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[Fe1]

Honestly, I try not to think about it. I'd much rather just complain when they make fights that I don't agree with and be happy when they get it right.

[rob_bills]

Originally Posted by Bork_Lazer

I have a lot more to say on this issue then what I'm about to type, but I am at work so I will just point out a few things.

1, I think the UFC is far from being sports entertainment.

2, 1,000 great matchups/deserving title shots and a few bad ones and all of a sudden the sport becomes sports entertainment.

3, how anyone can say that the UFC doesnt care about the sport is really beyond me. The UFC built this sport from the ground up and in that process they had to sell out a little, who doesnt!? They are trying to bring the sport into the olympics, so how do you figure they dont care about the legitimacy of the sport. Oh let me guess all they care about is money, is that what it is. So let me get this straight, you guys calling it sports entertainment wanted the UFC to have done all that it has done for the sport without money? or from an endless supply of money, like santa claus or robin hood?

I dont want to come of as a douchebag, but before you crucify the UFC remember that when Zuffa took over, this shit was illegal, it was almost as bad as crack and now its on FOX. Simply put, that huge turn of events cost money.

I agree with this guy.. Also, welcome to the forum!

[mmawolverine]

mma and its premier league the UFC is most definitely a real sport get the fuck outa here with this bullshit, superstars and larger than life personas are characteristic of that success

its not a team sport dont compare it to the nfl or nba, let talk tennis and golf do you really want the ufc to be more like them because for many years those folks only survived because of the likes of tiger woods and serena williams. if you think these personalities didn't get any extra benefits or lucky breaks you'd be crazy

having a problem with matchmaking shouldn't open up ridiculous comparisions to completely scripted entertainment based organizations

[Pasha K]

MMA is a sport obviously.
But the way Dana White makes business is obvioulsy in a sports entertainment style.

So much senseless decisions, so much circus, so much innecesary talking. The guy does not give a single fuck about the fans, about the integrity of the sport. He just makes the decisions and the fights and the moves that will bring him more money. That is all.

To me it is a colosal stupidity that a fighter has to worry more about how he sells fights rather than coming in his best physical shape.
It is a huge stupidty that Dana White pays someone 10,000 bucks for having a lot of followers in Twitter, rather than spending that money in much more useful things.

The only thing we can do is to accept things as they are and to be prepared for watching tons of senseless fights and to watch legit Top fighters being treated like garbage because they do not talk enogh shit on twitter.

[IceCold48]

its like a mixture of both an i for one really dont like the direction it is going. Sports entertainment would mean everything was scripted which it is not. MMA fights are not rigged I'd bet my life on it.

However the title fights make little to no sense. They are really only fighting for ppv buys which follows the lines of sports entertainment. In any major sport, champions are determined by some type of playoff system rewarding the best teams or athletes. In the UFC, multiple people are getting title shots after losing or winning only one fight.

I miss the good old days...

[Rise]

I agree with pretty much everything Icecold just said.

It's still a sport and always will be but the matchmaking and promoting is favouring things that have nothing to do with the legitimacy and proper way of granting title shots.

Out of curiosity of all the people upset about the Sonnen, Diaz, and Edgar title shots how many are still going to buy them or go out to a bar to see them ?

[Bork_Lazer]

I think people need to understand that this is part of the sport, I cant really think of a better way to do this, you cant have number 2 and 3 fight, because then you are killing off a contender and that would mean the champ would probably be waiting around for too long. Here is the thing, do I think that Nick deserves the shot more than Hendricks, no, am I ok with it, yes. Do I think that Cain deserves a shot after his single win (to a guy coming off a loss) after losing the title in brutal fashion, no, am I ok with it, yes. But I haven't heard an uproar about the Cain title shot from anyone, neither did I start calling the UFC fake. Now did Cain EARN his shot according to most of the criteria listed here, no, so why is no one complaining, personal preference.

The only matchmaking I really have an issue with is Sonnen getting a shot at JBJ. But then again lets think about it for just one second, The UFC has been lobbying for a change on the air date of TUF, is it possible that a requirement to change the date of the show was two put two megastars on the show as opposed to "personality plus" Shane Carwin? Its possible. Is it the right thing to do, thats debatable, but to grow the sport there will always be sacrifices. I liked the old days of no rules, but in order for the sport to grow they had to give that up.

[W.Silva>C.Norris]

Originally Posted by Rise

Out of curiosity of all the people upset about the Sonnen, Diaz, and Edgar title shots how many are still going to buy them or go out to a bar to see them ?

I have purchased every event (with a few exceptions.. lets say 10 just to throw a number out) since ufc 34. I wont be paying for any more, be that a cover charge at a bar, or ordering the ppv's which I preferred to do up to this point. Im pretty disgusted with the direction they've chosen to go, and Im no longer interested in supporting their poor decisions financially.

[joeodd2]

I think Bellator will continue to slowly gain ground....no debate on bellator's model. Earn it or go home, no if, ands, or buts. Bjorn has nothing to do with who gets a title shot. They hype certain fighters, but if those fighters fail to measure up...."Roger Huerta", then it's bye bye. I think Bellator is developing some real killers, in a year or two who knows...they may even strike a deal with ESPN. Could you imagine? ESPN broadcasting Bellator? That's very possible given the history between Dana and ESPN.....

That brings up another point. The main reason why the UFC has legitimacy issues is because of the personality of it's promoter. Dana White enjoys bragging about how he can make or break people's career. If he doesn't like you, you won't fight in the UFC, no matter how good you are. And he doesn't have a problem with screwing fighters if he feels like it. Until Dana moves aside or is replaced with someone who actually comes across as a representative of Martial Arts, then their will always be questions.....I think Dana White has begun to steal the spotlight from the sport andthe fighters themselves, it should not be that way.....No one can argue that the UFC hasn't been great for the sport of MMA, but how far can the same sophomoric childish attitude take an organization trying to establish their brand in a new sport that still hasn't gotten a lot of respect within the greater sports community? The UFC needs a major Class infusion from the top down....

[YukonJordan]

Originally Posted by Y2JUBAE

They may follow that business model, however, what happens in the cage doesn't follow the sports entertainment model at all.

UFC is sports. The day UFC starts predetermining the outcome of the fight, then it will be considered sports entertainment.

I understand the hate on the UFC for it's matchmaking, but that doesn't change what happens in the cage and that's all that matters.

I'm inclined to think that who you decide to put in a fight together has a pretty big fucking effect on what happens in the cage.

We can shrug off a few bad matchmaking decisions except for the fact that the ones they seem to be screwing up lately are the title fights. THE MOST IMPORTANT FIGHTS. To give an undeserved titleshot(someone outside the top #5) completely discredits the belts these guys fight for. To allow your champion to take months and months off from defending his title to film movies or fight in another division discredits his title and publicly disrespects the fighters below him begging for a shot.

The UFC at this point needs a public ranking system and the responsibilty of defending those rankings. More strict rules on how often a champion needs to defend and actual enforcement of those rules (ie stripping someone for non-compliance/extended questionable injuries etc) are also needed.

Make no mistake about it, the UFC titles are not revered in the same way the Stanley Cup, the Vince Lombardi trophy and those other two are(sorry, don't know their names).

The immediate money is definitely bigger if you run the UFC like sports entertainment. Long term however, if the UFC can impliment some serious changes it could legitimize the sport on a massive public scale and the benefits are greater for all involved, fighters, promoters and fans.