Interesting article on Sherdog entitled 'The Bottom Line: the Elephant in the Room' by Todd Martin.
http://www.sherdog.com/news/articles/The-Bottom-Line-The-Elephant-in-the-Room-122227
FW and LW titles in limbo with no defenses from McGregor.
MW title potentially in limbo if GSP wins it and has publicly stated he has other fights in mind after.
Women's FW title in limbo after DeRandamie is not willing to defend against Cyborg.
"Going forward, the UFC ought to adhere to the basic principle that if a fighter isn’t willing to defend a championship, he or she shouldn’t be allowed to compete for it. Call it the McGregor Rule. Great fighters should enhance the prestige of titles, not enhance their own prestige at the expense of the titles and their lineage. The featherweight division and its championship deserve better."
Thoughts?
How do you get them to commit to defending? What's the guarantee they will?
I'm all for that, I just don't see how it's enforced. By the time they refuse to defend it, they've already had their title shot and they won.
SinCityHustler - How do you get them to commit to defending? What's the guarantee they will?
I'm all for that, I just don't see how it's enforced. By the time they refuse to defend it, they've already had their title shot and they won.
Make it part of the title fight contract?
Target_the_Gash -SinCityHustler - How do you get them to commit to defending? What's the guarantee they will?
I'm all for that, I just don't see how it's enforced. By the time they refuse to defend it, they've already had their title shot and they won.Easy.
Refuse to defend within 6 months, strip title. Maybe give 12 months for a legitimate Cruz-esque injury situation.
They should also make people wait to get PPV points until defense #1. You get a fat check and a belt for winning the title but you aren't really a reigning defending champ until after you successfully defend. Somebody who just manages to win the belt and then loses it again on their first defense was really only champ for a day anyway.
Whatever it is it should be a written policy so that everybody is on the same page to avoid favoratism and confusion. All champs should be treated equally in deference to the position and the most popular ones will get more money form selling more buys and probably more lucrative sponsorships and the like. It is important to put champions on a pedestal in my opinion as it is the lynchpin to the contender structure and also the thing that non-champion fighters aspire to acheive.
Legit points, may have to be ironed out a bit since the next opponent could also take some time to confirm and then add injuries on either side potentially but solid points.
in theory great, but nobody can predict the future.
Something definitely needs to be done and all this money fight crap needs to stop. If you are really a true money fight drop the belt and just do stupid money fights. As already stated if you are injury free and you don't defend in 6 months strip them and 1 year due to injury. Also stop by these stupid interim belts they add zero value and have seriously devalued the belts.
Target_the_Gash -SinCityHustler - How do you get them to commit to defending? What's the guarantee they will?
I'm all for that, I just don't see how it's enforced. By the time they refuse to defend it, they've already had their title shot and they won.Easy.
Refuse to defend within 6 months, strip title. Maybe give 12 months for a legitimate Cruz-esque injury situation.
They should also make people wait to get PPV points until defense #1. You get a fat check and a belt for winning the title but you aren't really a reigning defending champ until after you successfully defend. Somebody who just manages to win the belt and then loses it again on their first defense was really only champ for a day anyway.
Whatever it is it should be a written policy so that everybody is on the same page to avoid favoratism and confusion. All champs should be treated equally in deference to the position and the most popular ones will get more money form selling more buys and probably more lucrative sponsorships and the like. It is important to put champions on a pedestal in my opinion as it is the lynchpin to the contender structure and also the thing that non-champion fighters aspire to acheive.
That's not easy at all. By the time you implement your suggestion, he's already competed for the title.
What does GSP care if they strip him? He has no intent on defending anyways.
GDR, she's going to drop the belt herself so she doesn't have to defend.
Boxing has mandatory defenses and champs dump the belts all the time.
You can't force people to fight. I love the idea, I'd just like to see a system that would produce actually results. Just look at boxing for the blue print of mandatory defenses failing.
That's the orgs problem. They can do whatever they want. Just put on good cards.
Then you have a champ who will fight like Mighty Mouse, refusing to take the best money fight available right now with TJ even though Dillashaw is willing to drop down and the fans would love to see it. Just when I was really starting to get into DJ's fights he pulls a bitch move.
Jon Jones, the obvious champ at light heavyweight hasn't fought in forever, got stripped, and left a fucked up incomplete cloud over the division.
The belts are almost all cursed at the moment, it's crazy.
I don't see any way of preventing champs from not defending, but they can be punished significantly, so ducking will not be an option.
When Randy was trying to take off and fight Fedor (or not defend vs a UFC opponent) they froze him for the mean time, they booked an interim title bout, and they waited it out until the Fedor bout went away, and they Randy him fight Brock. That worked perfectly and rightfully so.
If a champ (lets use GDR for example) refuses to defend his belt against the opponent the promotion chooses, freeze the mother fucker, create the interim belt title fight, (bring back 0-3 in her last 3 Holly Holm vs cyborg) and GDR can sit until she's done with her sense of entitlement. Lets say Cyborg wins, give 0-4 Holly a rematch in order to keep credibility of the belt going. Problem solved.
Same applies to Mickey Mouse. Don't want to defend vs TJ? Sit the fuck down, TJ vs Borg for the belt, and MM can try again next year. otherwise enjoy no longer making money.
They can do this and this would be effective. Problem is UFC is most likely behind much of the BS.
SinCityHustler - I don't see any way of preventing champs from not defending, but they can be punished significantly, so ducking will not be an option.Your hard on for mm is pathetic.
When Randy was trying to take off and fight Fedor (or not defend vs a UFC opponent) they froze him for the mean time, they booked an interim title bout, and they waited it out until the Fedor bout went away, and they Randy him fight Brock. That worked perfectly and rightfully so.
If a champ (lets use GDR for example) refuses to defend his belt against the opponent the promotion chooses, freeze the mother fucker, create the interim belt title fight, (bring back 0-3 in her last 3 Holly Holm vs cyborg) and GDR can sit until she's done with her sense of entitlement. Lets say Cyborg wins, give 0-4 Holly a rematch in order to keep credibility of the belt going. Problem solved.
Same applies to Mickey Mouse. Don't want to defend vs TJ? Sit the fuck down, TJ vs Borg for the belt, and MM can try again next year. otherwise enjoy no longer making money.
They can do this and this would be effective. Problem is UFC is most likely behind much of the BS.
I'd like to see something like boxing has with the compulsory defenses where a contender can earn his guaranteed shot and the belt holder has no say. We've seen numerous times where the most dangerous and deserving contenders are getting roadblocked by champs avoiding the biggest threats and taking easier fights. They know most guys can't afford to wait forever so they're pressured into taking other fights, usually against more dangerous opponents than the Champ is facing to keep the cheques coming in while the champ looks on as the top contenders eliminate each other.
I believe that once you have the belt you should lose the ability to choose your opponents. Who ever is the top ranked available fighter is who you get.
Mickey Mouse
I've been saying for years. You have 365 days to defend the belt, if you don't you lose it and top 4 contenders are entered into a tournament to decide the next champ.
And quite frankly, I wish they would get rid of the belts all together, tell commissions to fuck their mothers, and go back to the 1 night tournament format.
MM situation is a bit different. Pretty sure he has a few defenses already...
Ragingshaneistheanswer -SinCityHustler - I don't see any way of preventing champs from not defending, but they can be punished significantly, so ducking will not be an option.Your hard on for mm is pathetic.
When Randy was trying to take off and fight Fedor (or not defend vs a UFC opponent) they froze him for the mean time, they booked an interim title bout, and they waited it out until the Fedor bout went away, and they Randy him fight Brock. That worked perfectly and rightfully so.
If a champ (lets use GDR for example) refuses to defend his belt against the opponent the promotion chooses, freeze the mother fucker, create the interim belt title fight, (bring back 0-3 in her last 3 Holly Holm vs cyborg) and GDR can sit until she's done with her sense of entitlement. Lets say Cyborg wins, give 0-4 Holly a rematch in order to keep credibility of the belt going. Problem solved.
Same applies to Mickey Mouse. Don't want to defend vs TJ? Sit the fuck down, TJ vs Borg for the belt, and MM can try again next year. otherwise enjoy no longer making money.
They can do this and this would be effective. Problem is UFC is most likely behind much of the BS.
You'd probably be a lot more impressed with it if it were in your mouth.
McGregor rule?
cain held the he division hostage for years before they even introduced a interim belt. And they are about to give the guy another title shot comin off an injury pullout.
EckY -McGregor rule?
cain held the he division hostage for years before they even introduced a interim belt. And they are about to give the guy another title shot comin off an injury pullout.
Slightly diff circumstances between injury and wanting to fight for another title or sport, no?
And I know there are contractual complications but do you disagree that the McGregor, DeRandimie and potential GSP situation for MW title are stupid? Why should be you be given a title shot if you had no intention of defending it? That's the issue. Injuries are a whole other can.
JohnMc1 - Bisping should have been stripped for refusing to fight Yoel Romero. He was all ready to fight GSP and now that the fight is off and there is talk about him defending agaisnt Yoel he's suddenly injured.
And GDR should be stripped for refusing to fight Cyborg.
Bisping situation is a bit different since its the fight Zuffa wanted. I'm sure they wanted McGregor and GDR to defend their titles Although McGregor, they were also clearly game for streamlining him to the LW title as well. They are clearly putting $ over title legitimacy. The Womens FW div is just straight up cluster fuck.