Brock Lesnar
While ever improving, and obviously capable, Brock won a belt that really should hold no weight to the pure MMA fan. There was no discussion of the fight between Randy and who ever, when they offered an interim belt to Big Nog and Tim Sylvia.
There was no champion then, they hadn't written off Couture, but they felt strongly enough to offer the title up to the next guys in line.
Should Randy have challenged Nog to unify that title? Realistically that should have been the case, but wait..Nog is busy filming a TV show, not defending his new found belt. Now Brock is our champ.
What is this, the new math?
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Big Nog won the interim heavyweight title when the UFC was without a heavyweight champ. Now he stands second to a man who won the real belt when the real champ returned through legal means.
Now he must fight and win twice before being considered the true champ. Is he not the man who should have been first in line when Randy returned to the UFC? Alas a TV show is more important to the UFC than their heavywieght champion defending his title, or having his title reduced to a worthless pile of metal and leather in Nog's case.
Anderson Silva
Current middleweight champion, supposedly will be moving up in weight in the coming year to further test his skills against the best the UFC has to offer.
The UFC is incapable of producing a challenger for this pound for pound contender. He may very well turn his back on a belt he will never lose. Does his skill as a fighter eclipse the entire division?
Is there no one who can knock this dude the hell out? Surely there is someone. Is he so good, he has to walk away from his belt? Sadly this may prove more true than we might like. It is not to Silva's detriment but until he loses, isn't he the champ, shouldn't he remain that way?
Geroges St. Pierre
GSP holds the welterweight belt that Thiago Alves dearly wants. Thiago has earned a shot at the belt in decisive fashion, and he has some very undeniable skills that could very well give GSP some trouble. GSP vs. Alves is an intriguing match up. A match up fight fans deserve to see.
A match up Alves deserves to be a part of, a belt he has decisively earned a crack at. It may never happen depending on how the next two months play out for GSP and the welterweight division. There is a chance (a slim one depending on who you ask) that GSP may not hold the belt by the time Alves gets his shot.
B.J. Penn
The current lightweight champion. Kenny Florian is the heir to that throne. He has been since he defeated Roger Huerta some time ago. B.J. thinks he has bigger fish to fry in another division. He has actively put defending his current belt on hold with his aspirations for another belt.
This has effectively put two divisions on hold as mentioned before. The fight is good for business, good for the fans as it is more than likely going to be fight of the century, but the bottom line is its tying up more than one number one contender, not to mention the belts themselves.
comments (25) write a comment »
write a new comment
about 1 month ago
I want to say this. This article was not to speak against the fighters themselves, Brock in particular. Im just pointing out the irrelevance of the belt when choosing matchups. It seems the matchups are more important than the belt itself, or even the fighters in many cases.
from about 1 month ago
Yodd, You should never apologize for simply telling the truth. ***** POTD. You should be a leader in our community, you have a knack for figuring things out and putting them in writing that is easy to understand. I just love that in a leader!
from about 1 month ago
So sorry for misspelling your name Todd. You can tell the type of week I have had.
from about 1 month ago
Very good article. As a fan I can't help but want to see Anderson Silva move up to light heavyweight because I believe he could be a champion, I can't wait to see Penn vs. Georges and I don't know WTF is going on in the heavyweight division because as far as I'm concerned Randy should have had to beat Nog to be champ after leaving the organization. I have said it before, a champion should have to relinquish his title if he wants to persue a championship in another weight class because it's a champions duty to defend that belt. I'm aware of the upcoming events in the UFC and all the news about Silva moving up but I hadn't really looked at it as a whole until I read your article.
from about 1 month ago
Thank you D for your kind words. I truly appreciate that coming from our community leader. Dont worry about my name, I am known by many names Yodd is just one of the many. Take care D.
from about 1 month ago
Mike, Im with you on the super fights, I am very excited. I just wonder why we covet the belts so much when it really isnt what governs decisions when making mathups. It popped in my head and my keyboard took off with the rest. Glad you enjoyed bro take care.
about 1 month ago
MMA has been getting alot of love lately. Just saw your article on the front page!
from about 1 month ago
I dont get to the computer much over the weekend, I missed it. Thanks for the heads up bro. Hope you enjoyed the read.
about 1 month ago
super fights are the way of the UFC, they do what people wish boxing had done, pit the best fighters against each other. Yeah Randy should have fought Nog, but they didn't know if Randy was coming back so they set up Nog with Mir on TUF. Then Randy came back, Mir and Nog were set for a fight and Brock was coming off an impressive win, so they gave him the fight. We all know that the real title fight if Brock vs winner of Nog/Mir.
That said i agree with your argument, the matchups are money driven, but we get good fights and the best fighters do meet, sometimes it takes a while, but it happens.
from about 1 month ago
Im not really opposed to the super fights and dream matchups, or even mistakes made through poor planning. Im just saying the belts seem worthless no matter who fights for them sometimes. If they were really important would they be asking Silva to walk away from his for the sake of better fights at the top of that particular division, I say no. As for the fights, we get great fights, and I thoroughly enjoy it. I just wish in some way they would pay more attention to the dynamics of the divisions, not reshape them due to ppv buys. Thanks for reading and commenting, glad you were here to read and comment.
about 1 month ago
Nice article. It is interesting how the UFC sets up their "contender contests". A lot of quality, deserving fighters are getting screwed out of title shots. I agree with what you said about Alves. Out of every WW fighter, he's got the best punchers chance against GSP. Not to mention his improving ground game and over all MMA skill. As he has ascended in the WW division, his game is visibly evolving. By the way, what does POTD mean?
from about 1 month ago
I think that stands for Pick Of The Day but I have been wrong many many times before, heh.
from about 1 month ago
Thanks for reading Brandon. I just think that guys that earn that shot should get it. Otherwise whats the point of contending? Its not like we can have KenFlo and Alves fight while they wait. I enjoy the great fights dont get me wrong, I just think its wrong to put such talent on hold. Thanks again for the read and comment bro.
about 1 month ago
I just want to say that there are plenty of guys out there that can fight but dont draw.
Anderson Silva is far from unbeatable - he got beat in 90 seconds by Ryo Chonan in a Pride fight.
Despite Ryo having a UFC contract now there has been no mention of a rematch. People could say its because Ryo hasnt been winning in the UFC but that didnt stop them from giving a title fight to Jeremy Horn.
I could think of several guys who could beat Silva but ill probably save that for an article of my own, lols
from about 1 month ago
Ryo was getting dominated by silva and landed one of the craziest submissions ever in the 4th minute of the 3rd round, so this Ryo beat Silva in 90 secs thing... not sure where your getting it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=267i7rKeECA
from about 1 month ago
Well, like I said ive been wrong before- probably will be again, heh. I saw that fight a long time ago.
I just remember what happenned at the end which, as you say, was crazy.
Crazy or not, right or wrong about the details, Ryo DID beat Silva.
from about 1 month ago
Ryo Chonnan beat him with the crazies submission that I've ever seen (some type of flying knee bar) in the third round but you're right he did lose. All of his losses have been due to submission and disqualification. Everyone can lose including Anderson Silva but he is as close to unbeatable as anyone in MMA at 185.
from about 1 month ago
Maybe I was thinking there were only 90 seconds left in the fight
about 1 month ago
BTW how are we going to demand quality when he has basically bought up the competition?
What kind of cars would Ford make if there was no Toyota.
Maybe some MMA loving lawyer out there could get him for becoming a monopoly.
Doubtful, but its a thought.
from about 1 month ago
I think someone other than the man cashing the checks should be setting the matchups. That would take some of the bias out of it, then maybe it would become more pure based on rankings not dollars. Shoot, maybe thats the answer. Take Dana out of the matchup equations, I know Silva is the head guy but dont tell me Dana doesnt influence the decisions. Thanks for reading and commenting, and sparking a great idea.
about 1 month ago
Nice work buddy. 5 stars, POTD, etc.
I agree with you that the UFC "gold" has lost its luster and quite frankly its scary. The UFC is the undisputed leader in MMA yet they are doing more to taint and lower the value of their organization than any other MMA entity.
We all ripped EliteXC apart when the last chapter of the Kimbo Slice debacle happened but was it as bad as what the UFC did when Randy retired and came back, still the "champ"? I don't think it was. The guy left the organization for a year and the belt was rightfully passed along to another fight that earned it. Then Randy and Dana patch things up and they blow the dust off the spare HW championship belt they have in the coat closet or something?
With all these super fights, and PPV mega shows getting the press and advertising time the UFC is starting to look more and more like the WWE. I would expect this from the #2, 3 or 4 organization in the world if it was trying to grasp a foothold with MMA fans and resorted to some less than seemly sideshow tactics to get a few fans but the #1 organization in the world... it just doesn't need to do it.
from about 1 month ago
The Randy deal, as much as I enjoy him, doesnt sit right with me. I was excited to see Nog as our champ and now hes been reduced to #1 or 2 contender to the official belt and hasnt lost a match. That is what sparked this overall, then it led to other scenarios that were not equally troubling but questionable just the same. The UFC has set the bar, but they seem to be lowering it. Not that it was set all the high in the first place. I wish they would set a higher standard as well, both us and the fighters deserve that. I have a feeling the economy the way it is, we will see the UFC have to tighten it up a bit and re evalutate their product, and its delivery. Glad you enjoyed the read, thanks for the pick. Take care Nate. Have a good one.
about 1 month ago
Splendidly done article, Todd,
Dana White and Joe Silva rob fans left and right by shelving fighters for months on end. Then they add insult to injury by denying deserving fighters title shots.
but the UFC fans keep coming back begging for more. When you look at it that way, isn't it surprising that UFC fans settle for match-ups built on manufactured hype rather than on true merit?
Until that changes,(Dana gets tossed) I'm sticking to Japanese Productions and smaller American shows. Those fighters really bring it, plus the Japanese venues still do tournaments!
five-stars and a POTD for your well crafted article.
from about 1 month ago
Thank you Joseph. As always, your comments and read are appreciated. The more I pick it apart the more apparent it seems that the belts are not important in the slightest. It leads me to wonder why they even bother with them. Why not call it like it is, this fighter is going to fight that fighter no matter the rankings or status. The old days, and promos you speak of have one belt for one tournament or event then they move on. The structure is different but you get the idea. Thanks Joseph, take care.
about 1 month ago
UFC needs to have a Grand Prix - ultimate, ultimate open weight class tournament! That would be bad ass!
write a new comment