So, the UFC has officially booked Daniel Cormier’s first light heavyweight title defense. “DC” will be taking on former title challenger Alexander Gustafsson in the early fall for the strap. Now, if you say it like that, it doesn’t sound so bad. If you add in the fact that “The Mauler” was KOed in his last fight by Anthony Johnson, the very man that the AKA standout defeated to win the 205 lbs. strap, the luster is lost pretty darn quick.
Now, you may be asking, “Why was this match made?” Well, I can tell you why: This isn’t a Joe Silva call, this is a Dana White call. This is a match made under the assumption that Jon Jones is coming back, and D f’n W wants to make sure he can maximize the earning potential. Rematches between “Bones” and either Cormier or Gustafsson would certainly do that, but even using that reasoning doesn’t sit well with myself or with many others. You shouldn’t be getting title shots coming off a loss, it’s that simple. You should have at least a couple of wins in a row before being granted a chance to go for the gold.
As unpalatable as it may sound, Ryan Bader really is the best option for a contender at this point simply due to the fact you can sell his 4 fight winning streak. It would also give you time to feed one more fighter to Ovince St. Preaux to build him up and prepare him for the subsequent title shot. Is it early for OSP? Sure, but people said the same thing about TJ Dillashaw before he beat Renan Barao like a government mule. Still, as reasonable as the scenario I’ve laid out is, it won’t happen. It won’t happen because of two major psychological foibles possessed by the UFC point man: Stubbornness and a lack of impulse control.
Dana White has shown a lack of ability to control himself when he wants something. If he wants to insult somebody, he’ll do it using some of the worst words imaginable – you can ask Loretta Hunt about that. If he becomes enamored with you as a fighter (as he did with Ronda Rousey), he’ll fold a promotion just so the UFC can absorb the division you’re in. This combination of low impulse control and stubbornness has helped the UFC to come as far as it has, but now the dark side of those tendencies are really beginning to rear their ugly heads. The Reebok deal and the unilateral imposition of a drug testing policy that has a Big Brother-esque level of surveilance to it are both major examples. Gustafsson getting the title shot against Cormier may very well be minor in comparison, but it still is a marker of a worrying trend.
Unfortunately, we’re stuck with the UFC’s bad decision of Daniel Cormier vs. Alexander Gustafsson for the light heavyweight title. It’s not a good look when a guy gets a title shot off of a loss, and that’s something beyond debate. Hopefully the Fertitas will finally listen to the various outcries and put a muzzle on the root of this, and many of the UFC’s other problems.
