This past weekend, we saw the UFC and Bellator side by side in less than 24 hours. The two back-to-back events displayed a stark contrast in not only their broadcast presentation but in how they treat their older fighters. While it’s not entirely fair to compare a Bellator PPV extravaganza to a Sunday night UFC FS1 show, it’s also entirely fair to say the differences between a UFC PPV and an FS1 show are minimal.
We see the same bland thing from the UFC, thirty-something weeks a year, with no signs of slowing down. It doesn’t help that the UFC marched BJ Penn, one of the last living legends on their roster, out into the Oklahoma night with little fanfare. But it does makes you wonder what Bellator would do with him.
It’s clear Penn doesn’t belong in the UFC anymore and that’s not just because he’s 1-7-1 in his last 9, but because the whole relationship doesn’t work. Can anyone explain why BJ Penn, sullied as his reputation is, should be opening an FS1 card in Oklahoma against Dennis Siver? Fight Night 112 didn’t even spit on his legacy and brand, a brand that helps the UFC — it felt like the UFC pretended it didn’t exist.
Instead of celebrating the return of Baby Jay, the first two-division champ and still (sadly?) the best lightweight fighter of all-time with his classic Hawaiian walk out, we got a legend suddenly appearing in the Octagon after a commercial. It was boring. Fans deserve better. BJ deserves better. The sport deserves better.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMALilocmOw
BJ should walk down a ramp covered in leis with torches burning. That’s something Bellator would deliver: a show. Instead, we got a fighter past his prime fighting in a cage. That’s fine, that’s what the sport is, but MMA is also a spectacle. It was built on spectacle. The show and the story are as important as the fight. In fact, the more you know about the fighters, the more you know about the subtext, the more important a fight is.
It’s what makes Chael Sonnen’s takedowns on Wanderlei Silva painful to watch. You wanted Wand to get revenge (or you loved Chael’s takedowns and disliked Wand, whatever). What matters is the build up, and the foundation, and the plot. Bellator’s entrances channel pride, and for those just tuning in for the first time, they tell a lot about a fighter. Neophytes can make a judgment call on a fighter’s personality on an entrance alone.
With that, you have a rooting interest. Then brand loyalty. Only those who were around to see Penn’s prime ten years ago had any idea why it mattered that he was fighting last Sunday in Oklahoma.
https://twitter.com/twofacedmonster/status/879146069153763328
We're going to commercial break for a BJ Penn fight. BJ Penn is no longer worth the uninterrupted walkout time.
— Mookie Alexander (@mookiealexander) June 26, 2017
If BJ Penn is fighting and his walkout isn't airing, he probably shouldn't have been fighting.
— Paul Fontaine (@PaulAceFontaine) June 26, 2017
BJ deserves Bellator at this stage in his career. He should be walking down a ramp like this. Let the fireworks go off, let the Hawaiian music play, and let’s do it in Hawaii or California. Match him against a scrub. Just give us a show.
.@wandfc is on his way to the cage!! #BellatorNYC pic.twitter.com/wyD5Y8j5aX
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) June 25, 2017
Under new management the UFC has somehow gotten even worse at making new stars and can’t promote its old stars, something Bellator does well. Dennis Siver gets nothing from beating BJ. The division has not changed one iota. In Bellator, BJ could fight Jens Pulver in a rubber match. He could fight some random dude and lick the blood off his gloves. He can just show up and wave hi to the fans in the crowd.
The one thing he would not do in Bellator is fade into obscurity in the middle of Oklahoma. Unfortunately, that’s all the UFC decided his legacy was good for.
