Record Or Recognition? A Look At UFC Match Making

When matches are made in the UFC, specifically title matches, the two major determining factors are the fighter's record, and the fighter's recognition.  Unfortunately importance is often on the latter.

Perennial fan favorite Chuck Liddell was put to the front of the line for a title shot when it was announced that the winner of his fight with Rashad Evans would next face Forrest Griffin for the light heavy weight belt.

While Evans has certainly earned his shot at a title shot with a 7-0-1 UFC record, Liddell was coming off a one win streak after consecutive losses.

One could argue that Liddell is always a contender, and while this might be true, it can't be ignored that there were other fighters in the very talent rich light heavy weight division that were more deserving of the shot at a title shot. Specifically Lyoto Machida and Thiago Silva, who have run up five and four fight win streaks respectively.

Record alone won't sell pay-per-views and Rashad is certainly the most recognized fighter out of the win streak trio because of his time spent on The Ultimate Fighter so I have no argument against him challenging Forrest Griffin.

However what if Liddell had won instead of Evans? Just throw the records out the window?

As the leader in MMA the UFC is often compared to the NFL, MLB, and the NBA. On the surface these comparisons are fair because each organization is hands down the leader in their sport. The major difference between these organizations is that the UFC can unbalance the scales since they ultimately make the matches that set up the title shots.

An analogy I've been using lately when discussing this comes from the hype that was generated by fans and journalists about the possibility of the Dodgers playing the Red Sox in the World Series.

Obviously neither of these teams made it to the final series but what if recognition, not record was the only deciding factor? Well surely the Tampa Bay Rays, regardless of record would be shoved aside for the ratings a Boston Red Sox, LA Dodgers series would bring in. Just throw the record out the window.

The UFC relies heavily on the star power of a handful of fighters to increase the number of pay-per-view purchases.

In the current state of MMA this is a neccessary evil. Add Chuck Liddell to a card, watch the PPV numbers go up by about 250,000. At $44.95 a piece Liddell adds over $5.5M to the UFC coffers for each card he fights on.

While I'll never argue against a company's right to make as much profit as possible I will draw the line when legitimate contenders are continuously ignored in favor of well known faces.