Article: Bones and the Beast

August 9, 2017 Articles 0 Comments

August 8th, 2017 Written by: David Clifford Twitter: @fishyfridge Instagram: @overhandleft Bones and the Beast This fight is why we have weight classes. There is no disputing the fact that Jon Jones is the superior martial artist, that he is more experienced despite being much younger and that pound for pound he is the better fighter. What Brock Lesnar is is bigger and no matter what Jon Jones does to bulk up for this potential heavyweight spectacle Brock Lesnar will still be bigger. Why might these two be fighting? Is it to see who is the superior martial artist? This is not the year of the dragon, when Lyoto Machida spoke (crazilly) of moving up to Heavyweight to fight the Beast. Lesnar is no longer the near mythical MMA figure he once was, lording over the biggest division in the UFC like the end boss of “Golden Axe,” waiting for a hero to dethrone him. Now, Lesnar is a scary steroid induced sideshow who would be returning to MMA for a payday and the chance to hurt someone. Will this fight progress the Heavyweight or Light Heavyweight divisions forward or backwards? Will this fight tell us who is the better fighter even? There are many reasons these two won’t be fighting for. There is one they will be; Money. In the McGregor Era cash is king. Most likely it always was, but now people are talking about it. Fans are talking about it. Promoters are talking about it. Fighters are talking about it. In professional wrestling Kayfabe governs protocols of interaction between good and bad guy wrestlers; faces and heels. This mechanism exists so that the audience can have an easier time suspending their disbelief while they watch, so they can believe it is real. The UFC has been enacting its own form of Kayfabe for years so that their viewership can believe that the promtions matchmaking is aimed at pitting the best against the best. That is the reality they wish to be percieved. That is the paradigm they have been laboring to get over through promotion and a questionable rankings system. But recently the truth, as it always does, has been getting out. And now its servants are not journalists nor fans nor competitor promotions, instead they are the fighters themselves. More and more, fighters speak of wanting to fight the “Money Fights.” The most important matchmaking factor in the UFC has become money. Celebrity among fighters has taken the foreground in matchmaking criteria, valued over records and fighting skill. Jon Jones wants to fight Brock Lesnar because money. Brock Lesnar wants to fight Jon Jones because money. The UFC wants to make the fight because money. And the only thing that will inspire them to make another match is something that will eventually make them more money. Surprisingly, some fan polls show that there is more demand for a rematch between Alexander Gustavson and Jon Jones. There are less logistical hoops to jump through to make that…

The Interim Title Question: Are Interim Titles Being Used Properly in the UFC?

April 22, 2016 Articles 0 Comments

  Written By: Joy Gustavson @JoyGNY on Twitter The UFC, and many other fight organizations will introduce an Interim Title in a weight division where the division champion is unable defend his or her title within an extended amount of time. When the champion is able to return to defend his or her title, the champion must fight against the Interim Champion, where the outcome unifies the titles and a singular champion is crowned. In theory, an Interim title keeps a weight class moving forward, even when the champion is out of action for an extended period due to to circumstances beyond his or her control, such as an injury. Throughout the UFC’s history, champions such as Frank Mir and George St. Pierre had lengthy lay ups due to injuries and Interim titles were created while they were out of competition. Both Mir and St. Pierre were dominant champions in their weight classes when they needed extended time away, but both champions didn’t want to relinquish the title. Out of respect to their champions, the UFC allowed both fighters to keep the championship titles and dually, out of respect for their fighters, allowed the weight classes in question to continue to fight for a title. Recently, the UFC has been abusing the Interim Title stipulations in order to cater to their company’s need for big Pay Per View cards and big fights. The problem here is that the UFC is willing to circumnavigate unclear guidelines for the implementation of the Interim Title at will due to their complete control of promotion and matchmaking. It seems lately that Interim titles are used to punish champions and save Pay Per View cards. UFC 189 and UFC 197’s headliners involve Interim Titles for reasoning that is completely counter-intuitive. UFC 189 Conor McGregor vs Chad Mendes for the Interim Featherweight Title. July 11, 2015 Jose Aldo versus Conor MgGregor was the most hyped Featherweight fight in UFC history and it was supposed to go down at UFC 189. Jose Aldo pulled out of the fight due to injury with a fractured rib. This injury left Jose Aldo laid up for a few months and the UFC completely hanging. Aldo pulled out of the fight with very limited time for someone to step in and fight McGregor. At this point, the UFC decided to implement the Interim Title for this headlining bout at UFC 189. The UFC asked Chad Mendes to step in as the last minute replacement to be the sacrificial lamb, or as the UFC called it, opponent to face Conor McGregor. Keep in mind; Mendes had no time to actually prepare for the fight. Immediately after Dana White announced that Conor McGregor and Chad Mendes were fighting for the Interim Title at UFC 189, he listed all the reasons why the UFC decided to promote the McGregor vs Mendes fight as an Interim Title bout. When your company’s president needs to immediately defend an executive decision that usually means it’s a controversial…