If you’re an MMA fan then you want what’s best for the long term growth of the sport. At the same time, you don’t want overly calculated business moves comprising its integrity. With that being said, there is a new trend starting to emerge within the walls of the UFC octagon – the trend of the superfight.
Anatomy of a Superfight
One may ask – what exactly constitutes a superfight? The original “Super Fight” was a fictional 1970 boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Rocky Marciano. At the time, Ali and Marciano were the only undefeated heavyweight champions in history of the sport – and fans often debated who would win had they met in their primes.
Ali and Marciano were filmed acting out every possible scenario in a fight and the result was then determined using probability formulas entered into a computer. If you are interested in watching the fictional fight, click here (after finishing the article of course).
A superfight can be hard to define – but when you see it on the horizon you are certain of its vaunted status. Think two great champions with remarkable records, still in their prime, skirmishing with each other to secure their respective legacies as the dominant fighter of their era. What really transforms a big fight into a superfight is crossover appeal.
It’s the kind of fight where even people not caught up in the sport make sure to watch – because it’s the cool thing to do. It’s the cant-miss event that everyone, including non-sports fans, will be talking about long afterward. It’s more then a fight, it transforms into a cultural event – altering the sport beyond current comprehension.
UFC enters the superfight market
The UFC clearly has a superfight building on the horizon – the fight between Georges St. Pierre and BJ Penn at UFC 94. By the time the UFC is done marketing it, it will have reached the fever pitch status that all superfights take on.
Recent news has lead one to believe that Dana White and Joe Silva (how often do match makers get top billing with the president) are not through with their superfight affair. At a recent press conference, where Dana White was promoting “GSP vs. Penn fight” he was asked, “If St. Pierre is victorious in battle, will he fight Anderson Silva?” The answer was an unequivocal “Yes.”
Cleary having fighters, who are both ranked at the top of the pound-for-pound ranking, fight each other is compelling for fans and the fighters alike. It is also great for generating press and increasing those very important pay-per-view buy numbers. It is what will grow the sport and what could very well keep the UFC afloat during these troubled economic times.
Even more recently, rumors are circulating that Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell will be fighting, at UFC 99, in Cologne, Germany. Couture recently lost his heavyweight belt to Brock Lesnar (one could argue that was a superfight of sorts) while Liddell has lost three out of four in the light heavyweight division.
The rumors speculate that Liddell, who is not getting any younger, will join Couture at Heavyweight – with both men seeming tired of cutting weight. With the growing size of Heavyweights, like Shane Carwin and Brock Lesnar, Couture vs. Liddell could be the perfect fight to usher in the Cruiserweight division (ironically, considered a no man’s land in boxing).
It is becoming increasingly clear what separates a superfight from a great divisional title fight. Fighters who posses a combination of great record and stardom are still a requirement. But it seems apparent that the fighters in question must be from different weigh classes – with one moving up or down in weight or both of them meeting in the middle.
Historical Precedent
When Couture fought Liddell, for the first time, he was dropping from heavyweight down to light heavyweight. Randy had lost his title at HW and when he beat Chuck for the interim LHW belt it was in dramatic fashion. The change in divisions without doubt had an effect.
While it wasn’t considered a “superfight” at the time it set an early precedent for what was to come. It also set the stage for the trilogy between the two fighters, which helped lead to the meteoric rise in popularity of the UFC.
Another fight that generated glimmers of a superfight was the fight between Jens Pulver and BJ Penn, back at the TUF 5 finale. Despite the history between the two, what would constitute this as a possible superfight?
Penn has been fighting in the welterweight division and this was his return to the lightweight division. Sure the bad blood between the two was a huge factor in selling the fight but the change in divisions was also a big dynamic, albeit subtle.
Another possible superfight, in retrospect, was when Couture came out of retirement to fight Tim Sylvia for the Heavyweight belt. Of course it being Randy Couture made the fight huge – also the fact that he was coming out of retirement.
On top of that he was fighting a man considerably larger then himself. But what about the fact that Couture was coming back to fight at Heavyweight. If he had come back to fight at light heavyweight, the division he last fought at, would it have generated as much attention?
Coincidentally, these two are the only fighters to have held the belt in two different divisions.
It’s obvious that when a fight involves the divisional changes by a fighter it launches the fight into a different atmosphere. The difference in those examples was that the fighter was not affecting more then one divisional landscape – they were clearly in one division or another.
So what’s the drawback to a superfight?
While the upside to the “superfight” concept is obvious the downside is more subtle. If you look past the shine of the “St. Pierre vs. Penn” fight you will see two divisions left in limbo – the lightweight division and the welterweight division.
The last time BJ Penn fought in the LW division, and defended his belt, was at UFC 84. That was back in May of this year. The next possible lightweight fight for Penn would be a few months after his fight with GSP which is January 31st.
That puts a potential LW title fight off until April of May of 2009 – almost a year after his last defense of the belt. The official UFC rule states they can schedule a fight to crown an interim champion after one year. Regardless, should a division go almost a whole year without seeing its champion defend the belt?
People will make the argument that BJ Penn is far superior to anyone in the LW division and a No. 1 contender didn’t emerge until Kenny Florian beat Joe Stevenson. While that may hold up in court of law, doesn’t the evidence more accurately suggest that Penn should vacate the lighter division all together and make the welterweight division his permanent home?
St. Pierre, on the other hand, last defended his WW title back at UFC 87, in August, so his time in between will look less egregious – also he is technically defending his belt against Penn while Penn is not defending his.
But we already have a clear No. 1 contender in the WW division in Thiago Alves, who will now be on the shelves for up to six months. While Alves has stated that he wants to fight again, and not wait around, will the UFC risk losing a legitimate No. 1 contender by letting him fight again.
And what about that “GSP vs. Silva” superfight – when exactly would that happen? Hopefully not right after his fight with Penn. If the UFC overlooked Alves in favor of the superfight it would certainly be the largest affront to divisional integrity to date. Also, if Penn does win and has two belts who will he fight first…Alves or Florian?
One last example offered is the potential crime about to happen to Gabriel Gonzaga. He has looked impressive in his last two fights, albeit it against no name fighters. But from a divisional perspective he is probably one fight away from getting a title shot. A fight with Couture or the loser of Nog-Mir would certainly make divisional sense. But why let sense get in the way?
Instead the UFC will offer the No. 1 contender spot to the Liddell-Couture winner. Is Gonzaga falling victim to the same sword the slighted Fabricio Werdum – that being marketing, and ultimately money? If the Heavyweight division’s shenanigans play out as expected, Gonzaga won’t be looking at a title shot until 2010 – so much for divisional integrity.
What will Prevail?
It’s evident that we have an ethical dilemma starting to rear its proverbial head. How will the UFC look to develop the sport in the coming years? Will they opt for the superfight route, doing their best to garner attention for the sport while delivering the big PPV numbers? Or will they work to develop talent-laden divisions with true No. 1 contenders who get their respective title shots in the proper timely manner? Only time will tell – however it is starting to become more obvious as to where their loyalties will lie. I only hope they realize that you can’t have one without the other.
