UFC 136: With Edgar vs Maynard III Done, It's Time for a Tournament!!

The UFC's 155 lbs division has a big problem: There are just too many fighters who deserve the next title shot.  

Anthony Pettis was promised a title shot and did not get it. Should he get the next shot at the belt?

Clay Guida deserves a title shot because he beat Pettis and he has done more than enough to earn deserve a crack at Frankie Edgar.

Gilbert Melendez vs Frankie Edgar actually makes a ton of sense. Stylistically, Gilbert is a virtual mirror image of Frankie. And it would be a unification bout of the UFC and Strikeforce titles. It would also do more to legitimize the winner and UFC champion as the best in the world, because of the fighters that Melendez has beaten.

But having Melendez come over to the UFC is hardly fair to Jorge Masvidal, who earned the next shot at the Strikeforce title. So what do you do with Jorge?

Ben Henderson is looking really good right now and should make a very challenging fight for Edgar.

Donald Cerrone is also looking amazing. It is not hard at all to make the case for Cerrone vs Edgar.

Shinya Aoki vs Frankie Edgar for a Japan fight card would be absolutely brilliant! He is currently the most popular fighter in all of Japan and letting him fight for the title in Japan would definitely help the UFC get a real foothold in the country.

If you could steal him away from Bellator, Eddie Alvarez would make a very interesting opponent for Edgar.

Despite losing yesterday, Melvin Guillard still might be the greatest threat to Edgar's title.  

Who can say which fighter will reinvent themselves and become the next greatest Lightweight in the world? How do you know that some new up and coming fighter is not the next great fighter? It could be that Nate Diaz, Gray Maynard, Jim Miller, Sam Stout, Gleison Tibau, Rafael do Anjos, TJ Grant, Jacob Volkmann, Joe Lauzon, Pat Healy, Matt wiman, Jeremy Stephens, Nik Lentz, Evan Dunham or Paul Sass is the man who radically ups their game and becomes the ideal fighter to dethrone Frankie Edgar. But how would you know?

How do you really know who the best man for the next shot at the title is and how do you find out?

The answer is very simple: Have a tournament.

Why is a tournament the right call, and should the UFC use more of them? In a word, yes!  

What a Lightweight Tournament Look Like and How Does It Work?

So what would a Lightweight Tournament look like?

For starters, you take the top sixteen available fighters and seed them by ranking. I used Fight Matrix since it is always current and goes well beyond the top 10 fighters in each weight class.  

Ultimately it will not matter how you seed them. If the sixteenth seed -- in this case Donald Cerrone -- is the best fighter in the tournament then Cerrone is going to win the tournament.

Now you absolutely do not want to make this a one night tournament! Sure they are fun, but the winner of a one night tournament is just as likely the luckiest as it is the best fighter. Winning a one-nighter is more about avoiding injury than being the best fighter.

I suggest having two months between rounds. That should be the perfect balance to let fighters recover while keeping the tournament moving forwards

Since it is too big to fit on a five fight pay per view block, put the first round bouts on free TV. Having four of the fights on Friday and the other four on Saturday would not be a bad idea either.

Putting the opening round on free TV would be a great teaser to build interest in the tournament.

Two months later, you put the quarter-final mathcups on a pay per view card and add a title-fight from another weight class or another high profile fight as the main event.

Two months later, put the semi-finals on another pay per view card.  In this case you can either make these two fights the co-main events or you can just make them part of the main card headlined by another big fight.

Two months later, make the Tournament Championship fight a five round main event headlining a pay per view card.    

The winner of the Lightweight Tournament gets to fight Frankie Edgar for the UFC title three months later.

Fighters who are injured along the way will be replaced by alternates when needed. In all cases, if the fight ends in a draw, an additional sudden victory round will be added.

And while your waiting for the tournament results, by all means have Edgar fight somebody else -- probably somebody I listed for this tournament. Just bring in more alternates and everyone slides up a slot.

* Note: I put Eddie Alvarez and Shinya Aoki in the tournament because they are highly regarded lightweights. They are also not in the UFC currently. They may be willing to sign with the organization and participate in the Lightweight Tournament because it gives them the chance to prove that they are the best Lightweight in the world.  If they decline,  everyone seeded lower than them moves up and two alternates move into the tournament as 15th and 16th seeds.

Have a Flyweight Tournament Too

The UFC just added two weight classes: Featherweight and Bantamweight. Dana White has also announced plans to create a 125 pound Flyweight Division.

There are some problems with the Featherweight and Bantamweight Divisions. Interest in these new weight classes is lacking and growing more slowly than expected. Long-time UFC fans are not as enthusiastic about the new divisions as Dana White and the UFC would like.

Largely this is because they did not follow the WEC and did not know who any of these new champions and other fighters were.

One way to avoid the same problem while creating a 125 lbs Flyweight Division is simple: Have a tournament.  

Invite the best 125 pound fighters from all over the world. Have a sixteen man tournament using the same format outlined in the last slide. 

UFC fans will see these new fighters battle down to the last until the new Flyweight Champion is crowned.  They will have seen that champion earn his title right before their eyes, legitimizing him as the best 125 pound fighter in the world.

They will also no doubt pick out fan favorites along the way -- also a very good thing for business.

Bring Back the UFC Tournaments!

Now I am proposing the Lightweight Tournament, an immediate solution to the logjam in the Lightweight division and a Flyweight Tournament to crown an inaugural UFC Flyweight Champion.  

But I'm also looking at tournaments as something that the UFC should do a lot more of in all weight classes.  

I think these two tournaments would provide a good beta test to see if fans like tournaments and if the UFC should bring them back into regular use.

Think about it for a moment: the UFC used to be the premier organization for MMA tournaments. They no doubt had their reasons for getting away from tournaments, but right now, outside of the Ultimate Fighter reality TV show, the UFC has completely abandoned the tournament format.

There are lots of reasons for bringing back the tournaments.  

For one thing, every fight matters more if it's part of a tournament.  

I'm not saying you do not have non-tournament fights mind you. But if several of the fights on any given UFC card were part of a tournament, I think the UFC would sell more pay per views.

But let us not forget the single most important reason for having a tournament: The fans love them!

Other Promotions Cashing in on the UFC's Idea

The single biggest thing that made the UFC successful from day one was the tournament format. What better way was there to find out who the baddest man on the planet really was?  

It is a real tragedy that the UFC has gotten away from the tournament format.  

That is not to say that the current format does not make sense. It does. Having weight classes just makes good sense and each weight class needs a champion.  

But consider for a moment: the tournament was the UFC's marquee idea.  

Since abandoning the tournaments, one competitor after another has gone from rags to riches almost over-night by copying the UFC's idea and having tournaments.  

Pride FC was immensely successful in Japan. Almost overnight, the upstart company rose to be the biggest MMA promotion in Japan and arguably the biggest in the world.  

Ask any Pride fan what they miss most since Pride FC died and they will all tell you the same thing: They miss the Pride Grand Prix tournaments. They loved them!

DREAM is a poor replacement for Pride FC as Japan's premier MMA organization.  Most of the best talent left Japan for the UFC or elsewhere. But despite the shortage of international star power, DREAM has done far better than expected and it is all because they do Grand Prix Tournaments.

Bellator has been astoundingly successful in almost no time. The reason? Their entire promotion is built around tournaments. If you want a title shot, all you have to do is win the tournament. The obvious appeal of this idea has drawn fans and contracts with TV broadcasters. And because of the pure politic-free nature of tournaments, many of the best fighters in the world have signed with Bellator. 

When Strikeforce was on the verge of total collapse, they made one last bold move in order to ensure their survival: the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Tournament. The financial crisis at Strikeforce killed the promotion before this move could bear fruit, but how many MMA fans were suddenly very interested in Strikeforce, all because of that tournament?  

Whether its the pathway to a title shot or just having tournaments for the sake of having them, tournaments are a great idea!  

Why does the UFC let everyone but themselves benefit from the tournament format they popularized? Why should the UFC be the only one not benefiting from the tournament format in MMA?  

Tournaments Are Unbiased

Just to be clear, I am an American and proud of it. But it seems that fighters from the USA get farther faster in the UFC than fighters from other nations.  

Even if it is completely false, the perception is still there.

Now this is fine if you are only trying to be the premier MMA league in the United States, but Dana White is trying establish the UFC as the premier league of all MMA world-wide. He wants to draw fans from every nation in the world.

You cannot get there unless you have a completely unbiased system. There is no system that less biased than a tournament. If fighters from the USA are just that much better than every other nation, so be it. They will prove it by winning UFC tournaments.

When MMA fighters from other nations see that there is a structured lack of bias in the UFC, you are going to draw more top fighters from all over the world. Those top fighters bring their fans with them of course. The faster you can build up a strong fan base in as many foreign countries as possible, the sooner the UFC becomes a truly international sports league.

Real or imagined, there are any number of other ways that the UFC could be accused of bias. Racial bias or showing favoritism to fighters who can speak English well. Bias against unpopular fighters. Even bias in favor of fighters who do the most trash talking.

A tournament does not know how to be biased. You either win it or you do not. A tournament does not care if UFC fans love your or hate you. It does not care what color your skin is. It could care less if you speak fluent English. If you fight well, you have a chance to win the tournament. Very pure and simple.

Personally, I would prefer to be able to root for USA and its fighters without the thought that fighters from the country are given preferential treatment. If Americans are the best fighters in the world -- and I believe they are -- I want to see them prove it on a level playing field.

Two Age Old Problems, One Solution

There are several problems plaguing the UFC and MMA today. Let us take a moment to consider two of them.  

A.) Some fighters have done more than enough to earn a title shot but never get one.

B.) Some fighters who train at the same gym have made it very clear that they will never fight each other, which may very often ruin a perfect title fight or title eliminator.

Two problems, one solution: Have a tournament to determine who gets the next title shot.

How does a tournament solve these two problems?  

Consider Jon Fitch and Josh Koscheck for a moment. Both fighters are rightly regarded as top five Welterweights. Each man has made public statements insisting that they would never fight each other because they train together, etc. Jon Fitch has made no secret of the fact that he wants another shot at Georges St Pierre's title.    

On more than one occasion, Dana White has decided to make a public example of Fitch, offering up a title shot if he fights and beats Josh Koscheck. Upon his refusal, White says, "Well I guess you don't want it bad enough." 

You can hate on Dana for this move or you can praise him for it, but there is a better way.  A tournament format solves the problem without Dana White having to play the part of the big bad wolf.  

If Koscheck and Fitch were to enter a 16 man tournament as first and second seeds, then one of two things is guaranteed to happen: either one of them will lose in the earlier rounds, or the two of them will face one another in the tournament finale.  

Would Fitch and Koscheck refuse to enter such a tournament for fear of being forced to fight each other? Would one of them drop out of the tournament if they ended up facing one another? I seriously doubt it. If they did they would knowingly and willingly give up a guaranteed chance to fight for the belt.

Jon Fitch and Josh Koscheck are just one example of this problem. There are countless others.  Anderson Silva vs Lyoto Machida was a fight many fans wanted a couple years ago, but the two of them made it clear they would never fight each other.  

If the path to the title fight goes through a tournament then every fighter entering the tournament will have to accept the possibility that they might fight a friend or training partner at some point. I think every UFC fighter will be able to accept it. A tournament is not a person telling you that you have to fight your best friend, but sometimes that is just the way things turn out.  

Jon Fitch is also the single best example of somebody who has done more than enough to deserve a title shot, but is not getting one. A tournament gives him a clear path to that title shot. Win the 16 man Welterweight Tournament and he gets what he has been asking for for so long -- another shot at Georges St Pierre's belt.

A Tournament Helps the UFC Avoid the Sins of Boxing

The UFC is rushing headlong down the same road that ruined boxing.

I used to love boxing. It is so tragic that the sport of boxing is so hopelessly broken.

I put a picture of Don King here because Don King is quite possibly the most evil man in the history of modern sports. I had heard the rumors and allegations about him, but witnessing one example as it was happening proved it to me beyond all doubt. One of Don King's highly touted prospects -- I think the kid's name was Mitchell -- was fighting some nobody fighter from England. King's fighter was winning the fight but got knocked down several rounds in. With a frightened look on his face, 'Mitchell' took a knee as was counted out.  

'Mitchell' knew something was very wrong and he was quite correct. A blood vessel inside his skull had ruptures and blood was rushing out and slowing crushing his brain -- a very lethal phenomenon known as subdural hematoma.

So where was Don King while his fighter was potentially minutes away from death?  He was sucking up to the other fighter, telling him how great he was, etc. Not a care in the world for his own fighter who was being carried out of the ring unconscious on a stretcher.  

King is just one of many very corrupt people who have had a hand in ruining boxing. Arch-rival Bob Arum gives King a run for his money for being a corrupt and greedy SOB.  There are many, many other powerful men in boxing that are just as despicable.

So how did things get so bad? How did people like Don King get so thoroughly corrupt? Why on earth did they create so many governing bodies with their own World Championship belts? Why are there 68 "major" world champions in boxing and over 100 "minor" world champions?

I can some it all up in one word: Greed.  

Because there is big money in boxing, there is always going to be more and more people who want a piece of the action. So they will create their own governing body, complete with title belts.  

With 68 "major" champions hundreds of "minor" ones and more popping up all the time, the term "World Champion" has become meaningless.  

The odds of one fighter beating all other champions in his weight class and becoming the only champion is almost impossible. There are just too many belts.  Even if you could do it, that champion would have to fight 20+ times a year just to keep up with the duties tied to each organization's belt.

Meanwhile, greed and politics in boxing keep the really compelling match ups from ever happening. Fans have been screaming for Mayweather vs Pacquiao for years, but to no avail.

What boxing really needs is a tournament. Take all the champions, throw in a few top contenders and have a 16 man tournament. Last man standing is crowned the undisputed champion and all governing bodies are forced to recognize his title as the only title. And for the love of all that is holy, get rid of all other title belts!

If you know boxing, you know that will never happen. But I wish it was possible.

Boxing got where it is today by doing what the UFC is doing now: initially, they had promoters to create match ups based on who they thought deserved it. Then it evolved into making match ups that would make the most money. Then the money in boxing got bigger and bigger. With more money in the boxing business, greed and corruption spread like wildfire. Boxing spiraled out of control and into chaos.  

To be clear, Dana White, Joe Silva and Lorenzo Fertita are nothing like Don King and Bob Arum. They seem to have the best interests of the sport at heart. But they are not perfect. They do let personal opinion, popularity and other biases play a major role in match ups and title fights.

By implementing a tournament system now, you limit how much damage politics, human bias and eventual corruption can do to the UFC. If you build the organization around tournaments, then whoever wants to be champion has to win the tournament. Being good friends with Dana White or other powerful figures wouldn't help you. You only have one sure way to get a shot at the title.

In Case You Needed Another Example of How Lack of Tournaments Ruins a Sport ...

Let's look at another sport that has been ruined, both by greed and the lack of a tournament system: college football.

Marshall, Tulane, Utah, TCU, Boise State and Auburn. In the BCS era, those are the teams in College Football that finished their regular post-seasons undefeated, but were not champions. Somebody else was crowned champion and they never got a chance to play that team. Some of them have experienced this debacle more than once. And on several of those occasions, the team that was actually crowned champion was not even an undefeated team.

College Football is the only seasonal sport I know of where any team can win every game all year and not be the champion.

Division 1 College Football has desperately needed a playoff system for over 100 years. They still do not have one. Now there are many reasons for this, but just take it as a lesson learned: if you don not get a tournament-style system implemented early in a sport's existence, it may never happen.  

The UFC would do well to revert back to their tournament roots sooner rather than later. Wait too long and it might become impossible like we see in college football and boxing.

Conclusion

A tournament can be a huge help with answering the really difficult questions.

If Anderson Silva beats Chael Sonnen, who gets to fight him next and how can you be sure it will be a good challenge for him?  

Who will fight the winner of Cain Velasquez vs Junior dos Santos?

If Jon Jones mauls Lyoto Machida just like everyone else he has fought, how do you find a real challenge for him?  

The vast majority of the best challengers for Dominck Cruz and Jose Aldo are relatively unknown to casual fans. Many of them have followed the UFC but never followed the WEC or any other promotion. How can you familiarize them with the next number one contender?

How do you get the very best new fighters into the spotlight as quickly as possible?

There are a lot of good reasons to bring back the tournament to the UFC. It offers good solutions for all of these questions and many more. 

The only way to make get the UFC to bring back the tournaments is for the fans to demand it. Dana White has a long history of giving the fans what they want. Getting tournaments back in the UFC will happen if the fans demand it.