After a historically negative and divisive U.S. presidential election, millions of the disappointed may be looking for people to blame for the mess that is this nation and campaign. Fight fans are comfortable in this type of space – griping about the status quo – and on the eve of one of the biggest UFC events in history, there’s plenty to both celebrate and lament.
A key to making criticism constructive, of course, is to assign blame properly, once a problem has been established. Take, for example, the complaint among many fans that there are too many deserving title contenders waiting for far too long in the wings while more popular rivals get pushed ahead of them.
At this very moment, lightweight, featherweight, and even welterweight have multiple people with claims to being legit number one contenders. Jose Aldo, Max Holloway and the rest of featherweight are waiting for Conor McGregor to finish up his dangerous dalliances at heavier weight classes.
Said experiments have also held back rightful top contenders like Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson. Nurmagomedov has never lost and Ferguson literally has one of the longest winning streaks in UFC history, yet the promotional brass has not spoken much about the prospect of him getting a title shot, next.
At welterweight, Stephen Thompson deserves the shot he’s getting at champion Tyron Woodley, Saturday. The thing is, Demian Maia also deserves that shot. Hopefully, he’s got next.
So, if you’re mad, that’s fine. Perhaps you can get mad at UFC matchmaking, but we certainly shouldn’t get mad at fighters taking opportunities afforded them.
McGregor, for example, can be envied but no one should bash him for trying to make history. After all, he’s taking on too many fights, too often, against opponents too large, and that should only inspire admiration.
Personally, I’m mindful of how a fighter waiting in line for a fight or title-shot, specifically, is only such a big deal because UFC fighters are not paid enough. If the promotion afforded fighters the benefits, rights and share of revenue athletes in other major sports get, waiting a few months for another fight wouldn’t be such a matter of bills paid or financial peril, as it is now, for many.
Others have grumbled a bit regarding Jon Jones not being on this New York City card, and his having been stripped, once again, of a UFC title. Hopefully, who to blame in this case is clear.
Jon Jones is responsible for himself, and all his missteps. Perhaps some are tempted to blame the dick pills, as he called them, that supposedly caused a failed PED test and which earned Jones a one-year suspension.
By all means, look more into that more if you’re so inclined. Between Jon Jones and Anderson Silva, perhaps there’s a rash of impotence sweeping through the top ranks of MMA fighters, just as so many of them mysteriously began to suffer from low testosterone, a few years back, needing banned drugs.
That is possible. It is also possible that athletes use far too many drugs, performance-enhancing, and otherwise.
Decision Season
A few of us made some tough decisions this election season and showed up to the polls. As MMA fans, we’re also at an important decision-making time in the sport’s history.
We ultimately have to decide what type of sport we want this to be for the athletes who make it possible. Is MMA going to be a sport, and the UFC the big leagues of said sport, where even its elite athletes have no real job security, low pay, and no structured involvement in the lucrative deals their work makes possible?
Or, will we decide to demand that our sport becomes one where the athletes who make big events like UFC 205 possible, also get the lion’s share of profit, and begin to have some of the same rights athletes in other pro sports have enjoyed for decades?
We can decide, vote, if you will, with our dollars, with social media posts, and with the questions we ask at Fan Q&As and press conferences. History and a sport’s growth is about more than largesse and its ownership getting richer – history also involves how well workers are treated and how equitable a sport and society we create.
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About the author:
Elias Cepeda has served as a writer and editor covering mixed martial arts and combat sports, as well as public and cultural affairs, since 2005. He began as a staff writer for InsideFighting, and not long thereafter became publisher and editor of the page. Cepeda then went to write for Yahoo! Sports’ boxing and MMA pages, and edited their Cagewriter blog. He was hired away by FOX Sports, but after several years departed over philosophical differences with the executive leadership around important issues of journalism ethics. A student of and sometime competitor in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and MMA since 1999, Elias brings a unique and vibrant presence to reporting and enjoys trying to highlight shared humanity and connect common experiences from seemingly different worlds.
Image courtesy of Stay Ready Athlete!
