The Problem With Logjams in the UFC

[Turd Ferguson]

One of the biggest issues the UFC currently has is the fact that we have two complete logjams in the two most talent-rich divisions in the UFC today, the Welterweight and Lightweight Divisions. As fighters keep on progressing, they're not fighting for much of anything until the logjams at the top of the division become cleared up. There isn't much wrong with how the UFC books fights, but this issue was bad enough last year and it's only getting worse.

The Welterweight division is currently being held up because of Georges St. Pierre's injury. Because his injury was due to keep him out for a year, the UFC created an Interim Welterweight Championship which Carlos Condit won. What is the point of an interim championship when Condit is electing to wait until GSP is ready to fight? Condit should be forced into defending the title against the guys who are currently making waves in the division, but cannot compete for a title until next year. Right now, Condit vs. Ellenberger, Kampmann, or Hendricks would be perfectly fine fights to make. Instead, Ellenberger is going to fight Kampmann in what was supposed to be a number one contender's bout but now Hendricks has leapfrogged them in the rankings and is reportedly going to sit and wait for the winner of GSP vs. Condit as he got awarded the next title shot. This could mean that Hendricks is going to sit on the sidelines for a year, which is absolutely ridiculous. Condit is perfectly okay to fight and it's not like GSP vs. Condit is a huge blockbuster fight any more than GSP vs. Hendricks, Ellenberger, or Kampmann would be. If Condit has a belt, he should be forced into defending it.

The logjam in the Lightweight Division is even more ridiculous, when Benson Henderson decisively defeated Frankie Edgar in their meeting back in February. Despite this, Frankie cried his way back into a rematch. Right now, we could be getting set for Henderson vs. Nate Diaz at UFC 150 for the Lightweight Title. Instead, Nate might have to wait until December to get his shot now. Heaven forbid by the way, that Frankie wins. Would we have yet another Frankie Edgar trilogy? It's not right that the division is constantly held up with rematches for the title. Anthony Pettis is also waiting in the wings and he's in a holding pattern with the rest of the division until 2013.

The way things should have played out was that Henderson should have gotten the winner of Diaz/Miller, while Frankie fucked off and fought Pettis.

Immediate rematches for titles should no longer be taking place unless there was some major fuckery going on with the judging, or if there was a draw.

What's your take on the situations in these weightclasses?

 

[jmt225]

Dude... I could not agree more. Holy shit you nailed it right on the head with everything you said.

The Welterweight division is currently being held up because of Georges St. Pierre's injury. Because his injury was due to keep him out for a year, the UFC created an Interim Welterweight Championship which Carlos Condit won. What is the point of an interim championship when Condit is electing to wait until GSP is ready to fight? Condit should be forced into defending the title against the guys who are currently making waves in the division, but cannot compete for a title until next year. Right now, Condit vs. Ellenberger, Kampmann, or Hendricks would be perfectly fine fights to make. Instead, Ellenberger is going to fight Kampmann in what was supposed to be a number one contender's bout but now Hendricks has leapfrogged them in the rankings and is reportedly going to sit and wait for the winner of GSP vs. Condit as he got awarded the next title shot. This could mean that Hendricks is going to sit on the sidelines for a year, which is absolutely ridiculous. Condit is perfectly okay to fight and it's not like GSP vs. Condit is a huge blockbuster fight any more than GSP vs. Hendricks, Ellenberger, or Kampmann would be. If Condit has a belt, he should be forced into defending it.

And this is all with the assumption that Nick Diaz isn't cleared. If he gets passed the NSAC, then what?

Carlos Coward should be fighting, period. Like you said, there is zero point in having an interim title if it's not defended. Hell, the damn thing only exist so there can be a belt on the guy dominating the division while the real champion is out injured.

Look at Big Nog. This guy won the interim belt and still defended it against Frank Mir, even AFTER Randy Couture had finally returned. He could have thrown a bitch fit and not fight Mir, but he did the right thing. Yet, the UFC won't force Coward to fight? That shit really pisses me off to no end.

The way things should have played out was that Henderson should have gotten the winner of Diaz/Miller, while Frankie fucked off and fought Pettis.

Amen. Easily the most logical thing to do.

I know the UFC wanted to be loyal to Frankie, but just granting him a title shot wasn't the way to go. They could have given him a #1 Contender fight against Pettis, and then add some extra $$$ to his purse for his patience. I'm sure Frankie wouldn't have put up too much of a fuss. Instead, the UFC jumped the gun too soon and now have every fighter put in a shitty situation.

 

[JWGunslinger]

Thank you for bringing this up because the shit needs to be dealt with, the shit going on at welter is a major pain in the ass and lw is even frickin worse. I love Carlos Condit, but he needs to be fighting right now and frankly I'm dissappointed that he's elected to wait. He's usually a stand up guy when it comes to stuff like this but I guess now that he has the interim title he doesnt wanna chance never getting a shot at the undisputed title, still that's no excuse. When someone like Dan Henderson wants to wait for a title shot that's fine with me, he's not the champ and he's not holding anything up. But right now we've got Carlos waiting for GSP to heal and contenders in Ellenberger, Kampmann, Macdonald and Hendricks waiting for a crack and now all they can do is wait, its 100 percent bull.

As for Lightweight that shit is even more rediculous, I am so tired of Frankie and his rematches. Atleast with the Grey trilogy the rematch for the 3rd time was warranted but he got beat fair and square for his title and all his has to do is whine to dana and he gets an instant rematch? Shit why not put it on Raw after the PPV, then it'll atleast follow the wrestling trend. Welter and Lightweight are the two most talent rich weightclasses in the UFC, Diaz should be fighting for that title next but now we're gonna wait even longer and the list of people who deserve a shot is going to grow and grow.....total bullshit.

 

[Canadian_SXE]

What I don't get is if a fighter is injured and there are a champion why do they get to hold on to their title. What is the point of having an interim champion. Why not make that guy the real champion and when the injured guy comes back he can get a chance to get the title back.

 

[Canadian_SXE]

Oh and by the way, I find it pretty stupid for a guy to have to train for 3 to 6 months for one fight. These guys are supposedly these awesome athletes yet they only fight maybe once or twice maybe 3 times a year. Everyone always rags on wrestling for being "fake" but those guys do what they do for 270-300 days a year. They don't have a match stopped because someone gets a cut over their eye, or someone gets hit in the back of the head or anything pussy like that. They work injured all the time, so regardless if its choreographed and planned out, I would put them tougher than any pussy little mma fighter.

 

[Tha Wolfpac]

Wow, Canadia_SXE you are a fool. I haven't posted in a while here but you motivated me to post on how stupid you are. These athletes have a rigorous training schedule for approximately the whole year, unless they are out injured. Comparing them to the WWE superstars is ridiculous as it involves a major difference in the type of training and discipline that is undertaken by MMA fighters.

And about these Logjams Guy, goddamn your so right. Why they have given priority to Condit and Edgar is unexplainable on my part considering previous interim title holders have had to defend the bloody thing. Somebody correct me if i'm wrong but i believe even Carwin defended his interim title at one stage. Being the interim title holder and not defending that title totally defeats the purpose and robs the contenders in waiting. So total bs on the UFC's part in the handling of these divisions.

 

[Rayne]

On the topic of fighters waiting for their title matches; I can't say I blame them. I don't like it, obviously, but for them to fight before their title matches is all risk, no reward for them. There's a lot more money in being a champion defending a belt then there is in not being a champion. If I was Carlos Condit or Johnny Hendricks, the obvious move would be to wait.

If I'm Dana White, I'm moving around my #1 contenders based on who's actually contending for a championship, but those aren't the rules that exist now. I can't fault a fighter for using the rules to his fiscal advantage.

They don't have a match stopped because someone gets a cut over their eye, or someone gets hit in the back of the head or anything pussy like that. They work injured all the time, so regardless if its choreographed and planned out, I would put them tougher than any pussy little mma fighter.

Matches are halted for cuts over the eye because blood, affected by gravity, is drawn downwards into the eye, preventing the fighter from seeing. You cannot avoid punches and kicks that you cannot see. The purpose of halting a fight to clean up an above-the-eye cut is so that fighters can fight for longer, not out of concern for their health.

For what it's worth, talk to me on that point again the next time a WWE main event gets stopped to clean up John Cena's face.

Punches to the back of the head are called "rabbit punches", and have been illegal in combat sports since boxers started wearing gloves. Why? It's the easiest place to hit someone and brain damage them. People who have actually been in a few fights know this intuitively; people who talk shit on the internet don't understand what could be so bad about hitting someone in the back of the head because they just don't know any better.

When someone does get clipped in the back of the head during a professional wrestling performance- usually through failure to protect their head during a bump- they stop the match. You just don't recognize it, because the performers switch to a rest hold, or the uninjured partner might work the crowd.

Bitch about the 12-to-6 elbow being illegal, but you're crying about stuff that's in the rules for very obvious reasons.

 

[Arashi]

Oh and by the way, I find it pretty stupid for a guy to have to train for 3 to 6 months for one fight. These guys are supposedly these awesome athletes yet they only fight maybe once or twice maybe 3 times a year. Everyone always rags on wrestling for being "fake" but those guys do what they do for 270-300 days a year. They don't have a match stopped because someone gets a cut over their eye, or someone gets hit in the back of the head or anything pussy like that. They work injured all the time, so regardless if its choreographed and planned out, I would put them tougher than any pussy little mma fighter.

The difference is that people actually hit you in MMA. Wrestling is acting, is it dangerous at times? Yes very much so, but every time you get into an MMA ring you're taking someone's best shot, in wrestling you aren't.If those guys worked 300 days a year they would DIE. The amount of trauma to the brain and body would be devastating.