Silva, Bonnar and the UFC's Next Steps

As there was quite a bit of buzz surrounding the Silva/Bonnar fight, at the same time, there was a bit of a collective let down. Sure, Bonnar is a name at 205... and only a name. He hasn't been a relevant factor in the light heavy division for some time now, and certainly looks much better in the commentating booth.

This is the 3rd fight that Dana and the UFC has spoon fed to Silva at 205. Really? Do they think we can't see through the ridiculous hype and promotion? I mean seriously, I went home Saturday night feeling like I watched a free show on Fox that was without a main event. It was that bad.

What's next for the UFC? For Silva? It's obvious that Bonnar needs to stick to commentating at this point. Nothing against Bonnar, but that's where he's at his best. As for Silva, he needs a legitimate challenge in the light heavy division. Silva vs Rampage has some appeal, maybe Phil Davis, Rashad Evans, or even Brandon Vera. At least someone with some more recent credibility in the division.

The UFC has dropped the ball the last few cards. They're still trying to get mileage out of tired names rather than working to build up the new class of up and comers. They're also putting on too many shows. Bottom line, the UFC needs to cut the number of shows annually, and up the quality and value of each show. Otherwise, they're going to a nothing more than a decade long shooting star, facing certain burnout. Don't water down the brand by milking it all now.

That's not to say that there hasn't been injuries or other circumstances that are out of the UFC's control, but if you've had to cancel a card, you need to slow down and reconsider what you're doing and how you're doing it.

Not gonna lie, over the last couple years, I've almost gotten burnt out. There have been so many events to keep track of, just from the UFC, that I often choose to skip UFC fights to watch smaller promotions. It's a nice change to see the rest of the MMA picture. What the UFC should do is scale back the number of shows, and let some of these smaller promotions carry some of the weight. Being the sport's juggernaut promotion isn't going to change. It just affords the smaller guys a chance to be seen, and eases the pressure of putting on a ridiculous number of shows to pillage our pocket books... I mean please the fans.

I don't know. Maybe I'm right, maybe I'm wrong. All I know is that I've walked away from the last several UFC cards disappointed at best... And that's something I thought I'd never say about the sport and the promotion that I love so dearly.