Contributor: Josh Hall
I recently wrote an article about how the business and entertainment aspects of the fight game can play a bigger factor than simple wins and losses. This was directly on the heels of the most shocking release of a fighter in UFC history, that of one Jon Fitch. The internet erupted with a sense of great vengeance and furious anger over the top ten fighter being suddenly released two fights after an exciting FOTN performance in a win over Erick Silva. As Dana White revealed at the media scrum after the UFC 157 press conference, more cuts are coming. A lot more.
Dana said that fans can expect to see another 100 fighters released in the near future, and that some other big name fighters are not safe either. He specifically mentioned Urijah Faber, who is their best-selling fighter under 170 pounds. He said Faber can expect to be released if he loses to Ivan Menjivar at UFC 157. This news shocked me somewhat it first, but now I can think of a possible good reason for this.
What do Faber and Fitch have in common? They are both longtime veterans of the sport, but they have quite dissimilar fighting styles. Faber uses his speed and mixes up his striking and grappling very well to keep his opponents off balance, while Fitch grinds his opponents into dust, using smothering wrestling and positional BJJ to neutralize their weapons. But if we delve a little deeper into the men, there are 2 major things they have in common.
- Both fighters are longtime veterans of top level MMA, and command a price tag indicative of such. Faber made a reported $32K for his UFC 149 fight with Renan Barao. The put it into perspective, the UFC Interim BW champion only made $22K, even with an $11K win bonus. Jon Fitch has been making $66K/66K, which is not Anderson Silva money by any means, but far more than your run of the mill WW.
- Despite being in the top five of their respective divisions for many years, neither fighter has ever reached the pinnacle of the sport by winning a UFC championship. Both have had at least one shot, but have never been able to win the big one. Now younger, more talented fighters have emerged, making it very unlikely either man will ever get there.
The big question is why have these guys been targeted? They are certainly better than the run of the mill fighters that the UFC employs, and have not done anything outside of the cage to call for their respective releases. I have a theory on that. I have heard a number of people say that the UFC will possibly legitimize an organization like Bellator allowing good fighters to head there. Let me put my tin foil hat on for a moment, and I will tell you what I think could really be happening.
Part of these roster cuts are about money. No doubt about that. But I think there is more going on beneath the surface. Dana White said today that Fitch could be welcomed back with a couple of good wins, and that he expects him to become the Bellator WW champion. These statements help shed a little light on what is happening in my opinion. If Jon Fitch goes to Bellator, it is very likely he wins their WW title. Ben Askren struggled with Jay Hieron, and Fitch is on another level than anyone Askren has fought. If he wins the title, the champion’s clause kicks in. I think this is exactly what the UFC wants.
If a guy with a known UFC name goes into Bellator and beats their undefeated champion, it immediately takes some credibility from the smaller organization. Bellator want to build their own stars, and have said they will stay away from former UFC talent. But a guy like Jon Fitch is just too good for them to pass up. I think the UFC wants Fitch to go dominate in Bellator because it will kill 3 birds with one stone for them.
I have already mentioned the credibility issue for Bellator if Fitch comes in fresh off of getting cut elsewhere and wins gold. But there are more good things for the UFC if this happens. When the champion’s clause kicks in, Dana no longer has to worry about Fitch returning, because he will be contractually bound for quite a while. That not only saves them the 6 figures that Fitch usually makes per fight, but gives them one more added bonus. The only thing that Fitch is good for in the UFC at this point is being a gatekeeper to the elite. He had his time, but at 34 years of age it is unlikely he ever gets near the top again. Despite not being the #2 WW in the world, Fitch is still better than almost all WW’s in the world. He wasn’t in title contention in the UFC, but could certainly stop the momentum of future contenders (a la Erick Silva). Now all these problems are gone for Zuffa.
Think about all the details about Fitch that I spoke about here. Now think about Faber. They all apply directly to him too. He would be an immediate favorite to win the Bellator BW title, he is one of the highest paid guys in his division, and he is not a serious title contender at this point. I think Faber beats Menjivar this weekend, but if not things are going to get very interesting.
From a sporting aspect, I don’t like this at all. But if this is a business plan by the UFC, it is more than shrewd. It’s diabolical and brilliant at the same time. Theoretically, they could get Bellator to pay good money to damage the credibility their own business, while taking care of fighters than clog the higher end of 2 UFC divisions. They can also get value out of 2 elite fighters, while getting someone else to foot the bill.
Am I thinking too much about this? Maybe. But that’s a lot of the fun in loving and writing about MMA.
All payouts were found here.
-Josh can be reached @jhall282
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