In about two and a half weeks, Mark Coleman and Randy Couture fight in the main event of UFC 109: Relentless. Problem there is that no one really cares.
Not that both are bad fighters. Quite the contrary seeing that Coleman and Couture are former UFC champions and are considered to be pioneers of not only the wrestling-ground and pound style, but of MMA as a whole, so people should care about this fight. The problem lies in that there is no reason for these two to fight beyond pride.
If Couture wins, there may be a title shot in his future, but that's a big if with that, and as for Coleman, well, it'd be a win that could put him closer as well. But, as fans, we don't have any kind of emotional investment since these two fighters haven't coached opposite each other on "The Ultimate Fighter" or have a history of talking smack to each other.
In this age of big-money fights, feuds are what make main events. In recent memory, you had GSP-BJ Penn II, Brock Lesnar-Frank Mir II, Silva-Rampage III, Hughes-Serra, and coming up, Liddell-Ortiz III. Not taking away from other main events or fighters, but the fights that most fans care about are the ones that divide many of them.
With the previous fights mentioned, think about the combatants, and if you were to discuss this with a colleague or friend, you would either be completely behind one fighter over the other, or clash on both fighters. These fights represent an emotional attachment that is sometimes not seen within most fights.
As much as we love to see someone like Sean Sherk go against Clay Guida, we like it for the match-up alone. Now, take Sean Sherk and put him against BJ Penn again, and for most there is an emotional attachment from the previous fight. The same fight where Penn dominated Sherk and licked the blood off of Sherk, and where the build-up had to deal with accusations of steroid use on the part of Sherk. There's also Forrest-Ortiz II, and if instead of Forrest, what if Ortiz fought Keith Jardine? An interesting fight for sure, but not one that fans care about emotionally.
Fighting is based on a lot of emotion, and fights such as the ones mentioned earlier, those are usually the ones fans care about. Take the upcoming Liddell-Ortiz III fight. Liddell soundly defeated Ortiz both times previously; yet, the UFC is having them coach the newest season of "The Ultimate Fighter," and at the end, have a fight between the both of them.
Now, do we really need to see Liddell fight Ortiz again? Not really, since there was no controversy as to who won the previous two. The idea of them fighting again is baffling at first, but look at the facts. Liddell hates Ortiz. Ortiz hates Liddell. The drama between them is well documented. The fight sells itself on the idea alone, as opposed to having to sell a fight such as Rashad Evans against Thiago Silva, title ramifications aside.
The fights most remember are the ones that have a significant background story going into them, but then again, the fight itself can create enough drama and emotional conviction that warrants rematches, such as the Machida-Shogun II rematch. Whatever the fight, fans will watch. But it's the ones that have meaning that fans will remember.
As much as the hardcore fan wants to see someone like Shane Carwin or Rodrigo Nogueira take Brock Lesnar out, most would love to see his feud with Frank Mir transpire into Lesnar-Mir III. I know I would. And I'm a Nogueria fan.
As much as people love to hate the idea that feuds "sell" fights and that this shouldn't be about selling the PPV or buyrates, the truth is these are the fights that help other fights that hardcore and underground fans want to see like the rumored/confirmed Florian-Gomi bout.
If Florian wins, then it might be a way back to the champ, B.J. Penn. If Gomi wins, he'd still have to get one more fight before going against Penn for the belt. Great fight, but it's not like Gomi talked bad about Florian's mother or Florian took liberties about talking about the "easy" fights and fighters Pride fed Gomi (both of which not true).
Let's face it, if Wanderlei Silva and Rampage Jackson were good friends and trained together or hung out, their feud would mean nothing. The fact that they have a true disdain for each other and have history between them, many fans would not mind seeing a fourth fight between them, as the blood boils not only within them to fight again, but in us to see them lace up the gloves against each other once more.
[Randy Couture art credit Cory Gould (c) MMATorch]
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