MMA Trending Topics – Q & A – Volume 2

An argument can certainly be made that the TRT controversy has created a black cloud over the UFC. It fades away for awhile, but as soon as a Vitor Belfort appearance grows near, the cloud returns. My opinion is that TRT does not belong in combat sports. For better or worst, TRT usage has amped up over recent years. Vitor Belfort, Dan Henderson, Ben Rothwell, Antonio Silva, and Chael Sonnen are probably the biggest known users, and many of them are over 35 years old. Every athlete ages. Their ability to compete at the highest level becomes a struggle. With the rules the way they are now, you can’t blame the athlete for doing all that’s necessary to enhance and prolong their career.

New rules have to be set in place, not by the UFC, but by the governing bodies to assure that TRT becomes a banned substance. Athletes are supposed to lose a step as they move past 30. Yet, we see fighters like Belfort and Henderson competing at a high level well past that. They are taking opportunities away from younger fighters that deserve their time in the spotlight. Had Belfort not been on TRT, would he have knocked out Bisping and Rockhold? Those wins feel tainted. We’ve seen what the steroid scandal did to MLB. If something is not done soon, I’m afraid the sport will lose part of its integrity.

For hardcore fans that like to go back and watch archive footage or follow the lesser known fighters on international Fight Nights, this is likely a must buy. Many fans were already being forced to purchase Fox Sports 2 as an upgraded service from their cable providers, so in one respect this is a wash financially. Some fans will argue the fact that we are having to pay anything at all for sub-standard content, especially considering the fact that WWE rolled out their monthly service with PPVs included. The UFC has made it clear that pulling off a similar move would cripple their relationship with PPV providers across the world. The UFC will likely need to hold one UFC Fight Pass exclusive event each month in order to maintain their subscribers. The quality of the video seems sufficient, though they will need to develop an App that allows watchers to access the library from their Smart TV’s rather than strictly the UFC’s website.

I think the UFC will carefully watch WWE’s PPV experiment, and hopefully make some small adjustments to their own model. I think most fans can agree that the UFC should cut down on the amount of their yearly PPVs. That means better quality fights on Fight Pass, and the cream of the crop will fight on PPV cards, which should only drive those numbers up farther. The fanbase has been forced to go through a lot of obstacles in recent years to watch the UFC. Whether the Versus channel for “UFC Live” to FX, Fuel, Fox, Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 2, and now the UFC Fight Pass. I think for most fans, they just want to know a central place to watch their fights. Hopefully, UFC Fight Pass provides this.

The way the rankings fall right now, it goes Ben Henderson, Gilbert Melendez, T.J. Grant, Josh Thomson, and Nate Diaz. Which one of those five fighters are worthy of a title shot? We can eliminate Henderson based off Dana White’s recent comments. Melendez is in contract negotiations, but remains a viable option. Grant is still sidelined. Thomson is coming off a debatable loss, and is discussing retirement. Lastly, Diaz sits in the background, and despite being just 1-2 in his last 3 fights is probably the best draw due to being a “Diaz” and also calling out Pettis in recent weeks.

In my opinion, I think the title shot should go to Melendez. Though Thomson lost a controversial decision to Henderson, so did Melendez. Melendez has beaten Thomson the last 2 times, though both fights were also close. To me, Melendez is still an elite Lightweight that deserves to fight for the title. I can’t say the same for Grant or Diaz. Thus, my answer is Melendez, with the backup plan of Thomson.

I have been thinking this for years…One day Dana White is going to walk away from the UFC, and I believe the UFC’s business will ultimately be hurt tremendously because they don’t have their backup options set in place. I strongly believe the UFC should start grooming former fighters for promoter-like duties, especially as the UFC expands to international markets. We sometimes see some of these executives take the place of Dana at weigh-ins, or post-fight interviews. The fans, nor media have no clue who they are.

Why not create roles for guys like Chael Sonnen, Michael Bisping, or Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Randy Couture would have been an excellent fit for this role prior to him leaving the UFC. The UFC is spread thin, and Dana White is as well. The time is now for the UFC to start grooming their next leading promoters from within.

The Eddie Alvarez debacle really set Bellator back in the eyes of many. Then, Ben Askren was let go, and now it truly seems as if Bellator is falling apart at the seams. The tournament format made Bellator unique. They had acquired excellent talent over the years, concentrating their efforts on signing prospects. That all changed when Bellator moved to Viacom. In came former UFC veterans, and a sense that Bellator was no longer about a fighter creating their own destiny, but rather, what makes business sense. Case in point, Pat Curran receiving an immediate rematch against Daniel Straus, despite Bellator already having Frodo Khasbulaev and “Pitbull” Freire waiting in the wings.

Bellator’s tournament model and their entire foundation and ethos are starting to crumble. For them to save their company, I believe Bellator needs to change direction in regards to their tournaments. Bellator has enough talent to create a Top 10 in each division. Their tournament winners will enter the rankings at a guaranteed #5 spot, while the runner-up will receive the #10 spot. From there, fighters continue to compete in non-tournament bouts to earn their title shot.

The rankings system will make it easy for fans to follow a fighter’s path towards the title. A tournament win, still means a big deal because the winning fighter will jump ahead of the pack. If a fighter falls out of the Top 10, they can re-enter a future tournament and try to earn their spot back. Bellator can continue to push the fighters they want to win, rather than creating these 4-man tournaments. We’ve seen how that has backfired with King Mo.