(Let this be a lesson to all you up-and-coming fighters out there: Wearing a fake belt and talking trash on Twitter will do more for your career than legitimate wins ever will.)
What the fucking fuck, you guys.
Look, we know that we’ve been all over The Ultimate Fighter’s ass lately, citing such complaints as their tired formula, lackluster fighters/fights, and steadily declining viewership. We also remember that when Chael Sonnen stepped in to face Jon Jones on a week’s notice, we were all for it. But when Dana White announced to the LA Times some minutes ago that Chael Sonnen and Jon Jones had been booked as opposing coaches for the next season of The Ultimate Fighter, with a title fight set for April 27th, our reaction was that of horror and revulsion.
This is madness, pure and simple. Let’s look past the fact that Chael Sonnen has not fought at light heavyweight since his UFC debut way back at UFC 55, or the fact that he was supposed to fight Forrest Griffin at UFC 155, or that he is just coming off a loss to Anderson Silva, or that there is at least one legitimate contender in line before him, or that Dana White just got through telling us that the winner of Shogun/Gustafsson would likely receive the next title shot. Actually, we can’t look past any of that. In no alternate universe does this matchup make sense.
In an effort to shut up us dumb media types and help boost ratings for a show that has long since passed its prime, Dana White and the UFC have apparently agreed to sacrifice the legitimacy of the light heavyweight title/division. Believe me when I say that I loathe making this comparison, but we are witnessing some WWE-type bullshit right here. Sonnen talks some trash to Jones on Twitter and all of a sudden he’s a contender? Without even winning a fight in the division? This is exactly what we were worried about. Stepping up on short notice is one thing, but putting the light heavyweight division on hold for yet another squash match simply because it will net the promotion a greater financial gain is, simply put, a shameful decision on the UFC’s part.
Will this break the ratings slide that TUF has been facing as of late? Undoubtedly. Will Sonnen make for one of the greatest TUF coaches of all time? You bet your bottom dollar he will. Is this a completely transparent and shallow move by the UFC? Abso-fucking-lutely. It really puts into perspective what motivates The Baldfather these days.
I await your vitriol-filled public response, Dana.