http://forums.sherdog.com/forums/f2...rs-same-time-trying-expand-long-read-2826943/
UFC releasing mid-tier fighters at the same time as trying to expand.
As the UFC continues to expand and put on more and more cards, and stretch their roster thinner and thinner, one thing I'm beginning to notice in the matchmaking, is that the UFC is often finding themselves with a lack of decent mid-tier, recognizable fighters.
I think the presence of fighters that were once ranked, but are now middle of the pack, but still carry recognizable names, is something that is starting to become sorely missed in the UFC.
A few glaring examples of fighters that fall into this category are guys like; Cheick Kongo, Yushin Okami, Jake Shields, Paul Daley, etc.
While these fighters are no longer contenders, i think that had they been kept in the UFC, they would be serving a very valuable role on the UFC roster. Especially given the current state of the UFC.
For example, if you look at a guy like Lyoto Machida, whose situation at MW is coming off of a loss in an exciting title fight, and needing to build himself back up to potentially get another shot at the belt...
With a fighter of Machida's caliber, you would really rather not have the guy fall all the way to the back of the line, and you'd also rather not have him fight mostly unrecognizable fighters who haven't built a name yet. Now if you still had a guy like Yushin Okami on the roster, who is a recognizable fighter who has fought numerous big fights, and multiple main events, and fought multiple champs/former champs...
That would be a solid test, and sellable fight, to make for Machida as he tries to work his way back up to another title shot. But instead, we're probably going to end up getting a matchup of Machida vs someone like a CB Dolloway...
Another example would be a guy like Overeem. He's coming off of another KO, and you want to find an opponent that's still a decent test, but is still a recognizable fighter. There aren't really a lot of guys under Reem in the rankings that could serve as a test, while still carrying a name that would make for a marketable fight. To me, this is a situation where a guy like Cheick Kongo would've been nothing but the perfect opponent for Reem to get back on the horse, so to speak.
Now look at the situation with Hector Lombard right now, who just needs an opponent for the Australia card. He's ok with it not being a top 5 opponent, he just wants to stay busy, and it would obviously have to be a name fighter worthy of a co-main billing. I look around for possible matchups in this situation, and can't help but think that a guy like Paul Daley would've been absolutely perfect for this situation.
Then there's a guy like Jake Shields, who in his career has been a champ at both MW and WW. You look at both of those divisions right now, and I could easily see a whole bunch of interesting matchups to make for him. He could be back at 185 and give a test to a guy like Gegard, or even rematch Hendo for his return fight to 185. Or he could stay at 170 and fight a guy like DHK, or Brown, or give Condit a rematch, or be used to give a test to an up-and-comer in the division, like Mein of Gunnar. For a guy as versatile as Jake, there's really a whole bunch of fights he could be used for.
I'll even take it a step further; If you look at guys like Tito, or Bonnar, while they both "retired" everyone who was paying attention knows that they were both basically exiled from the UFC. While both guys are past it, and probably couldn't ever crack the top 15, I can still think of some fights that could be made that would contribute to the UFC...
Think about Rich Franklin, who just wants one more fight before he walks off into the sunset, but he has to be a name worth Franlin's while, and you'd really rather that the guy not be a threat to violently KO him. A fight with a guy like a Tito or a Bonnar would've really fit the bill, for Rich. And there are other aging stars other than Rich, that could still use a matchup in this kind of vain, before hanging them up
Now each of the fighters I mentioned above all have their flaws, whether it's fighting boring, committing terrible fouls, pissing off UFC brass. I just still think that regardless of their faults, for fighters that are still recognizable, and are still "middle of the pack" or even just still decent and serviceable fighters. I think the UFC should really be looking for ways to keep these guys on the roster, and find other ways to make it work as a business, whether it be contract re-negotiations instead of cuts, or suspensions and fines instead of bans, etc.
Again, these guys don't have to be top fighers vying for belts or title-eliminators. But the point is, that with their resumes and name recognition, these guys could still be very valuable to the UFC to be used as fights to test the top fighters that drop a little bit, or test the up-and-comers to see if they're ready, or even just to provide a "novelty fight" (as Randy used to call them) for some of the aging superstars on their way out.
Some examples I can think of:
Kongo would be a good fight for guys like: Reem, Rothwell, Arlovski, Mir, Nog, Gonzaga, Struve.
Okami would be a good fight for guys like: Machida, Gegard, Bisping, Hendo, Cung Le, Dollaway.
Shields would be a good fight for guys like: Condit, Brown, DHK, Koscheck, or at MW; Gegard, Bisping, Hendo.
Daley would be a good fight for guys like: Lombard, Woodley, Ellenberger, Saffeidene, and almost any top 15 WW.
Tito would be a good fight for guys like: Franklin, Wand, Hendo, Shogun, Feijao.
Bonnar would be a good fight for guys like: Franklin, Lil Nog, Wand, Jimmo, or my pesonal favorite, Maldonado.
I'm sure a lot of you that read the above are probably rolling your eyes at some of those fights, but ask yourself this: If the UFC were to announce tomorrow that they booked matchups of:
Lyoto Machida vs Yushin Okami
Alistair Overeem vs Cheick Kongo
Hector Lombard vs Paul Daley
Dong Hyun Kim vs Jake Shields
Rich Franklin vs Tito Ortiz
Rogerio Nogueira vs Stephan Bonnar
Is there a fight on that list that you seriously wouldn't watch?
Because all of the above were all UFC fighters not too long ago, and had the UFC been more keen to try and hang onto mid-tier fighters like these, fights like the above would still have the possibility of being made.
