Let me be clear that....I understand why Conor is doing what he is doing.... but as a fan of the sport....it's disheartening to watch him do it knowing he doesn't truly deserve it from a pure fight stand point not from a business perspective....and that real
The thing is, you are talking from your point of view., which is fine. But I'm also a fan of the sport, and I'm fine with all of this. Does that mean you are right and I'm wrong? Does that mean I'm not as much of a fan as you? Not everyone wants/needs everything to be from a pure fight stand point.
Some people were pissed when they cut guys like Fitch, Okami, and Shields because they were among the best, and the best belong in the UFC. Some people don't care about that. To them, if it isn't entertaining, they have no desire to watch it. Many people were happy those fighters were gone.
Some people wanted more spectacle for UFC 200. They wanted super fights, champs vs. champs, Fedor, GSP, stuff they don't normally see in the average card. Some people think it's a waste of time and even an event like UFC 200 should still only have fights that are relevant to the title picture of each division.
Some people like the women. Some people don't.
Some people like the smaller weights. Some people don't.
Some people think prospects shouldn't fight other prospects, and contenders shouldn't fight each other because it might bump off a potential title challenger. Some people just want them to make the best fights they can because they think having a plethora of great fights is more important than trying to force the best situation for just a few title fights a year.
Some people think the UFC should only consist of the very top tier fighters. Some people like the fact that the UFC develops a lot of their talent on UFN cards and prelims.
Some people like having all of the top talent in one promotion. Some people liked it better when the talent was spread out, and actually prefer speculating about who would win rather than actually getting to find out.
Some people think everything should follow an exact formula. Some people are okay with a little chaos and mixing things up.
Some people would rather pay for a card filled with top names, even if they more than likely will put on bad fights. Some people would rather pay for mid-tier fighters who routinely put on barn burners.
Some people like to see guys like BJ Penn and Conor McGregor go up and challenge the champs in neighboring weight classes, or want guys like GSP, Silva, Jones, etc to go up and do the same. Some fans don't think a champ should ever go out of his weight class, but would rather them only defend their title.
Some people think the UFC needs big stars like Lesnar, Rousey, McGregor, etc. Some fans want fighters like that ran out of the sport.
Some people like the trash talk, the antics, the show. Some people don't like it, they think it's too pro wrestlingesque, and the fights themselves are either enough, or should be enough.
Some people respect the "villains" like Bisping, McGregor, the Diaz brothers, Lesnar, etc, and their place in the sport, how good they are, their drawing power, their entertainment value, etc. Some people hate fighters like that and think they should be ran out of the sport.
Some people thing MMA should stay as true to a pure sport as they can, even at the expense of their own entertainment. Some people don't care how pure it is if they aren't being entertained.
But it's not like there are two sides here. There are many different kinds of fans with their own unique desires and things they like to see from the UFC and MMA in general. There are people who are indifferent. With all of these different fans with different tastes, who should the UFC caterto? The realty is that it is their company. They can't please everyone. No matter what they do, some fans will get pissed. So they might as well do whatever they want. If they want to adhere to a strict guideline, they can. If they want to break their own rules, that is fine too. Some people will think it's bullshit. Some people will like it more. Who are you, me, or any of us to say what they should or shouldn't do? Because what we say is going to be based of our own unique point of view.