TKO Xtreme

It’s still almost two months until Affliction, the clothing choice of just about everyone in Montreal for UFC 83, makes it’s foray into hosting their own MMA events. While many still aren’t entirely sure what to make about their intentions (and more specifically, if they’ll last), this much is already clear: they’re swinging for the fences with their first effort.

The headline fight of Fedor Emelianenko and Tim Sylvia has been known for some time now, and many of the supporting bouts have been at least rumoured for nearly as long. With a venue (The Honda Centre in Anaheim) and a broadcast partner secured (Fox Sports Net) for the under card bouts leading up to the pay-per-view portion, the company has hurdled it’s two biggest obstacles to a successful event.

Add an anticipated main event and the inclusion of Josh Barnett, Matt Lindland, Babalu Sobral, among others and the overall depth of the card begs one question: do championships really matter in the big picture?

Consider, Tim Sylvia.

The Pat Miletich product has fought with the UFC title on the line eight times, winning it twice, defending it twice and losing the other four times. Despite all that, Emelianenko is easily the best opponent he’s faced and a victory would do far more for his career than any previous UFC fight.

Now consider, Josh Barnett.

It would be hard for anyone to leave The Babyface Assassin out of their top-10 or even top-5 heavyweight rankings, but he’s only fought for a title belt once in his career, beating Randy Couture for the UFC’s heavyweight strap in 2003, before he was stripped of it for a positive drug test.

Finally, consider Frank Mir.

After a victory over Brock Lesnar, Mir will not only be showcased as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter, but will also get his shot at the UFC (um, Interim?) heavyweight Champ, Minotauro Nogeria. Mir, of course, is a former champ that claimed the title with a first round technical submission of Tim Sylvia in 2004 after breaking his arm with an armbar. (After the bout, Sylvia was able to find a good way to heal up.)

A motorcycle accident nearly claimed Mir’s life though and seemingly de-railed his career. Nineteen months later, he was back in the Octagon trying to salvage what remained of the promise he previously flashed. Since his return though, he holds a 3-2 record and his two most recent victories (the ones that have set up his title shot) came against opponents (Lesnar and Antoni Hardonk) that hold a combined 7-5 record.

Not exactly the cream of the crop, is it?

So while there still is some luster for any world champion, a great match-up will still trump a sub-par title fight. If organizations continue to use championship belts more as a marketing tool than as a reward for the best of the best, will they eventually disappear all together?

(Note: I’m hoping to make columns like this a more regular occurrence here. The purpose is to entertain, enlighten and perhaps initiate a dialogue. In keeping with that, feel free to have your say. Do championships still matter?)