Originally Posted by 6toes

I agree with the notion of this new 'breed' of fighters we're starting to see. Its only natural that with the huge surge in popularity that MMA has received recently that the talent pool is growing larger and even more skilled.

Just thinking about it in terms of how many people are fighting today in comparison with just a few years ago, the chances of getting some real super-freaks is pretty high. Nog is a legend and will always be a 'great' fighter but he came from a time when MMA was mainly an overseas ordeal; when the majority of people still called it "human cockfighting" ( I hate that term.) Now MMA is becoming a global phenomenon and more and more people are bringing more and more to the plate. The game IS evolving and regardless of hard work or raw talent, the fighters of yesterday are all going to get left behind at some point, regardless of age. I honestly hate saying that but its true

Originally Posted by UFCFAN18

Nog vs James Toney

That traingle would be epic.

Originally Posted by Fieos

1.) He's not that old.

2.) He fought Mir when he was recovering from serious illness. He then put on an impresive fight beating Randy Couture. He then gets KO'd by one of the most hyped new heavyweights and you think he should be put out to pasture?

3.) He is not likely to hold a belt in the UFC but the guy is a HUGE draw and a class act. If he isn't a likely title contender there are still a bunch of exciting fights for him.

I do see your point but the reality is Big Nog is a draw and thus a payday for the UFC.

UFC = Entertainment, not a sport.

Originally Posted by Indestructibl3

Uhh ...

Originally Posted by Fieos

LOL, I've had some negative rep on this as well so maybe I wasn't clear.

UFC is not a sport, MMA is a sport. UFC is an entertainment business/promotion that uses the sport of MMA to generate revenue. This is why we see undeserved title shots and such... UFC uses a blend of fighter ability and fighters ability to draw fans (exciting fights, love of fans, etc) to determine matches. It is a profit based model, not a sport competition such as the Olympics (whole different arguement here).

I'm not saying it is a good thing or a bad thing, just making the clarification as to why Big Nog is likely to continue to appear and fight for the UFC despite the likelyhood he'll be a title contender. Very similar to Randy Couture. They bring in the $$.