The Miscellaneous Thread

@Chris I don't think it's that simple. I don't think they can do it overtly all the time, and I especially don't think they can do it when there's been a prior media furore relating to a fighter over a contract dispute or something, it would be bad PR among other things. We also don't know how much of that story was blown out of proportion, and I still believe that Francis is a bigger draw than Gane ever can be, and that UFC know this.  He has the look, the brutal one-hitter-quitter KO's, the sob-story rags to riches background story.

Fighters aren't really that different to stocks in a sense. They don't have to have intrinsic value to make money. They are also subject to time-decay (#Thetagang) but that's a different discussion. I'm pretty sure the suits have the hype-arc-profit-cycle down to a science at this point.

Corporations don't make business decisions out of trivial enmity. At the end of all things, they exist to make money, and the best strategy for making that happen is always the right answer regardless of anything else. Maybe there was a time when this was not the case for the UFC, but it's a subsidiary now and Dana doesn't get to be Caligula like the old days.

 As I said, I think it's more a kind of 'play ball' based culture as opposed to outright Bribery. There are all kinds of factors and externalities to be mitigated to ensure strong ensuing margins, and I find it improbable that all parties involved wouldn't be doing some nudging and deck-stacking. Not everything is explainable by incompetence, but incompetence sure is one hell of an Alibi. I'm not saying they're fixing every bout. I'm saying they do it to stack probabilities in their favour whenever big money is on the line.It's just an extension of what they do promotionally.

Case-in-point: Alex had no business fighting Izzy at all. If he'd been given Izzy's run, he wouldn't have sniffed the belt. Good luck getting through Vettori and Whittaker with that TDD and level of wrestling. Regardless of anything else, we have a situation whereby the more the UFC makes, the more the commissions and states make. At the very least, it's a conflict of interest.It's not really any different from the way the FDA's money mostly comes from big pharma. It's not a good situation when the regulators are funded by the interests they are regulating. There's a reason we don't let the state run the courts. Separation of powers should probably be applied in that context, too.

Not really back. Now that I'm not wasting time on Tapology I'm devoting that time to other activities. Since I've been mostly absent, I have learned how to weld. Found an old retired guy who does mobile classes, used to be a pro. He's not cheap but he's a baller and doesn't berate me which is nice.  I'm already a fair hand at MIG and range from occasionally passable to generally appalling at TIG. Have fabricated some stuff for a few people, including a sort of manifold or frame for a swivelling television mount currently in use by my neighbour. Anyway, because I am ********, especially in summer, I decided to wear thongs (flip flops) in the workshed and sliced the side of my foot open on some angle.  Sitting here with eight stitches. Not a lot to do for at least another week or so. It's in a bad spot and the walking action could pull the stitches. Doctor tried the glue first, didn't work, so here we are.

Still probably won't watch any MMA until Volk vs Islam, whenever that is.

That was six paragraphs so...y'know.

You believe we're being visited by little green men, Chris.

Stones in glass houses and all that :)

Glad to see you're back, Hippie.

How was Christmas?

lol Hippie why are you so interested in calling me? I'd consider making a discord server for a brief conversation.

@Chris it's always bemusing to me that you pine for me when I'm not on Tap, complain about how boring it is, and when I'm back on you complain about it and talk about how terrible it all is. For Chrissakes, make up your mind. You are like a woman; half-bitter, half-besotted.

* Edited at 12.27.2022, 9:49 PM ET *