Issue 187

January 2020

The UFC’s newest belt was given a spectacular introduction to the sport thanks to its presenter.

Fans who’d turned up to watch Jorge Masvidal take on Nate Diaz at UFC 244 at Madison Square Garden on November 2, were given an extra bonus before the fight when Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson entered the arena bearing the BMF belt for which the fighters were competing. Plenty of MMA purists aren’t happy with the UFC’s decision to introduce this belt, seeing it as a move towards WWE-style showbusiness rather than pure fighting, but the choice of the universally-liked Johnson was a smart move. Combining Hollywood star power with his background in wrestling, The Rock was a great choice to wrap the belt around Masvidal at the end of the night. But if Johnson’s busy next time round, then the original BMF, Pulp Fiction’s, Samuel L. Jackson would be a perfect stand-in.