There are several fights already in the short history of MMA that have embarrassed the sport. In fact, there are fights listed in this article which not only hurt the sport’s reputation, but threatened MMA’s very survival.
In some cases, the fault in these fights lay with the promoter. Numerous cases exist of promoters valuing live attendance, TV ratings, or PPV buys over fighter safety and the credibility of the sport.
In other cases however, it is the fighters themselves who are to blame. Some of the bouts listed here featured the very worst that martial arts has to offer.
Let’s begin with a relatively recent embarrassment the sport suffered:
7. CM Punk vs. Mickey Gall – UFC 203
Phil “CM Punk” Brooks really wants to be a fighter. The problem is that he’s 38 years old, and not any good at fighting. Punk still feels he should be able to fight however, and that somehow he is deserving of an “MMA Participation Trophy”.
Unfortunately, just being a big fan doesn’t mean you can fight. Even training to fight doesn’t mean you can actually fight. Here’s what Punk is ignoring: you have to actually be good at MMA to be a pro.
By jumping the line ahead of other fighters, CM Punk and the UFC proved that their main concern is profits, not the credibility of the sport.
At UFC 203, Mickey Gall needed just over 2 minutes to make Punk tap. It is believed that as of this writing Punk is still trying to get another fight in the UFC, however the UFC themselves seem to be all quiet on this front. It’s possible the UFC is holding onto his contract, and not offering him fights, in order to prevent him from drawing TV ratings or PPV buys for another promotion.
