The UFC has Changed to Focus on Clips and Clicks, Not The Best vs The Best

Following Dana White’s announcement of multiple fights, one in particular stands out and has angered fans. The UFC 328 main event will feature the middleweight champion, Khamzat Chimaev, defending his belt for the first time against former champion Sean Strickland.

The issue is that Sean Strickland isn’t deserving of a shot at the title. There is one man who is more deserving, more logical and has done everything expected of him in recent years – Nassourdine Imavov.

It’s clear to show that the UFC has changed, and not for the better.

The UFC is no longer the best vs the best

Foundations Lost

The UFC was built on the best fighting the best. The best fighters on the planet are constantly competing against one another in an attempt to prove who is best. The champion of each division is required not to pick and choose their opponents, but rather to fight against whoever is next in line.

It’s what the UFC has been built upon. This is why the UFC is the premium promotion. This is why fans pay a lot of money to go and watch the events live. This is why the company signed with Paramount Plus for $7.7billion last year.

In recent times, however, it is clear that this is no longer the case. The integrity of the UFC is dead, and it could turn fans off.

UFC 328

UFC 328 in particular has angered fans. The match-up is interesting, but there’s no denying that Sean Strickland isn’t deserving of yet another title shot. Since receiving his first title shot in 2023, he’s 3-2. He won the title in dominant fashion against Israel Adesanya, going five rounds. He then dropped the title to Dricus du Plessis. The American rebounded in a dreadful fight against Paulo Costa and (somehow) received a rematch with DDP, only to lose again. The brash talker returned last month to defeat Anthony Hernandez via third-round TKO in a performance of the night-winning effort.

Before his original title shot, he’d only won two straight. Now he’s been gifted another title shot (the third of his career) off just a single win.

It wouldn’t be an issue if there were no other viable opponents for Khamzat Chimaev in the middleweight division… but there is.

The Imavov Dilemma

There is no more deserving person in the 185lbs division than Nassourdine Imavov. The Frenchman is 5-0 in his last five fights, including four headline slots and, crucially, a career-defining win over Adesanya. Not only did he beat the former champion, but he stopped him, something Strickland wasn’t able to do.

Does a winning streak now mean nothing in the UFC? Imavov has wins over five guys in a row, all of whom were ranked at the time. He isn’t beating up newcomers to the promotion.

The key issue, however, is that he has a loss on his record that is currently burning through any contract he may be offered. That loss is at the hands of Sean Strickland.

He was preparing for a fight against Kelvin Gastelum; however, Gastelum withdrew from the bout, and Strickland replaced him. Both men took the fight on short notice. The fight took place at light heavyweight, not middleweight, and it was over three years ago.

Strickland fans will hark back to the fact that their man has a win over Imavov. Whilst this is true, it has context.

The UFC just wants clips and clicks

It’s clear to long-time fans of the UFC that the product is more now about clicks and clips. The creation of the ‘BMF’ belt was just that. Jorge Masvidal vs Nate Diaz was a great fight, but the UFC’s need to have a belt attached to every PPV main event forced them to create a belt from nothing.

It’s why Dana White has endorsed the likes of ‘Nina Drama’, giving her unprecedented access to UFC fights and fighters despite having no journalistic background. One look down the UFC’s Instagram page, and you’ll see the former Playboy model draped over a mic interviewing fighters one-on-one, a privilege that isn’t afforded to the best, actual journalists out there.

Her content pivots from what hardcore fans are interested in, knowing about the fighters themselves and hyping up the fight to childish, irrelevant quips.

Sean Strickland falls into this category. He’s put in these opportunities because he gets clicks, and the UFC can put out clips of him. His post-fight octagon interview did more views on YouTube than all of the other fight week videos combined – of which there were 11. This isn’t because he comes out with insightful, unmissable, well-thought-out lines like prime Conor McGregor or Chael Sonnen. They’re moronic, often sexist and often racist quips.

Strickland is happy to be the hammer, speaking about other fighters’ families, but when he is the nail, he crumbles. In a presser against DDP, the South African commented on Strickland’s family history, and Strickland lost his cool.

The UFC wouldn’t have minded this, however, because it got clips, clicks and a whole lot of ‘clout’.