Chris Weidman Bashes the UFC's "Joke" Matchmaking Process
Chris Weidman Bashes the UFC's "Joke" Matchmaking Process
Recently crowned Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight champion Michael Bisping has an opponent for his first title defense. In the aftermath of
Recently crowned Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight champion Michael Bisping has an opponent for his first title defense.
In the aftermath of UFC 200, UFC President Dana White said Bisping would face Dan Henderson for the belt. Yes, in 2016, Michael Bisping is UFC champion, and his first opponent will be the No. 13-ranked Henderson.
The two have some history that the UFC obviously hopes to build on. Henderson completely starched Bisping at UFC 100 after the two coached opposite one another on "The Ultimate Fighter." The knockout has been a mainstay in highlights ever since—a constant reminder to Bisping that he was once put to sleep by Hendo's "H-Bomb."
While the matchmaking makes sense from a promotional perspective, there are far more deserving fighters in the UFC's middleweight division ranked inside the top 10. Among those upset with the fight is former champion Chris Weidman, who won the strap at UFC 162 against the legendary Anderson Silva. Weidman defended the belt three times before dropping it to Luke Rockhold at UFC 194 last year.
Weidman is just the latest fighter who have criticized the UFC's matchmaking process. He took to Twitter, calling it a "joke of a system."
[tweet url="https://twitter.com/ChrisWeidmanUFC/status/752174814773714944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"]
Weidman isn't wrong.
As a privately owned company looking after its own bottom line, the UFC uses matchmaking as a promotional tool. Given Bisping and Henderson's history, it's an obvious matchup from the box office's point of view. It just serves as a reminder that while this is a combat sport, it's also about entertainment.
In the aftermath of UFC 200, UFC President Dana White said Bisping would face Dan Henderson for the belt. Yes, in 2016, Michael Bisping is UFC champion, and his first opponent will be the No. 13-ranked Henderson.
The two have some history that the UFC obviously hopes to build on. Henderson completely starched Bisping at UFC 100 after the two coached opposite one another on "The Ultimate Fighter." The knockout has been a mainstay in highlights ever since—a constant reminder to Bisping that he was once put to sleep by Hendo's "H-Bomb."
While the matchmaking makes sense from a promotional perspective, there are far more deserving fighters in the UFC's middleweight division ranked inside the top 10. Among those upset with the fight is former champion Chris Weidman, who won the strap at UFC 162 against the legendary Anderson Silva. Weidman defended the belt three times before dropping it to Luke Rockhold at UFC 194 last year.
Weidman is just the latest fighter who have criticized the UFC's matchmaking process. He took to Twitter, calling it a "joke of a system."
[tweet url="https://twitter.com/ChrisWeidmanUFC/status/752174814773714944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"]
Weidman isn't wrong.
As a privately owned company looking after its own bottom line, the UFC uses matchmaking as a promotional tool. Given Bisping and Henderson's history, it's an obvious matchup from the box office's point of view. It just serves as a reminder that while this is a combat sport, it's also about entertainment.