I am sick..............
Sick of the state of UFC's shitty matchmaking.
What makes UFC the standout MMA promotion? They're supposed to have the best fighters on the planet. The best fight the best. The champion = the bestest. Being a champion used to mean something. Now it's been watered down so much that fighters with 0 defences are begging Dana for a second strap.
I cannot recall a time when the belt meant so little. I'm a true MMA fan. And I don't mean that it in an egotistical way. Sure, I like fighters who can 'make some noise', but that don't necessarily mean I want them fighting for the strap.
8 divisions, and 4 of them have shadow champions (WMMA doesn't count). What's going on? Why are Cheato, Colby, Stipe, etc. getting title shots? This is a joke. I don't even get excited for championship fights no more.
What is a 'shadow champion'? A shadow champion is essentially a non-champion with a championship-esque run, i.e., fighters with a similar amount of ranked wins as the current champ. I've identified 4 shadow champions:
- Merab - In this goblin's last 3 bouts, he beat Cejudo, Yan and Aldo in dominant fashion. He upgraded from no. 1 contendor status to shadow champion status the moment O'Malley decided he wanted a gimme matchup against Cheato.
- Belal - 2 top 5 wins and 2 top 10 wins in his last 4. Which elite fighter has Leon beat besides Usman? We counting Colby now?
- Anklaev - Potent has been gifted so many favorable match-up fights. 0 title defences at MW despite being the biggest middleweight in the history of the sport. We all know Anklaev is the top dog at LHW. Anklaev beats Potent any day of the week. Easy money, Ali.
- Aspinall - Put aside by the UFC so Jon can get his gimme fight against Stipe. We all know it.
Personally, I like the belt to mean something. Whether a fighter is boring or not is completely irrelevant. If you want the belt to mean something it should be completely based off merit.
(Usman, the supposed greatest WW of all time, has 2 title defences against Masvidal. Let that sink in.)