Thank god we have an interim heavyweight champion. The Brock Lesnar vs Randy Couture fight is the result of a perfect storm of politics that has been brewing within the UFC and Zuffa. Really though, it’s a microcosm of what has become a much larger issue of politics within the sport of MMA. The real issue? MMA is the new boxing.
Since its inception, Mixed Martial Arts organizations have billed themselves as leagues of opportunity for the best fighters. Indeed, the original UFC events were bracket tournaments that gave even the most obscure fighters the chance at #1. Now we know that it is neither healthy nor plausible to reenact this format. But the clarity within the sport is gone.
I was a fan of the Pride Fighting Championships in Japan for as long as they were in business. Pride promoted a championship tournament that gave us such fights as CroCop vs Barnett (in their primes mind you), Fedor vs Minotauro and Coleman vs Vovchanchyn. Those were the days when Genki Sudo’s entrances were the entertainment for the night, and the MMA was about the MMA.
No Mickey’s, no Bud Light, no BSN. Pride was about the fighting, not the promotions and sponsorships. I don’t mean to blame the UFC for being a business. I understand that as a for-profit entity, Dana White’s organization has a right to make money. But, as an MMA fan – and as a devout hater of boxing – I hate seeing the UFC’s size become a breeding ground for politics.
While I’m sure that the Lesnar/Couture fight will be a very entertaining fight – and hopefully a competitive one – why the hell is Dana White calling this the “Biggest fight in UFC history”? It’s called hype, and it’s a breeding ground for distractions like Kimbo Slice. Let’s let quality fights speak for themselves – we MMA fans are sophisticated and we don’t need the “entertainment”.
Cole Peyton owns www.MeisterMMA.com and writes a weekly article.
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