Kaufman Crossing the Company Line
Jake Rossen Jul 27, 2010
The good and bad of Strikeforce is arguable, but one fact remains:
the promotion holds their belts in all the high regard surrounding
a rotting lump of roadkill.
In addition to championship bouts that make no sense -- fighters coming off losses, fighters with no extended-contract clauses, fighters who disappear for years at a time -- their 135 lb. women’s title was relegated to the undercard during Saturday’s Strikeforce Challengers event. And champion Sarah Kaufman was not pleased. Pre-fight, she grumbled; post-fight, she petitioned for a spot on a marquee Strikeforce card.
As
BloodyElbow’s Jonathan Snowden observed, Kaufman may have
little claim to complaints: her previous fight was a ratings
lowpoint for the promotion, which obviously concerns itself with
business sense first. Moreover, a public lashing of the employer
rarely ever ends up being to the employee’s benefit. Authority
frequently enjoys being authority, and having their position
questioned or heckled often leads to bitter relations down the
line. Politically, Kaufman is doing herself no favors by speaking
out.
But here’s the thing: she shouldn’t have to. Promotions have flexibility in how they choose contenders and manipulate production, but the sanctity of a “world title” isn’t open to innovation. The entire point of climbing the ladder in a division is the pursuit of an undisputed status: you fight for a belt because it’s been given meaning. The minute you minimize its importance is the moment you throw cold water across the struggle for it.
Belts are inherently made-up things -- just a token crown applied to make it easier for fans to separate the haves from the have-nots. If a promotion treats it like it matters, so will fans; if a promotion has it rattling around in the trash, what’s the point of fighting for it? (And imaginary or not, fans do respond to the idea of climbing the mountain: UFC title fights almost invariably do better on pay per view than non-title bouts, even when the matchup itself might not be as appealing.)
Kaufman may not be a ratings grab and the 135 lb. division may pale in comparison to what Cristiane Santos is doing at 145 lbs., but it’s not a negotiable position. The last thing Dana White could be looking forward to is having Anderson Silva headline a bout -- but his position as champion demands it. Anything less insults his entire weight class and the intelligence of viewers. Strikeforce may resent taking lessons from the UFC, but this is one they need a long course on.
In addition to championship bouts that make no sense -- fighters coming off losses, fighters with no extended-contract clauses, fighters who disappear for years at a time -- their 135 lb. women’s title was relegated to the undercard during Saturday’s Strikeforce Challengers event. And champion Sarah Kaufman was not pleased. Pre-fight, she grumbled; post-fight, she petitioned for a spot on a marquee Strikeforce card.
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But here’s the thing: she shouldn’t have to. Promotions have flexibility in how they choose contenders and manipulate production, but the sanctity of a “world title” isn’t open to innovation. The entire point of climbing the ladder in a division is the pursuit of an undisputed status: you fight for a belt because it’s been given meaning. The minute you minimize its importance is the moment you throw cold water across the struggle for it.
Belts are inherently made-up things -- just a token crown applied to make it easier for fans to separate the haves from the have-nots. If a promotion treats it like it matters, so will fans; if a promotion has it rattling around in the trash, what’s the point of fighting for it? (And imaginary or not, fans do respond to the idea of climbing the mountain: UFC title fights almost invariably do better on pay per view than non-title bouts, even when the matchup itself might not be as appealing.)
Kaufman may not be a ratings grab and the 135 lb. division may pale in comparison to what Cristiane Santos is doing at 145 lbs., but it’s not a negotiable position. The last thing Dana White could be looking forward to is having Anderson Silva headline a bout -- but his position as champion demands it. Anything less insults his entire weight class and the intelligence of viewers. Strikeforce may resent taking lessons from the UFC, but this is one they need a long course on.
