- 19 Nov 2014 01:50
#14488704
My knowledge of MMA is not what's in question here. That is purely an ad hominem on your part.
The UFC has increasingly become a striking spectacle. A great number of fighters have very amateurish striking. So, there's that.
It isn't really true that the skill level has continually improved in MMA. Indeed, the Pride era was pretty much the pinnacle in terms of skilled fighters competing. The likes of Mirko Crocop, Mauricio Rua, Kazushi Sakuraba, Wanderlei Silva, Fedor Emelianenko, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mark Coleman, etc., all in their prime, was a presentation of skill which is not matched today. Former college wrestlers attempting to kickbox, under unified MMA rules, is not a presentation of equal skill. There are some exceptions, but for the most part, the level of technical skill on display is not what it could be.
It is also a myth that all of the best fighters are under UFC contract. In a truly open sporting format, where being under exclusive dirty contracts with Zuffa is not a precondition to compete against particular fighters, things would be rather different. It is true that Zuffa has many of the best fighters locked down, but not all of them. Also, combat sports are different from sports like NFL. UFC to NFL is a false comparison which is thrown around. In boxing, the top contenders typically challenge the champions, regardless of promoters. Rankings and titles are outside of the purview of the promoters. In MMA, and particularly under the UFC model, the promoter seeks to monopolize everything, from news media, to rankings, to titles, down to the very careers of the fighters who are affiliated with them. It is a poisonous model, which also makes possible the severe underpaying of fighters.
And the UFC is owned by Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta. They are Las Vegas casino moguls, who are members of a mafia family. They also have a history of abusive labor practices in their casinos, and have been in a long and ongoing struggle with the Culinary Union.
The purchase of the UFC by Lorenzo Fertitta occurred under very dirty circumstances. The former owner, Bob Meyrowitz, was attempting to get the UFC sanctioned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Lorenzo Fertitta was a board member on the NSAC. Meyrowitz had successfully come up with a rule set that was in accordance with the NSAC demands, and had received the assurance that he would be sanctioned. Then, one member of NSAC changed his vote to oppose sanctioning. That one member was Lorenzo Fertitta. Lorenzo Fertitta then immediately sent an offer to purchase the UFC to Meyrowitz, which Meyrowitz accepted, his hands being essentially tied.