One thing I don't understand about MMA...

Still, it ties into matchmaking in general. I'm in the right field; I just chose to wander a bit, that's all. In MMA, whether a guy is coming off a short or long layoff does not matter unless you're placing bets. I can enjoy the fact that he has the balls to take on an elite opponent. I think it all comes down to money and power. Dana calls the shots and if he says you're fighting...you really don't have much of a choice.

 

I think everyone's missing the important point. The reason tune ups exist in boxing is because the promoter has house fighters that they need to keep on winning. K2 bites the farm if both Klitschkos loses for example. The UFC doesn't have that. It owns all the fighters and controls all the belts it puts on television. Therefore it usually doesn't care whether fighter A beats fighter B - because if A pulls off the upset then they'll just go ahead and market that fighter.

While there is an argument in the short term for tune up fights or other such boxing showmanship tactics I admire the UFC's approach to matchmaking and believe it pays off in the long term. UFC fans are far more willing to forgive losses than boxing fans precisely because they've been trained that the matchmaking is on the level. When a prospect loses in boxing everyone knows that the favourite has lost a match designed for them to win.

 

maybe because putting people in tuneups involves one of the fighters being given little to no chance to win, which is not what the UFC is about. It's not what people want to see either.

 

come on who wants to see tune ups in all fairness, its great that they dont exist in mma

 

You raise a good point Popkin, and i agree. Fighters returning after lengthy lay offs should not be instantly fed to the lions

 

Exactly.. Boxing promoters shove this **** down our throats on almost a monthly basis, UFC matchmaking is where its at. Like SouthpawSlayer said, nobody wants to see that, leave it to boxing to dig its own hole.

I bet you couldn't pay UFC champions enough to waste months of training on guys who are their to lose.. Not in our philosophy, these fighters as a whole have too much pride to make it a habit.

There is so much wrong in boxing matchmaking today, and most fans really do not realize it. Those who want tuneups in MMA can't fathom DLH, Trinidad, Vargas, Vernon F., Mosley, David Reid, Javier C., and other talent fighting under the same banner, trading wins and losses.. We got it so good here in MMA.

Lol, Popkins wants fighter A to continue winning, so he says "give him a tuneup".

This would uneven the playing field in MMA and within the UFC, leaving some near the top of the ranks, and others as nothing more than opponents at the bottom, on their way outta the organization.

 

These guys are proffesionals, they need to come ready to fight.

That is what is so good about mma, there is very little mis matches. Boxing is full of padded records and mis matches and too much politics.

MMA guys come ready to fight, end of story.

Boxing is a dying sport, im a boxer turnedd mma fighter, i dont even watch boxing anymore unless i know the fighter or its a big fight.

 

UFC basically works on a ladder system, you go up or down, as mentioned before you get what should be an easier fight when you lose, if you lose that you drop further down.

 

it's one thing to lose Boxin or lose MMA match
when we talk about how much physical harm is done

 

Tuneups, matchmaking, it's all part of the big picture.

I was watching UFC 94 this morning with Bonnar/Jones, Bonnar was coming off knee surgery I believe, a layoff either way you look at it. I don't hear you saying he was thrown to the wolves. Since it was Jones' second fight in the UFC, both men were in fact on a "level playing field".. As in towards the bottom of the LHW ladder.

Not good enough, right? You expect the UFC to find someone even less skilled as Bonnar so he eases his way back to the bottom of the ladder. What UFC fan is going to want to watch Bonnar fight someone less skilled then himself in a so called "tune up"?

Shogun and Lesnar are supposed to have tuneups? They are the champs! How would you want it? A non title, 3 round fight, or he defends his title in a Rocky Balboa type situation? Nobody is buying that crap, literally and figuratively.

This leaves #1 contenders with their dicks in the air, while we all tune in to see the champ get paid to work some rust off? Who is going to get up for a tuneup? Better yet, who is going to want to pay to watch a tuneup?

It's safe to say that Shogun did in fact have "tuneup" like matchups facing a 44 year old Mark Coleman, fighting for the first time in 3 years, and Liddell who was irrelevant, past his prime, and recently KTFO by Ultimate Fighter Rashad Evans.

I've seen tons of footage of MMA sparring full contact with those 4oz gloves, most of that rust comes off in the gym and in the 1st minute or so of a fight. The word tuneup nowadays means making money with the least amount of risk involved.

I'll tell you exactly what tuneups for fighters coming off injuries/inactivity will do.. It's going to make a mockery out of UFC promotion. Pick up where you left off, now that is only fair. If we had it you're way everyone will be soon be wanting tuneups after getting beatup, prolonging, and possibly ending the matchups that we crave.

 

Griffin was meant as a tune up for Shogun anyway

 

I certainly hope this is sarcasm.
Shogun had been out just over 6 months, hardly a long time. And he was just finished destroying half of Pride, including knocking out Overeem and tearing Randleman's knee to pieces. Forrest, meanwhile was coming of a decision win over Hector Ramirez and a TKO loss to Kieth Jardine. How much more of a tune up do you want?