UFC co-founder Rorion Gracie
must have been a fan of the 1988 Van-Damme masterpiece, Bloodsport. Like the
iconic flick, the Ultimate Fighting Championship claimed to pit the best
fighters from different disciplines against one another in a no-holds-barred
eight-man tournament.
The shock-and-awe of this
concept garnered many curious viewers, but the evolution of the sport has made
a no-weight class tournament downright impossible. No fan wants to see
flyweight champ Demetrious Johnson get destroyed by his heavyweight
counterpart, Cain Velasquez.
As MMA’s legitimacy grows,
fighter safety is of the utmost concern and a no-weight class tournament would
undermine the progress the sport has made over the last 20 years.
In the early days, fighters
were not multifaceted and possessed only one skill-set. The UFC sought to solve
age-old barroom debates like: “Could a jiu-jitsu practitioner submit a boxer?”
There were no weight classes
and virtually no rules. These first bouts were often David versus Goliath
affairs. In fact, Keith Hackney earned the nickname “The Giant Killer”
following his TKO win over the 600-pound sumo wrestler Emmanuel Yarborough at
UFC 3.
This spectacle gave rise to
the popular notion that mixed martial arts was nothing more than human
cockfighting. The sport shouldered this stigma until 2000, at which time the
New Jersey State Athletic Control Board created the Unified Rules for MMA.
These regulations instituted fighter safety precautions and most notably weight
classes.
The UFC adopted the Unified
Rules in 2001, legitimizing the brand throughout North America.
As the sport evolved, so did
the techniques and disciplines. Early fights served as a roadmap for success
inside the Octagon. Fighters began training and mastering the aspects of many
practices in an effort to become a true mixed martial artist.
Now an entire generation of
aspiring fighters has grown up not wanting to be the next Mike Tyson, but
rather the next Anderson Silva. Recently, the sport has begun to draw
world-class talent in droves.
Reigning light heavyweight
champ Jon Jones is the model upon which the new breed of MMA prospects will be
built. With two brothers in the NFL, Jones has an athletic pedigree unlike
those that have fought under the UFC banner before him.
Moving forward, fighters like
Jones are sure to be the norm and not the exception.
To give even an accomplished
fighter like Jose Aldo a snowball’s chance in hell of beating Jones would be
generous. That is not to take anything away from Aldo, because he is a great
fighter.
Rather, this is a commentary
on how well-rounded at each discipline fighters have become. The weight and
reach differences are magnified tremendously—so much so, that combatants’
safety would be of serious concern.
With big money sponsorships
and a burgeoning relationship with FOX, the UFC cannot afford any setbacks. A
no-weight class tournament would be a huge risk and potentially disastrous for
the brand.
However, the UFC does have a
way to satiate the fans’ hunger for spectacular weight-class defying bouts. The
era of the superfight is upon us. The best pound-for-pound fighters will go at
each other in epic fashion; it’s just a matter of time. But unlike the UFC of
20-years ago, these bouts are to be closely monitored and heavily regulated.
While the no-holds-barred,
no-weight class tournaments are ancient history, fans are sure to enjoy many
amazing superfights to come...if the first couple events can be pulled off
successfully. (Source)
