Just to play devil's advocate, let's look at it from Dana's point of view, and try to imagine a situation where this makes logical sense. OK, here goes, and remember, this is HYPOTHETICAL situation based on a few assumptions, which I imagine COULD be close to the real situation:
-GSP can't fight for awhile, and Joe Silva and Dana decide that the Interim Champ has to fight again.
-Dana already said that he and the fans are not interested in an Ellenberger title challenge yet
-Koscheck just won a very boring fight, and though it is still impressive, that doesn't set up a title shot very well
-Fitch just lost, and few people are clamoring for a Hendricks title shot - he's not ready
-BJ is retired (for now)
So who challenges Condit for the Interim Title? It's not fair to ask him to sit the better part of a year while he is in his prime and on a run. Kampmann is taken for an upcoming matchup. A Shields rematch would be interesting, and I think a great fight, but nobody will pay to see it, and nobody wants to see Jake fight GSP again if he beats Carlos. Plus, he is currently what, 8th in the world at best? It's just not much of a draw.
Diaz is the only top 5 challenger around, and he happens to have just lost a very controversial decision to Condit that is fresh in everyone's minds. Historically, the UFC often sets up instant or very quick rematches after a controversial fight, especially if it is an important one. Pettis got screwed by this precedent, to name the most recent example, and he ended losing his title bid with a Guida loss. But it comes down to the fact that the fans wanted to see another Edgar Maynard fight, and most people considered them to be #1/#2 in the UFC, over Pettis.
The fact is that as of now, the UFC and MMA overall have only just aged past their infancy ... but they are still toddlers. If there were well thought-out rules defining scoring, illegal shots, rankings, etc, then this would not be an issue. There would be a clear winner, a clear reason why, and a clear line for the next few fighters to earn a chance at the belt. The NFL doesn't choose Superbowl contenders - instead they established a fixed set of rules (a tournament in this case) to decide who makes it. Roger Goodell doesn't get a say in the matter, nor do the fans. But until the same happens in MMA, things are decided by fan desire, media rankings, and 2 very important people (DFW and J Silva, though I guess you could add Lorenzo in there).
As of now, if you open up the entire UFC 170 lb roster, there is no better fight to be made. We can't just shelf the title for a year.
OK, I'm ready, blast away!
Originally Posted by AndyK5
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