Issue 091
August 2012
Leading contenders often wait six months or more for injured champions, or for the belt of their weight class to be contested. Which begs the question
SHOULD NUMBER-ONE CONTENDERS BE ALLOWED TO WAIT FOR TITLE FIGHTS?
YES
Rory MacDonald
Highly tipped Canadian UFC welterweight, 13-1
It should be up to the fighter. Certain guys fight for the love of it, and certain guys fight for money. If you are a person that’s there for money and fame, you’ll want to wait for the title fight. In my opinion, I like to fight. I fight for my pride and passion and my love for the sport. So for me, I wouldn’t want to wait a year for the fight. I’d like to stay busy. In my heart, if I were to go and take another fight before a title fight and I lost, then I wasn’t the real champion in the first place. I wasn’t meant to be there at that point. So I put a little more heart into it than business. But you do have to be smart. There are double edges to everything, and you have to be smart. Every fighter just has to determine what’s best for them.
NO
Dan Hardy
Resurgent British striker in the UFC’s 170lb division, 24-10 (1 NC)
Look at Carlos Condit. At the moment, he’s the interim champ, so if he considers himself a champion, he should take on whoever is in front of him. If Georges St Pierre is out for another nine months, we need to see Condit fight. We need to see if he is the one to fight St Pierre because we don’t know how many fights St Pierre has left. He might have one more, and we don’t want to waste it on a guy that might not deserve it.
Personally, I’m the guy that will take a fight if it’s offered. I actually had a UFC contract and took another fight, knowing that if I lost the fight, I wouldn’t be in the UFC. The problem is title fights, if you’ve got a smart manager, it means big money. But in my opinion, I don’t like people staying out for too long. I like people to be fighting and active, especially if they’re in the top five.
What you had to say on the matter ...
“If the fighter waits we are unlikely to see them at their best, as the momentum they carry from their previous wins is less.”
@MARCHANTGEORGE
“Yes they should be allowed to wait. Why take the chance of getting an injury during a camp or in another fight?”
@JENNYFRIEDMAN1
“Yes, they’ve earned the right to wait because of their past performances, they have no control over a champion’s injuries.”
@KINDA_RATIONAL
“Interim champions alone should be given an option to wait. Contenders should keep proving their status until their time comes.”
@LULU_MMA
