Today, new UFC owners WME-IMG, allowed yet another world renowned MMA star, Gegard Mousasi, to slip right through their fingers. It’s becoming a worrisome trend.
Gegard Mousasi (42-6-2 record, 9-2 in the UFC), one of the most accomplished Middleweight fighters in MMA history, has left the UFC on a five win streak, recently beating former Middleweight champion Chris Weidman at UFC 210 in Madison Square Garden. The UFC lost Mousasi when they refused to match an offer from Bellator, allowing him to jump ship and join the rival promotion.
It seems like the new UFC owners have no problem losing their stars, per Ben Fowlkes of MMA Junkie, evident with their refusal to sign a fighter who has main or co-main evented for the promotion in all but one of his fights since his debut at UFC 200. This is odd, seeing as one of the reasons they bought the company from the Fertitta brothers and Dana White was because of the star attraction it brought with the likes of Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey. The level of competition must have been a factor too, right?
True, Mousasi may not be a mainstream name like McGregor, a rare commodity, and probably wouldn’t bring in the same numbers in terms of PPVs. However, is it smart to jeopardize the level of competition within the UFC? Do they think the promotion is better off under one star than multiple? These are just a few of the many questions that continue to be asked about the new management.
This might make financial sense for the UFC, but it decreases the level of competition within the Middleweight division immediately and sends the wrong message to other fighters who are reaching the end of their contracts.
Sooner rather than later, the UFC needs to realize that losing its top contenders to their rival promotion, Bellator, isn’t a good look. You can’t call it the ‘Best of the Best’ if you keep allowing your top MMA stars and potential champions to leave and sign with Bellator without hesitation.