As a fan of sports who loves the suspense and excitement of a close, down-to-the-wire contest between two opposing forces, nothing dissatisfies me more than a hyped up fight, whether it be mixed martial arts (MMA) or boxing, going only one round.
The prospect of a one-and-done fight is even more loathsome when the consumer has to fork over money to see the fight, otherwise known as pay-per-view. But I don’t think anyone has it as bad as those who show up in person to see a fight.
People from all over the world journey hundreds, even thousands, of miles to watch some of the best mixed martial artists and fighters go head-to-head against each other in what should be a legendary fight. I can only imagine the disdain of a fan who paid even more money for travel, lodging, and venue expenses just to witness a 40 second, one-sided fight in-person.
Not every fight can be the “Thrilla in Manilla,” one of the greatest fights in the history of martial arts, but there have been some real stinkers in the fighting world.
I’m of course referring to the Jan. 18 matchup between former UFC Lightweight and Featherweight champion Connor McGregor and his challenger Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone that lasted all of 40 seconds.
McGregor, who hadn’t suited up for a professional fight since late 2018, drew literal first blood when his first punch sneaked between Cowboy’s gloves, bloodying him. Seconds later, a kick by McGregor sent Cowboy down to the canvas, prompting a fury of blows from McGregor while his opponent fell to the floor.
Seeing that in action was fun, but Cowboy didn’t get back up. The referee came in to save Cowboy after it was clear that McGregor was unleashing hell upon his foe. Unfortunately for fans, that was the conclusion of the match.
Scenarios such as this are a key reason why consumers have reservations about paying to see UFC, MMA or other martial art competitions. Martial arts are different than most other professional sports in that the game time isn’t definite.
In professional sports leagues that deal with soccer, hockey, football, basketball and others, you’re guaranteed a match with a set time. While this doesn’t protect the average fan from watching blowouts, it ensures a more complete experience.
Nobody wants to watch a 40 second fight, and it appears that this has become a recent trend. With that being said, is the American prize fight dead?
In this writer’s opinion, the answer is no. In the case of McGregor against Cowboy, I see it as more of a fluke incident. Some matches end in the first or early second round, but this isn’t the norm.
Nowadays, professional sports leagues incorporate some kind of function to preserve parity between competitors so that teams have a chance to compete. Leagues like the National Football League and the National Basketball Association, among others, have draft lotteries to give struggling teams some help.
Even with this in place, parity takes time to develop, and blowouts occur every season for almost every team. Similarly, the MMA and UFC incorporate weight classes to ensure parity, though this doesn’t stop blowouts like the one McGregor pulled on Cowboy from happening.
Blowouts happen in every sports league, from the pros all the way down to youth leagues. This is an inevitability of sports, but typically, good teams/individuals perform well against other teams/individuals and vice versa.
The great headline fight between two worthy competitors isn’t going away any time soon. A number of factors come into play when deciding the outcome, and sometimes matches turn into a short anomaly. Fans and consumers take this assumed risk when they pay.
Quick matches might be increasing as of late, but that’s no reason to disconnect from watching mixed martial arts all together. The prize fight isn’t dead, but the sport is evolving.
