MMA: Comparing the BCS to the UFC

Not many people, except for the ones who profit from the current system, like the college football Bowl Championship Series system. Every year it seems like one or two programs miss out because they aren’t as big of a school as the one that was chosen over them.

Let me preface this by saying that some of you won’t agree with what I’m saying, but I think it’s time to analyze the UFC’s championship system too.

Unfortunately, Vitor Belfort will not be challenging Anderson Silva for his middleweight title at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi because of a shoulder injury suffered while training.

Naturally, everyone tried to assume who the UFC would put in Belfort’s place on April 10th. This got me to thinking: did Belfort even deserve a shot at Silva to begin with?

Before getting the nod from Dana White, Belfort beat Rich Franklin in his only bout since returning to the UFC. Now, take a look at who Nate Marquardt beat before he lost to Chael Sonnen at UFC 109 : Martin Kampmann, Wilson Gouveia, and Demian Maia.

The question is, why did Marquardt have to fight Sonnen to even get a title shot?

Does one win over Franklin mean more than consecutive wins over Kampmann, Gouveia and a then-undefeated Maia?

Let’s look at Chael Sonnen, who beat Marquardt and automatically became the No. 1 contender. Prior to his UFC 109 win, Sonnen beat Dan Miller and Yushin Okami, but also lost to Demian Maia prior to those two wins.

Just like in college football, when you lose seems to be a very important aspect to the UFC’s title system.

There have been plenty of times where an undefeated team in college football gets passed up for the BCS Championship Game for a higher-profile squad that actually has a loss. That’s why the system is so confusing.

How about the UFC’s lightweight division?

Well, Frank Edgar is the current No. 1 contender and will fight BJ Penn at UFC 112. Edgar leapfrogged Gray Maynard, even though Maynard owns a victory over him.

Did Maynard’s win over Edgar not mean anything at all?

The UFC is a billion-dollar company, so obviously they’ve done a lot of things right to be where they are. I’m just looking at it from a fan’s perspective, and that SHOULD be an important aspect in the decision making process.

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