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As an augmentation to Jason Amadi's column this week, name your choices for the worst instances of a fighter who didn't deserve a title shot getting one because they were "more exciting" or more likely to draw? Who lost out as a result, and might it have changed the course of MMA?
SHAWN ENNIS, MMATORCH SENIOR COLUMNIST
The most glaring example here is Yushin Okami not getting a shot. It's no longer the case, but for a while he was widely considered the most deserving of a shot at Anderson Silva. Did it change the course of MMA that he never got it? Highly doubtful. That would mean that Okami beats Silva, and I just don't see that happening. Was it too bad for Okami? Absolutely. A game-changing omission? Hardly.
There were a lot of examples in Pride of deserving fighters not getting title shots, but I can't think of any times where they didn't either lose or eventually get their shot. And also, you can't say that their matchmaking was based on being exciting, because no one knows what their matchmaking was based on. Astrology? Dementia? No idea.
Brock Lesnar is another story. Now, if I remember correctly, the UFC had already planned the next season of TUF around Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, with a shot at the interim title on the line when Randy Couture was announced as returning to the Octagon. So at that point they weren't going to reneg and give Interim Champ Nogueira first crack at Couture. Whether or not Lesnar deserved the shot was debatable. Sure, he was new, but he was hardly jumping in front of some deserving contender.
The heavyweight division was hardly in the shape it's in now back in 2008. So it may have changed the course of MMA or it may not have, but it's hard to argue the outcome - after all, it was a tournament format, right? Other than those two, there's no real glaring omissions that I can think of. Karo Parisyan was unfortunately hurdled by a weight-missing Joe Riggs due to injury and never got the shot that was once his, but that had nothing to do with entertainment value.
Vitor Belfort was getting a shot based on there being very few worthy contenders, his history in the UFC, and his dominant performance over Rich Franklin. Also, his announced contendership came long before Chael Sonnen's coming out party at UFC 109. There's not much to complain about there. Frankie Edgar's loss to Gray Maynard was two years ago, and his three victories since have been more impressive than Maynard's four. They weren't necessarily more entertaining - but they were more impressive. No matter what you may think about the decision, you've got to admit that a decisive victory over Sean Sherk is more impressive than a split decision over Nate Diaz.
WESLEY WALKER, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR
The worst instance of a fighter getting a title shot when he did not deserve the shot was Brock Lesnar at UFC 91. When in the history of MMA has the holder of the interim belt not fought the Champion who holds the original title? Besides money, why was Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira passed up for a shot to unify the belt with Randy Couture.
When Tito Ortiz did not fight Chuck Liddell the UFC made an interim belt match with Chuck and Randy. After Couture won the bout he got his shot to unify the belt against Tito and beat him. Randy and Brock was a way to get a huge pay-per-view draw and a huge attendance gate to bring in lots of money for the UFC. I believe this did change the landscape of MMA because Nogueira has never gotten the title shot he deserved. Plus he beat Couture at UFC 102 therefore he had a great shot to become champion if the unification bout would have taken place.
ADAM SCHWARTZBARD, MMATORCH SPECIALIST
Although there have been instances of fighters getting title shots prematurely, I actually do not have a problem with the current system for matchmaking in MMA. I think you can easily look at Brock Lesnar getting the title shot too early against Randy Couture, but overall that decision has been beneficial for MMA, helping to propel Lesnar to super stardom and leading the rematch with Frank Mir.
ANWAR PEREZ, MMATORCH COLUMNIST
The most recent fighter that was brought in for this exact reason was Vitor Belfort. Belfort had just come back to the UFC, defeating Rich Franklin via TKO at a catch-weight of 195lbs. It was then announced that he would face Anderson Silva for the Middleweight Title. Belfort leapfrogged both Nate Marquardt and Dan Henderson.
The move caused Henderson to leave the UFC for Strikeforce (among many reasons, including more money), as he thought he should face Silva; and Marquardt took a fight with Chael Sonnnen, in which he lost his opportunity to fight Silva anytime in the future with a loss in that bout. Though both of the previously named fighters had already fought Silva in losing fashion, Belfort seemed to be the "money making" and "more exciting" choice at the time, even though he had not had one fight in the middleweight division.
If either Henderson or Marquardt got the chance to face Silva, rather than Belfort, the outcomes of those fights may have been the same, as Anderson Silva is still regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Henderson may have ended up being the most trouble for Silva, but he probably would have stayed in the UFC, and Marquardt might have still had a chance against Silva, had it not been for Belfort getting put into the Title fight.
[Brock Lesnar art by Cory Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
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