Fighting champions deserve respect
Putting spotlight on titleholders who regularly defend belts and fighters who earned their shot
Here’s a crazy idea: rather than lamenting that Conor McGregor isn’t defending the UFC lightweight title and moaning about the introduction of another interim title, why not view this weekend’s UFC 216 pay-perview as an opportunity to celebrate one of the most active champions in UFC history and get invested in the event’s headliners, Tony Ferguson and Kevin Lee?
I’m not a big fan of interim titles. I think the fact there have been six such championships rolled out in the last three years (compared to only eight interim belts before 2015) has significantly devalued what it means to be a UFC champion, which, in turn, shifts the way fans view UFC champions and impacts viewership numbers.
But I also have little interest in sitting around wishing things would “go back to the way they used to be” when it’s clear we’re in an era where interim titles are going to be introduced on the regular, even when there is no real need.
So rather than lament the fact McGregor has gone back-to-back years without defending his UFC belt or complaining about Michael Bisping facing Dan Henderson and Georges St-Pierre in his first assignments since winning the middleweight title, I’m investing my energy into praising the champions who do repeatedly face the top contenders in their respective divisions and giving props to the talented competitors who fight for these unnecessary championship belts because it’s the best option available to them.
And Saturday’s card in Las Vegas is a chance to do both.
Whether you could love him or leave him, you have to give Demetrious Johnson credit for how active he has been since ascending to the top of the flyweight division five years ago. He’s fought at least twice a year every year since winning the title (and three times in his first year as champ) and faced the top available contender at every turn. If you’re going to knock Bisping for avoiding the Murderer’s Row of challengers that had assembled by the time he was ready to face Henderson last year in Manchester, you have to applaud “Mighty Mouse” for always willingly facing the next man up and turning them back with ease.
The same goes for welterweight champ Tyron Woodley, who has yet to deliver a performance that stands out for all the right reasons since rising to the top of the 170-pound ranks, but has fought three times since winning the belt in July 2016 and faced the No. 1 contender every time.
Additionally, rather than wondering if Ferguson or Lee will “hit the lottery” this weekend and get the chance to face McGregor at some point in 2018, why not recognize these are two elite lightweights who worked their way to the top of the most competitive division in the sport and focus on how they got here, what they bring to the table and what this weekend’s main event might look like?
Ferguson hasn’t lost in four years and has delivered a string of wildly entertaining performances in winning nine straight fights. He takes risks, has a 75 per cent finishing rate in the UFC and has collected six bonuses in his last five fights heading into Saturday night.
While Lee doesn’t have the same number of wins or list of impressive conquests as Ferguson does, “The Motown Phenom” has won five straight and is dripping with star potential. In many ways, he reminds me of Cody Garbrandt, who made a quick climb up the bantamweight ladder, spitting game and settling fools along the way before delivering a virtuoso performance to dethrone Dominick Cruz and claim UFC gold last year at UFC 207.
Believe me, I’m annoyed Bisping hasn’t faced a legitimate contender, that McGregor has never defended either UFC belt he’s held, and that adding an interim belt seems like the solution every time the organization can’t find a champion to defend their title on pay-per-view.
It sucks, but it also makes me appreciate the likes of Johnson and Woodley and Joanna Jedrzejczyk, who defend their belts on the regular, and makes me want to invest even more in guys like Robert Whittaker and Ferguson and Lee for doing exactly what we keep demanding of these inactive, finicky champions.
E. Spencer Kyte covers MMA for The Sun and The Province. Follow him on social media: @spencerkyte.