2016 was possibly the greatest year in the history of mixed martial arts. Now, with new UFC owners firmly in place, 2017 is starting to look like it might be one of the worst.
WME-IMG bought the UFC for $4 billion last year. Since taking ownership however, they have implemented several changes that have left fans and fighters less than pleased. In fact, not only have the new owners done harm to the UFC, they have done harm to the sport of MMA altogether.
In this article we take a look at four different ways the new UFC owners are ruining their own company.
Interim Title Fights/Bizarre Championship Booking
There must be a title fight on every single PPV. That seems to be the mandate the new UFC owners are going with, even if some of those title fights don’t make any sense whatsoever.
As was the case with the UFC 209 main event. In the inaugural UFC women’s 145lbs featherweight championship bout, Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino was not featured. The woman who has been the face of the weight class for years was not fighting for the title, why? Because the scheduling didn’t work out for her. By placing the title up for grabs in a fight between Holly Holm and Germaine de Randamie the new UFC owners were sending the message that they decide when championship bouts take place, not the fighters.
Max Holloway and Anthony Pettis fought for an interim featherweight title, even though the champion, Jose Aldo, had just fought Frankie Edgar a few months prior. So what exactly is Max Holloway “champion” of?
Many are concerned that frequent interim title fights are watering down what it means to be a true UFC champion.
