A dominant Champion or a Turbulence. What's better?
There are a lot of factors that contribute to the health of an MMA promotion’s weight classes. The depth of talent, number of fresh contenders, and the weight itself all add to the level of interest from fans in a division’s happenings. While it sounds obvious, something else that makes a huge impact on a division is the Champion itself. The Champion of a weight class is integral to drawing eyes to the division while also being involved in fights that excite matchmakers and fans alike. So as our favourite and least favourite champions go to battle, is the hope that they defend their title for years to come? Or to hand the title over to the next contender longing for their chance to hold the gold? The difference between long-standing champions versus parity atop a division is stark, so let’s get to the bottom of which is better, or worse for a division.
One excellent case study to use to decipher this question is the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s (UFC) Light Heavyweight division. The ‘205ers’ saw Jon Jones rule over the division on and off for nearly a decade before he elected to vacate the title in August of 2020. By the end of Jones’ title reign there were lots of people who thought the weight class had become stale given that he had cleared out the top contenders of three separate eras without coming close to losing the title in battle (Reyes 48-47 though). When Jones exited the division many believed Light Heavyweight was now the weakest men’s weight class in the UFC as it lacked a clear contender who fans thought would hold the title for a long time.
Fast forward nearly two years and the division has seen two first-time Champions in Jan Blachowicz and Glover Teixeira hold its title while also becoming fan favourites in the process. At the same time, the division has seen new contenders make their mark, and may see them challenge for the title very soon. The change from dominant champion to unstable title picture has rejuvenated the Light Heavyweight division and with a title fight taking place at UFC 275 in just a few weeks, the division could be looking at its third new champ in two years–something that seemed impossible a short time ago.
While the lack of a long-reigning champion has strengthened the Light Heavyweight division, the presence of a dominant title holder can have the same impact, but not always. Two prime examples of this in the sport right now are Kayla Harrison in PFL’s Women’s Lightweight division and Kamaru Usman in the UFC’s Welterweight division. Both Harrison and Usman draw large numbers of fans to watch them compete in their fights. Harrison has been massively dominant in PFL, winning the 2019 and 2021 Women’s Lightweight Championships, while holding an undefeated professional record of 13-0. She has been made the face of PFL and her presence in the promotion is a huge reason why they were able to re-sign with ESPN. Despite this however, it could be said that because she is so good, fans are reluctant to tune in if they believe they know what the result will be. Unpredictability of result is one of the biggest reasons MMA is as exciting as it is, so when a champion becomes so far ahead of their competition that audiences believe they know what will happen, it can be detrimental. To see how dominant Harrison has been, here is how the Verdict Community predicted her last three fights.
Like Harrison, Kamaru Usman is the face of his division. He currently sits atop the pound-for-pound rankings and recorded his 5th consecutive title defence last November in a win over Colby Covington at UFC 268. When he has been promoted with the appropriate dance partner, Usman has been a draw during his title reign, selling 700,000 pay-per-views in his last two appearances as a headliner and 1.3 million in July of 2020 per: Tapology Pay Per View Buys. Despite his dominance and success, there is an argument to be made that because he has cleared out his weight class, there aren’t as many exciting matchups to be made that are not rematches. This is one of the cons of a long-reigning defending Champion. Once they’ve cleared out their division, the interest level in their bouts is susceptible to decreasing if there aren’t any fresh contenders to challenge the Champion.
Dominant champions or a title on the move each have benefits and detriments that affect their respective weight classes, but it is very difficult to say one is better than the other. On one hand, a dominant champion can draw more than a transitional champion, but a division where the belt can constantly change hands makes for very dramatic fights with potentially less selling power. Either way the fans are the ones winning as they get to witness a dominant champion rule over a division, or watch a turbulent title picture make for legendary #AndNew moments. What does the Verdict Community think? Dominant champs or a title changing hands regularly?
