UFC title shots can be such a joke

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UFC is trying to force Makhachev to win 5 fights in 12 months with the last one being on a week’s notice to get his title shot. Since he didn’t take the 5th fight on short notice now they are making him wait for Dariush to get healthy and they are gonna rebook that before they give him a shot. Perhaps they are thinking to let Conor get the Oliveira/Gaethje winner upon his return… that could be the only motivation I can think of for them fucking over Makhachev like this.

So Islam has to win 5 fights in twelve months with the last one being on a weeks notice to earn a title shot while guys like Chandler can walk in and get title shots after one UFC win despite being recently KOed by a FW in Bellator? Guys like Masvidal can get immediate rematches in for title fights even though their last WW win was over Nate Diaz who has never beat a single legit WW in his entire career? Guys like Conor can fight Denis Siver before their crack at the title. People like Pena can get submitted by 40 year old kickboxers and get a single win over 40 year old McMann and thats enough for her to get a crack at Nunes title. Seriously, Pena was 2-2 over FIVE FUCKING YEARS and that earned her a title shot vs Nunes but Islam has to go 5-0 in a year to earn a title shot?

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Pena… 2-2 over five years…here is your title shot!
Makhachev 4-0 in 11 months with 4 finishes… you have to wait for Darisuh to get healthy because you didn’t take the RDA fight on a week’s notice to win a 5th fight in twelve months plus we want Conor to come back and get a title shot before you even though he has not won a LW fight in FIVE FUCKING YEARS.

This is why you can enjoy UFC prizefights but the politics with the title shots and matchups and favoritism is just sickening at times.

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I don’t think RDA would agree to anything over 160 lbs so Islam said go fuck yourself, I can’t make the cut again right after doing it last week. Then Dana tries to play ignorant as to not knowing about the weight issues. Like guys can just magically make weight two weeks in a fucking row on a whim whenever he needs them to.

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I’ll talk to Dana about this. Thanks for bringing it up.

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You do that.

Ask him why Juliana Pena can take SEVEN YEARS to put together five wins in the UFC along with two losses to earn her title shot but Islam Makhachev has to earn five wins and zero losses in ONE YEAR to get his UFC title shot.

Seriously, what a fucking joke.

I defend BLAF when he is in the right but he is not in the right here and he is fucking up my favorite division.

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This is number 1 bullshit. Its probably an excuse to give Conor yet another title shot. If Dana fucks us on Islam vs Charles Im gonna be furious

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Not the response I was hoping for, guys. Basically said you’re getting what you get & it’s gonna be $79.99 plus your ESPN subscription. And no illegal streaming, that’s…. illegal.

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Dana definitely fucked him. But love the attitude islam
Has. He’ll fight and beat anyone they put in front of him

Forcing him to fight again just simply keeps him active I guess. Cause he sure’s he’ll ain’t losing. He’ll collect another paycheck, another W, and stay active before getting his deserved title shot

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Yup, he said that. He was like doesn’t matter if I fight these guys now or later, when Im champ Im gonna have to fight (and beat) these guys.

Im paraphrasing of course

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osme

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If Oliveira beats Gaethje, that will be 3 number one contenders back to back to back. A fight of the champion’s choosing after that would be understandable. Champions should have some kind of say, not often but from time to time, to help them extend their reign or make the most money possible. It’s the top position and should come with some leverage. Besides, Islam still hasn’t beaten a top guy and should be required to before a title shot.

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This is the worst card in UFC PPV history, literally nobody will buy it except friends and family

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The fights I’m looking forward to are

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I usually see eye to eye with you,but you gotta keep in mind Islam is in a stacked division. The girls division, whatever weight, is simply shallow as fuck.

I personally would like to see Islam fight Dariush, Chandler, Ferg, somebody else before his shot. I mentioned it elsewhere but its like Leon just skipping over ranks when everyone else seems to get mixed up fighting each other. I dislike it.

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I don’t expect everyone to see this situation the way I do. I get that different divisions have different degrees of depth I was just trying to make a point about how much is being asked of him here.

The UFC has never asked a #1 contender to take a fight on one weeks notice after they fought last week and they don’t take people’s title shots away if they don’t fight every weekend. This is about keeping the option open to put Conor right in the title fight if Oliveira wins and Conor and Charles want that fight. I think Dana agrees with most people that as styles make fights… Charles is the most winnable fight for Conor between Makhachev/Gaethje/Charles. Plus if Gaethje wins he wants Makhachev next the UFC feels they can build that winter title fight better if Islam has a high profile fight with Dariush like they had originally planned.

As for seeing Islam fight Dariush/Chandler/Ferg before his shot… yeah in a perfect world that would be great but you know Makhachev is like Oliveira before the Lee fight, he is very dangerous, winning, crushing guys, has never looked better but big names are turning down fights with him because they think it involves too much risk with too little reward. Dariush pulled out of the fight, it happens, Chandler and Ferg turned it down on short notice but frankly they won’t want that fight period. Islam is a wrecking matchine right now, least hit fighter in UFC history with the 3rd highest takedown success rate in UFC history… thats the last fight Chandler and Tony want right now, they are aging vets who just lost big fights to big names.

In the eleven months Makhachev just went 4-0 and finished everyone, Tony went 0-1, Chandler went 0-2, Dariush went 1-0 and pulled out of a fight, Poirier went 1-1 and is waiting for a WW money fight, Conor went 0-1 and got injured, Gaethje went 1-0… at some point I just feel you got to reward the guy out there getting after it in the current year… its not always about who has a name and did big things three years ago, if MMA priezefighting had a world championships bracket each year… Islam is the guy tearing through the bracket, Dariush, Tony and Chandler are out man, see ya in the consolations rounds or get healthy and be ready to go at it again in the next tournament… we know the Oliveira/Gaethje winner is in the finals and Islam is the only guy out there who is doing enough to punch hist ticket to finals if the winter title fight was that finals.

Chandler recently lost 2 UFC fights and got TKOed by a FW in Bellator.
Tony recently lost 3 UFC fights back to back.

I don’t see Islam as having to go through them to get to the title at all. Let him get a crack at the title and if he wins then maybe, maybe those guys can get a couple wins and get a crack at the title but they are gonna be underdogs vs Makhachev right now.

Makhachev is in the same situation Khabib and Oliveira were in, he is tearing through the division, he is the man and some fans don’t like it because he is not the “name”, the “star” they wanted to see do it.

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Makhachev just beat Dober, Moises, Hooker and Green… and finished them all in eleven months.

Statistically in the UFC it is harder to win four tough fights like that in a row and get through four camps healthy enough to compete than it is to have one camp in that time and beat one fighter a little higher up in the rankings.

I don’t see how beating washed up Tony who won’t even sign to fight Makhachev is viewed as anything that matters in 2022.

Current performance in the the current year matters more than “names”.

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They don’t want Islam as champ and I can’t blame them. He will sell -5 ppvs every time he headlines

Anyone that does buy will stream after they watch him at the press conference

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But for terminal lameness, nothing will ever downstage the title fight between Chuck Liddell and Vernon White, who had been 0-3-1 in his last four fights, in 2004.

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That White fight was actually the fight before Chuck won the title so not a title fight.

It was during the time Randy had beat Tito for the title but then lost it on that cut vs Vitor so Vitor was actually champ when Chuck fought White but then Randy beat Vitor that summer and then right after the White fight Chuck beat Randy for the title.

The whole Chuck/Randy/Tito/Vitor LHW series of fights was a lot of fun and all those fights always felt big.

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My bad - but with White having been 0-3-1 in his four previous fights, no way he deserved to fight Chuck.