FanPost

Chaos in Contention


Colby "Chaos" Covington has certainly made waves in the UFC community. With a record of 13-1, (8-1 UFC), Covington will be challenging former Lightweight Champ Rafael Dos Anjos, for the Interim Welterweight title June 9th in Chicago. However, many people in the Mixed Martial Arts community, and especially fellow UFC Welterweights, feel this shot for Covington is unjust and acquired through trash talk and promotion from the UFC. Covington first made headlines last October after UFC FN 119, where in his post-fight speech he called The country of Brazil a "dump" and referred to Brazilians as "filthy animals". Since defeating Demian Maia last October, Colby Covington has not stepped inside the octagon but has been in the midst of a number of controversies and headlines. He has developed a Heel of a persona, in which many people feel is unauthentic. Despite the fact that many people despise "Chaos" and wish to see him fail, he is still being awarded a shot for the Interim title. This sparks a debate, What Validates a UFC Title Shot?

The MMA world is not just a sport anymore, It is an Entertainment Business. The UFC wants to make as much money as they can, because after all, who doesn't like money?. This leads the Star promotion to develop superstars to promote and push for an increase in popularity and revenue. But where is the line between physically earning your title shot, and being good on the mic?. If you look at Covington's resume, he has 9 fights in the UFC, standing at a solid 8-1. Two of those victories are against opponents in the top 15, Maia at number 7 and Dong Hyun Kim at number 15. Outside of those victories, Covington has not fought anyone in the top 5 or 10, in the Welterweight Division. Instead, Covington has only fought once since last fall, made controversial comments and gathered negative media attention, yet is still awarded a shot for the title.

So what does a Title Shot really stand for anymore? Why have rankings if it's the popularity that determines your career path. Is there a certain number of wins required for a shot at the title? This past January we saw a young prospect, Volkan Oezdemir, 3-0 in the UFC, receive a shot at Daniel Cormier's title. Perhaps this is all a result of a lack of stars in the UFC. Many of the sports big draws are on the bench, so the UFC has to work with what they have, and promote the fighters that are active. Will this trend in the UFC continue, or will there ever be a day again where the best martial artist is the only one fighting for the Belt.

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