UFC matchmaker blasts MMA media for criticizing promotion of weak cards - "Go watch Friends re-runs!!!"
UFC 288 was headlined by banatamweight title fight between Aljamain Sterling and Henry Cejudo, with Gilbert Burns and Belal Muhammad clashing in the co-headliner.
While the aforementioned names are not small draws by any means, they probably aren't exactly the biggest superstars in the sport. The main and co-main events ending in somewhat lukewarm decisions further took away from the charm of the card.
MacMally of MMAonPoint noted that smaller promotions like BKFC and ONE Championship are rapidly outshining the UFC's weekly cards with mega one-off events. He wrote:
"I’m not saying the UFC is finished by any means but it definitely feels like they’ve been going through the motions with most of their cards but having back to back weeks where BKFC and ONE showed they can draw a considerable amount of attention, it might wake them up and not feel so complacent at the top."
Still funny to me how many people told me this was a dogshit take considering this has now been the common consensus of the week post UFC 288. twitter.com/macmallymma/st…
Ultimate Fighting Championship matchmaker Mick Maynard lashed out at MacMally, suggesting that he watch Friends re-runs if weekly fights cards are too much. Maynard wrote in a since-deleted tweet:
"Omg...there are too many fights..what am I to do ??? Go watch friends re runs!!! What in the absolute f*ck?!"
The exec added:
"Literally….every week we don’t have a show people whine how much they miss us. What is wrong with y’all? 😂"
@MacMallyMMA Literally….every week we don’t have a show people whine how much they miss us. What is wrong with y’all? 😂
"Times are definitely changing" - UFC fans seemingly agree with MacMally
UFC 288 was preceded by three consecutive fight nights featuring some notable names like Max Holloway, Edson Barboza, Curtis Blaydes, Sergei Pavlovich and Song Yadong but lacking depth overall.
Meanwhile, BKFC recently put together a mega event headlined featuring UFC vets Mike Perry, Luke Rockhold, Eddie Alvarez, and Chad Mendes with a Conor McGregor special appearance adding to its grandeur.
On the other hand, ONE Championship recently organized a card featuring a trilogy clash between Demetrious Johnson and Adriano Moraes and featuring stars like Rodtang and Mikey Musumeci.
A sizeable chunk of fans agree with MacMally's assessment of BKFC and ONE rapidly rising to challenge the Ultimate Fighting Championship's status as the number one MMA promotion.
Check out some comments below:
"it’s true there’s allot of very good rising fighters going to the other fighting leagues and some of these events are pretty badass to watch or go and see in person, times are definitely changing in the comp MMA 🤜👍"
@MacMallyMMA Nah it wasn’t - and it’s true there’s allot of very good rising fighters going to the other fighting leagues and some of these events are pretty badass to watch or go and see in person, times are definitely changing in the comp MMA 🤜👍
@MacMallyMMA I can't remember the last card that was fire names from the main card down to prelims: like 10 big name fights.
Looking forward to this season of TUF, the last few weren't anything special. Fights were good. But this season should be some good entertainment.
@Mickmaynard2 @MacMallyMMA UFC was good when they wanted the best fighters not the cheapest.
@MacMallyMMA You’re not wrong. These fight night cards are paper thin a lot of the time. For me if nothing stands out at first look, I probably won’t watch a fight card.
@MacMallyMMA This summer looks bleak for ufc. Not going to lie.
@MacMallyMMA UFC needs to cut the filler we don’t 15 minutes of BS between fights and cut some of these boring fighters, and legalize knees and grabbing the cage
@MacMallyMMA Agree w/you a million percent, because you’re right. Also, my shitty opinion is the UFC has a huge charisma gap - once Connor wasn’t in the mix regularly, there wasn’t anyone to fill that electric / magnetic personality to draw in violence-seekers like me.
@MacMallyMMA I think people are now liking combat sports and not just UFC.
Boxing is doing great, grappling is growing, Karate Combat is a hit and there is a ton of great organizations drawing good crowds making their own spaces.
Good time for combat sports.
@MacMallyMMA I fell the same way don’t forget @PFLMMA it’s lit 🔥🔥 as well
@MacMallyMMA Mma is growing, and the different promotions give fans a different set of rules and styles, which make fights so different. I wouldn't say it's bad for the ufc, but they're no longer the only formidable MMA promotion. It is great for the sport, that's for sure!
@MacMallyMMA Yeah. The UFC is holding an event a short drive away from me tomorrow and while I'm interested in the content, I'm not excited about the event. Like it's the first time I don't care to be there.