So he got signed to the UFC despite not being a MMA fighter, and people are mad. This is one page I have found that seems to have MAP safe language that relates to this: http://mmajunkie.com/2014/12/follow...-reasons-for-concern-about-cm-punks-ufc-debut I haven't watched pro rassling since I was a wee lad, so don't know anything about CM Punk from there. The only thing I know him from is being a guest on Talking Dead (show about The Walking Dead). He's been on it at least 3 times. He seemed like a cool guy in those appearances, so I have decided that I am a very casual fan of his for UFC purposes. The fact that there is so much hatred pointed at him right now (couldn't find a MAP safe example of the worst of it) makes me like him even more. I don't even really watch the UFC much, I barely keep up on it. But I probably would tune in to see CM Punk fight. So I think Dana White has succeeded here - drawing in new viewers with this "stunt", at least with me.
The hatred is there because the guy cant fight, has never fought, has no competition background at all..... and there are hundreds of young talented guys knocking on the ufc door but they signed punk to use his name to get people like you to buy ufc pay per views, he simply does not deserve the shot
Jealousy is an ugly thing. There are loads of fighters in the UFC who are there mainly because they bring an audience with them. CM Punk potentially brings a huge new audience to the UFC and MMA - that's no small thing. He'll probably get his ass handed to him by a low ranked fighter and never be seen again, but it will be a big bump in the PPV numbers. He hasn't cost anyone their shot so the drama is unnecessary.
MMA is basically not really a sport anymore (if it ever was). Dana White made the point that if there's a basketball game in one corner and a fight breaks out in the other people will watch the fight. And he's right to some degree. But that's all he's really offering. Some blokes fighting. The structure and integrity needed in a sport isn't there. Individual merit is a lesser criteria than entertainment and money. Many of the champs are injured. Ranked guys that don't fit what's wanted are cut. Entertainers are protected (Conor McGregor can fight but I don't he's being kept away from the grinder wrestle boxers). This is just one more go round the merry go-round. Enjoy the ride and watch the pretty lights.
It's no different to boxing in that regard. And honestly - as a spectator, why should I care if entertainment is placed ahead of sporting concerns? I'm watching it to be entertained. The UFC does a decent job of putting together competitive, entertaining matchups and at the top of the divisions, the right fights get made. I'm not sure what more you want.
It's circus theory - If you don't like the acrobats we have a lion tamer...if you don't like that we have a fire eater and for everyone else we have the clowns
So is being an obnoxious idiot but that hasn't stopped you so far , I cant think of a single fighter currently in the ufc who was signed without even having had a single fight, Dana makes a big thing about the ufc been the top of the MMA tree, of course its a business but there's a difference between signing and keeping a mid tier fighter around to access a new market and signing someone who has never fought before in any environment what so ever
Dana can bring in talented young fighters because of the money brought in by TV contracts and PPVs. The more money he brings in, the more fighters he can sign and the more events he can put on. The money that CM Punk brings into the UFC will end up paying the rent of several lower ranked fighters.
Bollocks. Firstly the UFC is not the entirety of MMA. Secondly, the arguments you are making would apply to a lot of other professional sports. Professional sport is entertainment, that is why Anna Kournikova made more money than a lot of better tennis players, and why no one would have heard of Danica Patrick if she wasn't pretty. Professional sportsman and their management understand the need to entertain, because that is their job. In rugby, Sonny Bill Williams gets opportunities over equally skilled competition because he sells tickets.
True, but she did make money from events that she got into with wild-card entries, it's likely that her fame got her into tournaments that she wouldn't necessarily get into based on talent alone. Edit: Here is a link to a story that proves my point http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/01/06/1041566360409.html
Ah!! I wrote a massive post, and its gone! Boo. Basically CM Punk. Yay. Good luck. Low expectations from everyone etc etc.
Publicities publicity. I'm less salty about this than I was over Brock. At least CM Punk I'm fairly sure does have some background in martial arts (yes I know Brock was a wrestler, but his videos were hardly impressive) so its not as bad as it could be. My only real hope is that he gets a chance to build instead of being given the Lesnar treatment and jumped up the rankings to make the most money in the short term. As far as other fighters waiting for their shot, that's been a problem way before this happened. Anyone who watches other orgs knows there's guys who should have got their contracts way before the multiple low-tier guys with 5 or 6 fights.
Fighters need to make themselves marketable. If all they want to do is fight, then there's plenty of organisations that will help them do that, but if they want the fame and the money that the UFC offers, they need to build their brand just as much as they build their fight records.
If anything other MMA orgs are just as sketchy as the UFC. They also promote fighters based on money, etc. Who's Danica Patrick? Anyway...I don't doubt other sports are just as bad as mma but generally the best will play the best (even in tennis). Arsenal won't get cut from the premier league because they adopt a boring style of play. Man United don't get to avoid playing Tottenham because Tottenham have a style of play that will really test Man United. I mean I'm not fussed. I'm entertained by watching MMA but I don't pretend that it's a fair league of fighters engineered to find out which is the best. It's people fighting and I can dig that.
If you want to be one of the stars you need to be able to market yourself. I'm talking about the lowest tier of guys who have in no way got their place from marketing. At best they have their places because they're American and it makes it both cheaper to have them on cards and easier to find home town fighters because apparently that's still important. And really, when you think about it, there are very few fighters in the UFC who have a "brand" as it were. Even if you take only the top 10 of each weight class there's a percentage of them who are highly marketable.
Forrest griffin made a better point in his first book. Ps- the ufc IS a sport.. And is probebly the most competitive sport at the highest level.
Yo Kave, SBW is actually the man! I'd have him in my team.. And it's not cos he a pretty boy. It's that his talent is beyond whoever you think is equally skilled. Being good looking is a bonus
That's why the fighters at the bottom end of the UFC roster make no more money than fighters in the second tier promotions. Most of the fighters who appear on PPV Main cards have put significant promotional effort into their own brands. You'll occasionally get a complete unknown (who is normally a home town fighter), but if you want to be on those big events, you need to be willing to do the dirty work.
