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Finding an opponent for Georges St. Pierre…
By Zach Arnold | September 28, 2009
… apparently is a lot tougher than it sounds. The winner of Mike Swick vs. Dan Hardy is expected to face St. Pierre in 2010. The Swick/Hardy fight happens on 11/14 in Manchester. The UK fans seem excited.
Swick is ranked #7 in the latest Independent World MMA rankings and Hardy is in the top 20.
In other UFC matchmaking news, expect Rashad Evans vs. Thiago Silva for the 1/2 Las Vegas show. Dave Meltzer reported on Sunday night that Evans turned out a fight against Randy Couture and mocked Evans for saying that he wanted to fight Silva because “he’s higher ranked.” There is a natural angle to the fight, given that Silva beat Keith Jardine (Rashad’s teammate). A loss by Evans to Silva would hurt the momentum for a fight against Quinton Jackson, but Evans needs to fight and recover from the May loss to Machida.
“I’m going into a camp where I probably actually get to train for maybe about six or seven weeks, and then I’m fighting in Manchester, England. And then I’m fighting Randy Couture and I don’t have anything really to gain out of the situation,” Evans continued.
The answer, of course, is a) money and b) a win.
There are rumors of the 1/2 card having a ‘triple main event’ featuring Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort, Dan Henderson vs. Nathan Marquardt, and Rashad Evans vs. Thiago Silva. That will not set the world on fire.
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, UK, Zach Arnold | 59 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
That would be a good card. Might not blow anyone away in terms of buyrates and I’m not sure what they’ll have for comains afterwards, but the fights would all be solid bouts.
As for Rashad turning down Couture, its less than 8 weeks from now, and if he has a PPV percentage contract, its stupid to take it. If he beats Couture, will anyone really care?
Also, Swick/Hardy for the #1 contender slot reminds me of when boxing sanctioning bodies end up having a #1 contender fight between their #8 and #10 ranked guys. You generally get the announcers and journalists to proclaim how crappy that is, but MMA bloggers will probably eat it up. Somewhere, Jon Fitch cries.
What Jon Fitch has done recently to deserve rematch against GSP? He got destroyed by St.Pierre, then UDed Gono and Thiago.
I think both Swick and Hardy have greater chance at upsetting GSP because they have power in their hands. Jon will never outwrestle or submit St. Pierre.
Yea, personally I have no interest in seeing Jon Fitch get a title shot right now. The first fight wasn’t even close and it’s not like he’s been very impressive lately. It’s strange, for as many people complain about Maynard, Edgar, or Griffin grinding out decisions – no one points the finger at Fitch.
What Jon Fitch has done recently to deserve rematch against GSP?
He’s done more than Dan Hardy, that’s for sure. I mean, I get why a guy who isn’t top ten in any major rankings system is in this position. I’m not stupid. I just think the reasoning behind it is hilarious.
Hardy was ranked 10th at Sherdog before Daley beat Kampmann and is now 11th at Bloody Elbow and 8th at fightmatrix.
He’s not getting a title shot, just a 1st contender match. If he beats Swick, it will be more than Fitch’s Thiago and Gono wins.
If Fitch and Alves each win their next fights, I think it makes sense to have them rematch and the winner get a title shot. Basically the same thing that will likely happen for Henderson/Marquardt. That basically keeps Silva and GSP busy until the middle of 2010, and by then I would hope a worthy challenger would arise. Not every title fight has to be epic.
UFC 108 would be great with that triple main event. Not a huge PPV numbers wise, but a great one for the more devoted fans.
You’re only proving my point. Its #8 and #11 fighting one another to skip over #s 2-7. Considering all the condemnations of boxing we’ve heard and how it does business, its hilarious to see them mimic that and get cheered for it. At least Swick/Kampmann would have been two guys in the top ten at the time fighting one another, though my honest preference is Swick/Fitch.
#2 through #7 are getting skipped over because either (a) GSP has already beat them all in a dominating fashion or (b) they aren’t in the UFC (Shields, Zaromskis). Nobody wants to see a Fitch, Alves, Koscheck or Hughes rematch, and that is why nobody is complaining about the winner of #8 versus #11 getting a title shot.
The UFC’s current predicament is a testament to GSP’s greatness, not some behind the scenes shenanigans on the part of Zuffa. The last thing I want to see is the UFC turn into K-1 where guys have five, six, or even seven fights against one another while waiting for a new challenger to emerge.
But St.Pierre has already beaten #s 2-7 (except Shields who is not in the UFC and Thiago who just lost).
Honestly I don’t get it. Swick vs. Kampmann would be ok, but Swick vs. Hardy is not because Dan is 11th? Come on 🙂
The winner of this fight will probably land in top 5 or 6.
Here we go again with “bad UFC booking volume 72.” Silva-Evans is fine, if Silva upsets Evans the situation is salvageable, because while I’m not impressed with his win record at least his only loss is to Machida. But what if Couture upsets Evans? I doubt it would happen, but then again stranger things have happened. Rashad might not take him seriously and get caught. And if Couture loses to Vera it sounds like this fight will happen anyway, so you’ve either got Evans dealing a 47 year old his 4th loss in a row which means absolutely nothing, or you’d have a 47 year old on the brink of retirement ruin your biggest LHW title match. That is a bad idea.
If I were match making I’d do Ortiz-Evans II over Evans-Couture because it’s a compelling fight since Ortiz unofficially won the last fight 2 rounds to 1 (and you could even argue he won round 3 as well) but Rashad is far superior to what he was in 2007 so it could go either way, and if Tito wins at least it’s not a total embarrassment.
I’m not sold on Swick being able to upset GSP. GSP is going to be totally ready for his stand up whereas nobody believed Matt Serra was anything more than a BJJ fighter. It’s not going to stay standing. As for Fitch, nobody is going to believe he has anything new for GSP and the fight will go the same way. Koscheck isn’t compelling either, since GSP handily won the last fight and wrestlers stand no chance against him. GSP has cleaned the division out, but Swick-Hardy is the best move because at least both are a fresh fight unlike Koscheck or Fitch.
I love the Henderson-Marquardt fight, BTW.
Dan Hardy has convincingly beaten no one of value. Kampmann at least had done that in two weight classes.
Look, I get what you’re saying; He shouldn’t rematch guys he beat. I understand that fully. I still think its ridiculous and farcical to start dragging fringe contenders into the mix for title shots basically with the justification of “because”. But I’m the only person who notices, so who cares?
If I were match making I’d do Ortiz-Evans II over Evans-Couture because it’s a compelling fight since Ortiz unofficially won the last fight 2 rounds to 1 (and you could even argue he won round 3 as well) but Rashad is far superior to what he was in 2007 so it could go either way, and if Tito wins at least it’s not a total embarrassment.
I’d do neither. Tito/Machida II is, to them, their best option should Tito beat Coleman (and he will). Will he deserve it? Hell no. But it will sell more than anyone else they’ve got will. Couture beating Vera might get him a title shot too but I hardly believe that will happen, and Vera is not getting a title shot.
Seriously, the only guys they have for Machida that they’ll actually make fights with (important distinction) with Rampage out of the picture for the time being are Tito, Randy, Chuck, Evans, and Forrest. Forrest needs some time to recuperate, Evans needs guys he can beat decisively, Chuck needs time for people to forget he has zero in the tank, and Randy needs a win (and money). Tito’s your best option, plus he’s come the closest to beating him in the UFC.
“I still think its ridiculous and farcical to start dragging fringe contenders into the mix for title shots “
But who else is there?
GSP has already beaten all of the solid contenders. All that is left it fringe contenders. The UFC’s only options are to use fringe contenders or start booking rematches.
I for one think fringe contenders is the better option. I’ve already seen GSP beat the crap out of Alves & Fitch. I’m more interested in seeing him beat the crap out of Swick than I am in seeing him beat the crap out of those guys AGAIN.
But who else is there?
You give these guys fights against top contenders in the division? And if they lose, you give guys rematches? Isn’t that how it should work? I mean, can’t we wait to see if Almedia beats Fitch? Like, if he can win, I’d much rather see him fight GSP than Swick (who will handle Hardy with ease)
Wait, wait, lemme guess; PPV BUYS HYPE BIZ.
But if you grant guys title shots after 3 wins who are good enough to beat anybody but the champion (which 170 is loaded with), you’re going to be running in circles forever. Obviously Fitch can beat almost anybody but GSP at 170, but its a foregone conclusion that he has nothing in his arsenal that GSP can’t handle. So you’re going to have an endless loop of GSP fighting Serra, Fitch, Alves, and a revolving 4th fighter every year until they drop to 155 or leave the UFC or GSP moves to 185 (which won’t happen beyond a Anderson Silva fight that he’d lose and go right back to Welter.)
But if you grant guys title shots after 3 wins who are good enough to beat anybody but the champion (which 170 is loaded with), you’re going to be running in circles forever.
Only if the #2 guy is good enough to beat the rest of the division on a consistent basis. You guys are defending protecting fighters and making fraud #1 contenders. You just don’t want to use that language that because it has negative connotations. Instead, you call it “creating stars” or whatever.
I agree that “give this guy who doesn’t deserve it a shot because it’s fresh and that sells better” ruins UFC’s credibility as a true competition. But I also believe if you lose to a fighter twice you shouldn’t fight them again unless it was a razorthin decision or some other controversy in the 2nd fight.
So the Fitch situation is a tricky one because you can’t fire the guy for not being able to beat the #1 WW since that’s nothing to be ashamed of, but you run the risk also of him beating everybody else and him being the only logical contender. And you can’t force him to change weights. He’d be too small for 185 and would probably need to develop anorexia or a heroin addiction to get down to 155.
Boxing is lucky that they have so many weights that it’s much easier to get a fighter out of the way than having them lose 15 pounds and risk being lethargic or gain 15 pounds and being far too small to compete against the natural 200 pounders at MW if you went up, so there is nothing to compare this to. Unless UFC wants to bring in “loser leaves town” matches
But I also believe if you lose to a fighter twice you shouldn’t fight them again unless it was a razorthin decision or some other controversy in the 2nd fight.
Fitch hasn’t lost to him twice. Koscheck hasn’t lost to him twice. Match them up with Swick or Hardy. The problem you’ll have is that those guys will be favored to and will likely win. Well, maybe not Kos. Who knows what goes through his mind?
I know, I know; “It sells tickets to UK fans”, “They’re fresh names”, blah blah blah. You can rationalize anything if you want to enough. But either of these guys against GSP is another UFC I can skip.
I like the “loser leaves town” match idea. Dana could sell it.
Dan Hardy can draw a picture of Swick knocking him out on his beloved sketch pad
Right, but I’m thinking of the longterm when the inevitable happens.
I guess Fitch could move to 185 and do decent if he gets sick of being stuck as gatekeeper. He couldn’t beat the top dogs like Marquardt, Henderson, or Belfort, though (much less Anderson Silva.) But he could get some wins against Leben, Bisping and Wanderlei. That’s if he wants real competition, though. Most people would take the guaranteed win bonus and stick with 170 in his position, though. Or maybe UFC would get so tired of him tampering with the contenders by beating them they’d offer him a raise to move up.
GSP vs. Swick/Hardy
Fitch vs. Alves 2…. Winner fights the champion. Loser moves up to 185 lbs.
Dan Hardy getting a title shot makes only slightly more sense than Jeff Hardy getting a title shot. Paul Daley has already done more in his one-fight UFC career to earn a #1 contender’s match than Dan Hardy has in his three-fight UFC run, which has consisted of a U.K. gift decision win over Akihiro Gono, a KO win over KO-prone Rory Markham, and a decision win over Marcus “First Guy to Take the Fight to the Ground is a Pussy” Davis. On the other hand, Daley dominated and TKO’ed a top-ten-ranked fighter.
I think that there should be a lot of preasure placed on the AKA triplets for refusing to fight each other. They are mucking up the welterweight division. Their(Fitch,Koscheck, Swick) refusal to fight each other is cliche and boring, Grow-up boys. This isn’t neighborhood pals growing up and hanging out, therefore never willing to test each other, This is the big leagues. Real money and a real career are at stake here. It isn’t long before I see these three in same light as I see Feodor, ducking the best competition, which is each other.
Just to remind you Ivan. Dan Hardy is not receiving a title shot. However, if he beats Swick he will have better wins than Daley, who recently lost to Nick Thompson.
I’d rather see winner of Swick vs. Hardy against GSP than Fitch or Alves at the moment. Just like I’d rather see Belfort against Silva than Henderson or Marquardt.
I endorse this just to see what his drug test would come back as; it would be epic. But quite frankly Oliver Hardy is better than Dan Hardy. And if UFC is going to make this fight as a “if you beat him you get the next shot”, they might as well just give Swick the shot and forgo the fight.
I’m not sure I see the big deal here. This isn’t a Fedor situation where he stopped fighting top guys for 3 years and then there was tons of pressure for him to fight better guys at that point.
GSP has been fighting the #1 contenders time and time again. One fight against a Top 10 (but not Top 5) opponent is not the end of the world. Not every title fight has to be this epic event. He has basically cleared out his division. The winner of Swick vs. Hardy is still a worthy challenger for the belt, even though they will be a heavy underdog.
GSP has been fighting the #1 contenders time and time again. One fight against a Top 10 (but not Top 5) opponent is not the end of the world. Not every title fight has to be this epic event.
A) Isn’t the whole idea of hyping a #1 contender fight to make the bout into a major event?
B) From a matchmaking perspective, I don’t see how this fight prepares either man for what GSP is going to do. In boxing, you’d see promoters/management be willing to do this as a “cashout strategy”. That’s the sense I get.
Honestly I’d be fine with Swick/GSP just being greenlighted if I knew they were getting the next opponent setup. I don’t think anyone comes out of the matches they’ve set otherwise as an obvious and prepared opponent for GSP. Best case scenario is that Almedia pulls the upset. Otherwise?
this is why i am glad the ufc does NOT have official rankings, seing all these #s thrown around.”oficial rankings” ahem, are what is wrong with boxing, and nobody gives a shit about internet rankings except the hardcore fans who make up very little of all of mma’s business. you see, the ufc can sell a gsp/swick or a gsp/hardy fight due to the fact that they are not weighed down by “rankings”. would the public rather see gsp fight the same old guys over and over,(how many time did we have to watch hughes do that?) or a different fighter, regardless of what the hardcore fans think about his chances of winnning? i say the latter, and by then hopefully will someone else will rise to the occassion, like an anthony johnson or mclovin or they sign shields. then they can start the regugitation process or gsp can move up. zuffa knows what they are doing. 🙂
this is why i am glad the ufc does NOT have official rankings, seing all these #s thrown around.”oficial rankings” ahem, are what is wrong with boxing,
Boxing’s problem is that top ranked fighters don’t fight each other and end up fighting the second rate guys in the top 10/15 instead, not that they do.
Or boxers fight top ranked guys from lower weight classes. Heck, Floyd Mayweather Jr is considered the #1 or #2 P4P Boxer in the world, and he really hasn’t beaten anybody his size….
Back to GSP vs. Swick/Hardy…. I do believe this #1 Contender fight is very important. A few reasons:
1) It will be free on TV, which means maximum exposure.
2) The winner can call out GSP and get some momentum going for the title fight. Bonus points if Hardy wins and has the entire UK crowd behind him as he calls out GSP.
3) Both Swick & Hardy haven’t done enough to make them feel like a title contender. This one fight likely won’t put them over the edge in the eyes of the hardcore fans, but it is definitely a step in the right direction.
And when I said an epic event…. I meant not every title fight needs to be Lesnar/Mir. It’s okay to have a title challenger that is worthy but not Top 5. As long as that champion is fighting top guys constantly….
Sensible match-making means fighters move up the rankings as they defeat higher-ranked fighters until they become contenders. In this case, the up-and-comers need to be faced off with the tried-and-tested contenders who have already lost. If a former contender defeats a couple of young risers, he’s earned himself a rematch. And if a young buck knocks off a former contender, he takes his spot.
In other words, fighters like Hardy, Almeida and Daley must face fighters like Koscheck, Fitch and Alves.
So, out of curiosity, what percentage of posters here are bashing this potential title fight, but think that Fedor has “legit” competition in Strikeforce? According to the Independent World Rankings on this website, Rogers is #6, Swick is #7 going into this fight (which could bump him up to #6 with a win).
Not to mention that Fedor only has 2 wins against current top 10 fighters (#4 and #10 on the aforementioned rankings), while GSP has cleared out the top 6 with the sole exception of Shields (coincidentally, Shields hasn’t beaten a top WW, so he doesn’t deserve a title shot either). To me, it’s a lot more acceptable to fight a #6 guy when you’ve already beat everyone in the top 5.
Of course, I agree that Swick and Hardy should be fighting top 5 fighters before facing off against GSP.
You are right IceMuncher, it was Ivan who was so glad that Fedor is fighting another top ten HW.
I never said that Mike Swick doesn’t deserve a title shot or a #1 contender’s match. But I do feel that the aforementioned #1 contender’s match should have been Swick vs. Daley, instead of being Swick vs. Hardy.
Or boxers fight top ranked guys from lower weight classes. Heck, Floyd Mayweather Jr is considered the #1 or #2 P4P Boxer in the world, and he really hasn’t beaten anybody his size…
He’s beaten plenty over the numerous weight classes he’s fought at. I’m not going to bother getting into the history of it. It will be lost on you.
Rest of the post: HYPE BUYZ STAR MAKING. Like I said before, its rationalization.
So, out of curiosity, what percentage of posters here are bashing this potential title fight, but think that Fedor has “legit” competition in Strikeforce?
Irrelevant. Fedor isn’t in the UFC because of promotional/managerial conflicts. Unfortunate, sure, but that’s what it is. Meanwhile, GSP is in the UFC and is in a weight class which the UFC controls virtually the entire top 20 of.
So Hardy’s opponent is injured and UFC puts Swick, who injured himself before 103, as a replacement and you are unhappy because you wanted Daley vs. Swick. Just wow. It’s even more ridiculous than your Yushin Okami mantra.
Sure Alan, Floy beat Mosley, Cotto, Margarito, Clottey, Williams and Pacquiao 🙂
Alan…. Lost on me or you can’t provide examples? Wolverine just listed a good list of fighters that he hasn’t touched…. And yet he becomes top 2 in boxing? GSP has done 10 times more then any current boxer at cementing his legacy, and yet now gets grief for fighting one guy out of the Top 5. Unreal. Oh, and Manny is excluded from that discussion. He is doing legit things.
Sure Alan, Floy beat Mosley, Cotto, Margarito, Clottey, Williams and Pacquiao
The guy started at junior lightweight, and Williams is skipping all the way up to middleweight. “His size” has been warped over the years in people’s minds to where he now walks around at 180lbs or something.
Lost on me or you can’t provide examples?
I’m pretty sure I said “lost on you”. You’re obviously going to disagree that Diego Corrales, Jesus Chavez, Jose Luis Castillo, Zab Judah, Ricky Hatton, Oscar, et al. aren’t impressive because he didn’t beat Mr. Plaster Gloves. As for GSP having cemented his legacy more, well, I’m sure Floyd is deeply troubled by that whilst he plans out another bout that will earn him what GSP makes over the course of 2 years.
Floyd’s 5 of last 6 fights were at welterweight and he hasn’t beaten any other WW who is at the moment in the top 10 at Ring magazine rankings. Yeah I know he was retired, but come on, noone? It’s not like Cotto, Clottey, Margarito or Mosley just entered the top ten.
In comparison GSP beat all fighters but one in the top 6 (IWMMAR).
Floyd is definitely not troubled by that, but from what I see some of you are upset about GSP fighting the winner of Swick vs. Hardy.
UFC should absolutely have a ranking system. Otherwise they’re going to run the risk of being called illegitimate the next time they magically make a Ortiz or a Hughes or a Franklin #1 contender. But that is precisely why they don’t do it. With one more win Frankie Edgar can make a convincing argument he should be #1 contender after Sanchez-Penn happens, and Gray Maynard can also claim he deserves to be #1 contender. But I guarantee they would wait as long as possible to give either fighter the shot at Penn because neither is going to sell a PPV. If they had an official rankings system with either of those men at #1 but then they decide to give the next title shot to Nate Diaz or Joe Stevenson because they’re more popular there would be outrage.
Personally, I don’t get as bent out of shape about rankings as most. In any combat sport there is no champion who consistently fights #1 contenders each and every fight. It is impossible to synchronize everybody’s fight schedules perfectly. Lots of times the real #1 contender is on medical suspension or wants an extra-long training session but your champion still wants to fight and the fans want to see him fight, so you’ll give a top 5 contender the next shot during the wait. As long as the real #1 contender gets his title shot that year, who cares. No boxing, kickboxing or MMA champion has ever demanded to sit out until the real #1 contender is ready to fight, every great champion has had questionable fights.
But all I am saying is, while I understand the appeal of running Swick-Hardy as an infomercial for Swick-GSP, the UFC has been burned on that thinking before, especially with Cro Cop-Gonzaga. That fight probably got half or less than half of the buyrate Couture-Cro Cop would have gotten if they had pulled the trigger on that fight. And it wouldn’t have been illegtitimate, since Cro Cop was ranked #2 only behind Fedor as the best heavyweight in the world in 2007. But instead millions of people see him get brutally knocked out and it killed his career instantly. And Couture-Gonzaga was a far more compelling fight than GSP-Hardy would be a billion times over. Even if Hardy had the greatest highlight reel KO ever where he hurricane kicks Swick in the head in the fight’s opening seconds and Swick does a in-air 360 before collapsing to the mat completely unconscious, you are going to have a very hard time selling him as a threat to GSP. At least with Gonzaga people believed he was a threat because he was bigger, stronger and younger than Randy was. GSP is at the peak of his career right now.
Floyd’s 5 of last 6 fights were at welterweight and he hasn’t beaten any other WW who is at the moment in the top 10 at Ring magazine rankings. Yeah I know he was retired, but come on, noone?
Who should he have fought instead of the Ring Magazine champion 3 years ago? Luis Collazo?
The best part is that people love to point out the BIZ stuff, particularly in the matchmaking I’m talking about, but god forbid you bring it up with regards to boxing. He didn’t fight Margarito for the same reason Anderson Silva doesn’t fight Okami; money. Apparently gates and PPV buys are only allowed to be used as an excuse for MMA though. Go figure.
I don’t like to repeat myself, but Okami was scheduled to fight Anderson.
So true.
Randy Couture = “Well, he’s nearing retirement and they should give him one last chance to take a run at the LHW title because he’s not going to be around much longer. Yes, he has no chance of winning, but we’re paying to see a legend for the last times, and we should all respect that.”
Oscar De La Hoya = “He was so old and washed up when Floyd and Manny fought him so those wins didn’t really count. It doesn’t matter that it happened when Oscar was over a decade younger than Randy and could possibly be given 4 losses in a row and Oscar was 2-2 during his comeback. If you paid to see any of those fights, you’re an idiot.”
I don’t like to repeat myself, but Okami was scheduled to fight Anderson.
Well! They tenatively scheduled it once! That makes all the difference. Just as good as actually ever holding the fight.
Wolverine is correct here. Alan is wrong. Floyd has been avoiding the top guys in his own weight division time and time again. I’m not saying he didn’t beat those guys you mentioned Alan. But he has been at Welterweight long enough that he should have fought a credible Top 10 guy in that weight class. Which he hasn’t. Which is exactly the problem with boxing. Their system is broken. Even guys like James Toney are coming out saying how broken the system is and how good the UFC’s system is. The fact that Floyd is considered such a top guy in the ENTIRE SPORT despite not fighting anybody on the list that Wolverine provided, shows how easily it is to get near the top with the right marketing and obviously good skills. GSP might have the UFC marketing machine behind him…. But Hughes, Alves, Fitch, Sherk, Serra, Trigg, Penn, and a few others are the reason why he is a top level MMA fighter.
“But all I am saying is, while I understand the appeal of running Swick-Hardy as an infomercial for Swick-GSP, the UFC has been burned on that thinking before, especially with Cro Cop-Gonzaga.”
That’s the thing…. No matter who wins… Swick or Hardy, they aren’t going to get burnt. Both need a win to at least make a better case for a title shot. And neither is much of a challenge in the eyes of anybody. So there is no risk and potentially some reward for putting on this fight.
Mark,
While I am not a fan of Couture getting a shot…. There is a huge difference between what is happening with Couture and what is happening with ODLH. And the major difference is who they are fighting against beyond Couture or ODLH.
Floyd Mayweather, as pointed out above, has not really fought top guys in his own weight class. And since Floyd fought Oscar, he has fought 2 smaller guys and had a short retirement inbetween.
If Machida fights Couture…. It’s one fight. That’s all it is. ONE FIGHT. He will have fought Ortiz, Silva, Evans, & Shogun before it. And he will likely fight more top guys after it.
And nobody is complaining about Manny vs. Oscar. Manny has gone on from Oscar and is challenging himself even more. So he used the Oscar fight to psuh himself further. That is something that Floyd has not done. He used the Oscar fight, and since then has fought smaller guys. He is using his star power not to test himself, but to bank money. Which is fine for him, but stinks for the sport.
It was scheduled for UFC 90 which was nearly one full year ago and he broke his hand training so they gave Cote the shot. There has been no talk since he came back 2 months later of doing it.
It should be noted that their rightful #1 contender has not been on the main card of a show since UFC 72 (only his 2nd UFC main card appearance in his 3 years in UFC.)
What about the Tanner fight?