HYDEN BLOG: Judging, Rampage, and Network Deals

By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch contributor

As I was watching the fight between Miguel Torres and Demetrious Johnson, I knew that Johnson was going to win the decision. The fact that Johnson was on top for most of the fight made that pretty obvious. The problem is that Johnson didn't really do much on top. The biggest reason for that was the relentless attack that Torres was unleashing from his back.

He was constantly trying something, forcing Johnson to defend. Johnson being on top for most of the fight shouldn't be the sole determinant in deciding who won. Getting takedowns, but being unable to do anything after that takedown, shouldn't win you the fight by itself, and I would give Johnson more points for his defense than I would those takedowns.

This fight was a classic example of why you need to finish fights. That's easier said than done, but if you don't you run the risk of losing when you feel you should have won. Torres should have won, but would it have been an especially impressive win? No, it wouldn't have been. It would have been a fine win, but nothing that should have propelled him to a title shot.

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Speaking of title shots, it's said that Quinton Jackson is in line for a title shot after his win over Matt Hamill. Really, why? What exactly has Rampage done to deserve this title shot? He's won two fights in a row. His win over Hamill was lackluster to be kind and even Rampage himself was surprised that he won a decision over Lyoto Machida. So why exactly is Rampage going to get a title shot, health permitting? I guess the thought process is that they can't wait for Rashad Evans to fight Phil Davis, with the winner fighting Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones. If Rampage isn't able to go, I'm assuming the title shot will go to Lyoto Machida. The problem with that is that Machida lost two in a row before beating Randy Couture. Now would be a great time for someone to separate from the pack. Honestly, I'd be more in favor of unifying the Light Heavyweight Title with Strikeforce and having Dan Henderson fight Jones, but I know Henderson is busy preparing to fight Fedor Emelianenko. It'd still be nice to see, though.

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The UFC will have a new television deal in place within six months, according to Dana White. I'd love to see them go to a major network like NBC or something. Spike has been very good for the UFC, so if they stay there, that would be cool, too. It would just be nice to see big-time MMA on a larger stage. An increase in presence in the sports landscape would be a huge step up for the UFC, as right now they barely get mentioned on SportsCenter outside of a huge fight result. They get mentioned more now that they ever have before, but it's still lacking. Lesser-known sports - or events, as they're not always sports - get much more publicity than MMA does on ESPN. That's slowly changing, but a way to make that change faster is to get a more visible presence in the culture. Ratings talk, and if the UFC can increase viewership people will have to pay attention.

I respect the fact that the UFC refuses to sign a deal that's bad for them in the longterm. The cache of being on a major network wears off eventually, especially if the product isn't up to snuff. Whatever happens, I hope it leads to bigger and better things for the UFC, and MMA in general.


Comments and suggestions can be e-mailed to me at hydenfrank@gmail.com

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