What changed Dana’s mind about promoting boring fighters?

[prime_lobov]

Once upon a time, Jon Fitch was fired from the UFC for his boring style, despite being good enough that he probably would have been champ if it weren’t for GSP.

Fast forward a decade and we’ve got the two most boring champions of all time reigning simultaneously: Merab and Belal. Both of these guys make Jon Fitch look like Poatan in comparison. Not to mention that during Fitch’s era, the 185-lb division was ruled by Anderson Silva, arguably the most dynamic and exciting fighter ever, but more recently, Dana allowed Sean Strickland, who couldn’t finish his way out of a wet paper bag, to own the middleweight strap.

One tactic the UFC has been using recently is to gaslight fans via Joe Rogan and the commentary team. They use words like “high-level,” “output,” and “pace” while feigning excitement to keep viewers awake. Rogan continually pushes the idea that if you don’t like boring fights, it’s because you aren’t a discerning fan or a true connoisseur of grappling like he is, and therefore need to become more enlightened by agreeing with the latest UFC hype campaign.

So what was it that changed Dana’s mind?

 

[Only Here for Attachments]

What's Dana going to do, strip both of them and hope an exciting guy wins the belt?

 

[prime_lobov]

No, just proactively cut boring fighters and/or never give them title shots.

 

[NoSmilez]

Merab didn't have a boring fight. You didn’t hear people cheering when he rallied during the championship rounds?

 

[Sycho Sid]

Once upon a time, Jon Fitch was fired from the UFC for his boring style, despite being good enough that he probably would have been champ if it weren’t for GSP.

Fast forward a decade and we’ve got the two most boring champions of all time reigning simultaneously: Merab and Belal. Both of these guys make Jon Fitch look like Poatan in comparison. Not to mention that during Fitch’s era, the 185-lb division was ruled by Anderson Silva, arguably the most dynamic and exciting fighter ever, but more recently, Dana allowed Sean Strickland, who couldn’t finish his way out of a wet paper bag, to own the middleweight strap.

One tactic the UFC has been using recently is to gaslight fans via Joe Rogan and the commentary team. They use words like “high-level,” “output,” and “pace” while feigning excitement to keep viewers awake. Rogan continually pushes the idea that if you don’t like boring fights, it’s because you aren’t a discerning fan or a true connoisseur of grappling like he is, and therefore need to become more enlightened by agreeing with the latest UFC hype campaign.

So what was it that changed Dana’s mind?

I know this might be a shock, but Dana does not actually pick the champions. He may make folks jump through hoops and be a pain in the ass, but if a "boring" fighter actually wins the belt, it is not his decision.

So if Fitch had been able to beat GSP, we would not have heard how boring he was, but how dominant.

So Dana's mind hasn't changed, he just has to change his rhetoric until he is lucky enough to get a belt back on an "exciting" fighter.

 

[prime_lobov]

I know this might be a shock, but Dana does not actually pick the champions. He may make folks jump through hoops and be a pain in the ass, but if a "boring" fighter actually wins the belt, it is not his decision.

So if Fitch had been able to beat GSP, we would not have heard how boring he was, but how dominant.

So Dana's mind hasn't changed, he just has to change his rhetoric until he is lucky enough to get a belt back on an "exciting" fighter.

He has control over who gets the title shot though. He could just keep making them toil in the top 10 until they lose.

 

[Wreckless]

You can't just cut a fighter that is signed under contract. And if a boring fighter keeps winning eventually you can't deny him a title shot either.

 

[ChickenBrother]

No, just proactively cut boring fighters and/or never give them title shots.

This is already happening to some extent but they have to at least pretend to put the best fighters in title shots. In general fighters don't get cut if they keep winning.

 

[Lycandroid]

Dana white didn't change his mind, TS just suffers from some form of memory loss

 

[Wreckless]

It took Belal a while to get a title shot. Let's not forget the UFC kept ignoring him until they had no other option and it became insulting not to give it to him.

 

[EndlessCritic]

Fitch vs GSP

Colby vs Usman

Merab vs Umar

Why is it when "boring" fighters fight, we get absolute wars?

 

[prime_lobov]

You can't just cut a fighter that is signed under contract. And if a boring fighter keeps winning eventually you can't deny him a title shot either.

You can do both. The first by paying out the remainder and releasing them. The latter by just endlessly passing them over and giving the shot to someone else. There isn’t a set algorithm to getting a title shot. Dana sets up whatever he wants.

 

[prime_lobov]

It took Belal a long time to get a title shot. Let's not forget the UFC kept ignoring him until it they had no choice and it became insulting not to give it to him.

That’s true they did make an effort to keep belal from the belt.

 

[Sean Chowdhury]

Belal and Merab are boring but I like them memeing their way into wins to see people get mad, Merab on the mic is insufferable though

 

[prime_lobov]

Fitch vs GSP

Colby vs Usman

Merab vs Umar

Why is it when "boring" fighters fight, we get absolute wars?

1. One-sided jabfest, pretty boring.
2. Colby is boring but I don’t think Marty is considered a boring fighter.
3. This wasn’t actually a war. Pretty average without a lot of excitement.

A real war is like Lawler vs Rory

 

[Wreckless]

You can do both. The first by paying out the remainder and releasing them. The latter by just endlessly passing them over and giving the shot to someone else. There isn’t a set algorithm to getting a title shot. Dana sets up whatever he wants.

They can't keep passing them over indefinitely. Eventually fan and media pressure will force their hand.
Makes no sense to pay out the remainder of their contract if they can utilize them to fill their cards.

 

[Meathead Jock]

Why are we still pretending Merab is boring? Belal? Sure. Merab is exciting as long as you accept the fact he isn't a finisher. Comparing him to Jon Fitch is lazy.


I will say though I was impressed Dana seemed jolly giving Merab the belt, it's the type of loss in the past where we would have seen pouting Dana putting the belt on.

 

[g*r*b]

Fitch was gotten rid of after he had a stretch of a draw, a loss, a win and another loss. One win in his last four fights. Belal's last loss was ELEVEN fights ago (12 if you count the No Contest.) Merab's was THIRTEEN. A little harder to find a plausible excuse to shuffle them out.

Now it's true that the UFC did get rid of a wrestler recently who was undefeated, Muhammed Mokaev. But apparently he was an immense pain for the company to deal with, and he had just put on an all-talk, no-fight match that outdid even Strickland. And — let's be honest — there's a hell of lot of -ev s and -ov s in the roster, it's hard to care about more than a handful. A lot of the journalists cried foul at not retaining a fighter who was still winning, but I know of noone who missed that specific person.

I still don't get why people find Merab boring. You can't say his fight's aren't action filled. They may not be the KIND of action you prefer, but he does a lot. And he outstruck Umar, didn't you know that? He's quite the personality, too. Love him or hate him, at least he's memorable.

Of "Remember the Name" himself, I'm less certain. In a weird way he seemed to carve out a role as the perennial dark horse. The guy you expected to fall by the wayside, but just...never...did. I wonder if that's what happened, that he managed to fly under Dana's radar until it was too late to get rid of him. These are the times when shoving aside a proclaimed Palastinian might have implications outside of the Octagon.

 

[Hymen Crusher]

I found the last two merab fights extremely exciting. I would watch him big brother Sean 3 more times. Belal is a boring fighter. Never trades punches or anything. Merab was in the pocket for half the fight. Umar could have stopped him anytime.

 

[Thepaintbucket]

Dana has ESPN money now to fall back on