khamzat: Earned.

Topuria vs Oliveira: Double unearned. Vacant title, one guy 1-0 vs unranked fighter in the division, the other guy on a 1-fight win streak over a shot fighter who had lost 3 of last 4.

JDM vs Islam: Unearned. Never fought at 170.

Tally so far:

Earned: 4
Unearned: 7

Islam earned the 170 shot based on precedence. 4 title defenses at 155, all time LW defense record, P4P #1 fighter in the sport. Others have gotten double champ shots for far less.

 

[jeskola]

Coming soon to this list:

Paddy vs Topuria
Black Beast vs Aspinall
Marcus McGhee vs Merab
Aaron Pico vs Volk
Rountree Jr. Vs Ank

 

[muaythaibeast]

"How dare you mock sad, women-hating losers. God, you're almost as bad as a woman."


No, they weren't. Your timeline is wrong.

When they booked Sean's rematch against DDP, Khamzat had beaten Whittaker.

Really? Happy to be wrong, but I remember it as been just after Whittaker beat the unknown guy after Khamzat pulled out.
If Khamzat had already beat Whittaker, he absolutely should have got the opportunity.

 

[Dr Fong]

Thread updated.

Unearned title shots are really starting to display their dominance.

 

[Aurelian]

Thread updated.

Unearned title shots are really starting to display their dominance.

Thanks we were waiting for this update

 

[Dr Fong]

Thanks we were waiting for this update

Thank you for your sincere appreciation, it makes it all worth it.