The UFC Should Embrace More Titles

Interim titles were all the rage in 2016. While there were only three interim title fights in the year, the discussion of interim titles dominated the headlines thanks to Jon Jones being a screw-up and Conor McGregor wanting more. That discussion isn’t dying in 2017. Anderson Silva will reportedly retire if he doesn’t fight for the interim middleweight title at UFC 212. Meanwhile, Cris ‘Cyborg’ will likely fight for the interim women’s featherweight belt in the summer as Germaine de Randamie remains on the sideline.

Despite having ten weight classes and every main event being five rounds anyway, the UFC is rather obsessed with having at least one title fight on their pay-per-view events and FOX cards. Thus, if a title fight is not available, they create an interim title.

Instead of trying to make interim titles a thing, the UFC should try something different. They should just create a secondary title in each division. The UFC is more entertainment than sport, so why not continue to embrace the entertainment aspect? WWE has a major title and a secondary title on both brands. The secondary title becomes more important when the major champion is only contracted to appear once every two months. Considering that UFC champions only fight twice a year, if that, a secondary title is a great way to keep interest in the division.

With the addition of secondary titles, the UFC could have a title fight on every single show. Including Fight Pass events. This would make every show feel important and makes promoting for the UFC even easier since they don’t know how to promote anything but title fights.

In case you’re fearful that this may not work, do not worry, I created this amazing gimmick, and I already have the rules and regulations laid out. I promise they are no more complicated than the ever-changing MMA sometimes unified rules and regulations.

The world title is meant for the top guy in each division. Only the top five fighters in each division should be fighting for it. It not only gives importance to the belt, it also saves us from meaningless fights like Michael Bisping vs. Dan Henderson or Georges St-Pierre. That leaves the secondary belt for the sixth best fighter in the division.

What does being the secondary champion mean? I’d like to say it means more money, but let’s be realistic, it doesn’t mean more money. In fact, it probably means less money because fighters will be paid the same, but their training camps will be longer and they’ll be asked to do more press. But who cares about money? You either want to be a fucking champion or you don’t.

Being the secondary champion means you’re one fight away from a world title shot. After one successful defense of their secondary belt against the seventh ranked opponent, the secondary champion gets to pick anyone in the top five to fight. If they successfully defeat that fighter, they get to fight the world champion in a champion vs. champion showdown. If they lose, they remain the secondary champion, but once again have to defend their secondary title before they can challenge a top five fighter again.

Make sense? If not, don’t worry about it, you’ll catch on when you see it in practice.

This not only makes matchmaking very easy, it gives a point to callouts. How often do callouts lead to absolutely nothing? Quite. Now, when the secondary champion, after defending his belt, calls out a top five fighter, the fight will happen. And while you can’t sell the secondary champion vs. top 5 fighter as a secondary title fight, you can sell out at a #1 contender’s fight. And this time, it’s an actual #1 contender’s fight, not a “Dana White says it’s a #1 contender’s fight.”

More titles are the solution to everything. The more titles you have, the more people that become champions. The more champions on your roster, the better your roster looks. This is simple promoting, people.

Join me in my fight for more titles by following my on twitter http://twitter.com/jeremylambert88@jeremylambert88