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By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch Contributor
Shane Carwin and Frank Mir are scheduled to have an Interim Heavyweight Title fight this Saturday, March 27. Do we really need an Interim Heavyweight Title fight when Brock Lesnar is scheduled to return sometime this summer?
Of course we don't. It's just a marketing ploy by the UFC to try to increase sales of UFC 111. They just want to be able to hype that UFC 111 will have two title fights. We all know the truth, so why does the UFC insist on continuing the charade? It's not like they're going to sell more pay-per-views by hyping this phony interim title fight. Nobody's sitting there saying that they weren't going to order the pay-per-view, but now they will, thanks to this Interim title fight.
It's an insult to the intelligence of fans that the UFC feels that they need to hype up this pay-per-view. We're already getting a chance to see one of the best fighters on the planet, Georges St. Pierre, defend his Welterweight title against Dan Hardy. If you need more of a reason to order this card, then a trumped-up phony title fight isn't going to be what makes you buy it.
It's also an insult to Carwin and Mir. It's very probable that the winner of their fight will be the one facing Brock Lesnar in a few months. That's all the hype we need, we don't need or want some phony title fight taking place under false pretenses.
If Shane Carwin wins, it won't be the first title he's ever won in MMA, at least not really. Carwin won't be a real champion until he defeats Brock Lesnar, or whomever is the champion at that time. Carwin doesn't even care about this Interim belt. I'm sure Mir doesn't care about it, either. If this fight had taken place months ago, I wouldn't have a problem with it. However, Brock Lesnar is so close to returning that it turns this Interim belt into a joke.
If the UFC is so insistent on adding a label to this fight, why don't they call it a Number One Contender's match for the Heavyweight Title? That's what this fight is, it's not for a title, it's for a shot at the title.
This reminds me of the carnival barkers that would say anything to try to get you inside the tent. You would buy a ticket to see a bearded lady, but you'd find a man in a dress. They'd promise you a half-man, half-seal and deliver a dude with webbing between his toes. Shane Carwin vs. Frank Mir doesn't need false hype; it should be an exciting fight. Plus, the winner will fight Brock Lesnar for the Heavyweight Title in a few months. That's all the hype this fight needs. They don't have to sell us anything; we've already bought into it.
The UFC needs to ask itself, "Can it really be a title fight if neither man cares about the belt?"
E-mail me with comments or suggestions at hydenfrank@gmail.com
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