I don’t see Ortega taking that win, but he’s got slick BJJ so tapping out Topuria is a very real possibility. With Max at least Topuria knows the fight will stay on the feet

We’re not talking about his own foot, right? Cause he’s done that plenty of times already

If he’s not fighting Merab then whats the point of a title defense. If he is, I think he’s in a tougher fight than he’s giving him credit for. Merab is a much better fighter than most in the bantamweight division and is on a 10 fight win streak. The only reason he wasn’t fighting for the belt earlier was his friendship with Aljo. Let’s say he fights Merab and gets merked, does that boxing matchup still happen? I doubt it.

You’re completely right! Pay them their purse and fine them and withhold sanctioning their fights until it’s paid off.

That Tsarukyan BS should see him suspended for 1 year though. I don’t care if a fan flips you off, or talks shit as you walkout. It’s part of the game. You, as the professional athlete, need to learn how to ignore. Sure, if the fan crosses the line it’s up to the venue to eject/ban/arrest the fan, but to get punched by a professional fighter, that fan should be getting PAID and Tsarukyan should be charged with assault

If Reyes loses another one, he should hang em up. From 12-0 to potentially 12-5 with 3 nasty, consecutive KOs on his record. If he loses and doesn’t retire, this should be his final UFC fight

This SHOULD be illegal in EVERY country.

But the UFC had a deal with and broadcast fights on FOX. That deal ended in 2018, with 31 UFC on FOX broadcasts and then the UFC signed a deal with ESPN.

So it’s been done before. I think the whole exclusive broadcast contracts they sign are what really limit their potential and they’re still trying to sell PPVs instead of bringing in their money through other channels.

The Reebok, now Venom merchandise isn’t gonna move the needle. The NFL sells more than $4 billion in merchandise annually. I’m not saying the UFC can touch that number, just highlighting that there’s money to be made.

If the UFC followed in the steps of another of Endeavor/TKO Holdings property, WWE, they could run 1-2 weekly shows on broadcast television and then hold PPVs a few times per year and throw massive fights on those cards. Get back into individual fighter merchandise, but produced on the corporate level and sell the hell out of it.

They have over 600 fighters across 11 divisions. They’ve got the workforce and monetary backing to make it all happen.

How is it possible for the NFL and other sports to be shown on broadcast television and pay their athletes insane amounts of money but the UFC can’t do the same? Make it free and broadcast it on CBS or FOX. Take your money from the advertising and end the stupid PPV greed