Is it still UFC or is it already wrestling? The BMF Belt Is The Most Ridiculous Idea Of A Big Promotion
Igor Nekrasov July 24, 2023, 15:45 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
Poirier and Gati were given a toy title instead of a battle of contenders.
On the night of July 29-30, the numbered tournament UFC 291 will take place at the Energy Solution Arena in Salt Lake City (Utah, USA). Initially, it was supposed to be a Candidates fight, but Charles Oliveira successfully performed in a fight against Beneil Dariush and will have a rematch with Islam. And Porrier and Gaethje, who were left without a title, will continue to fight for the belt, but not for the official one, but for its pirated copy – the BMF belt.
As envisioned by the UFC, the BMF belt was awarded to the “toughest asshole” and was first presented before the fight between Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz. So Masvidal won this title, Diaz was pulled from the fight due to multiple cuts. Strange, right? The fight for the title of the “toughest asshole” was stopped by the doctors. The atmosphere around the fight was very pretentious, it all seemed more like some kind of wrestling tournament, and not an MMA competition. Added pomposity to everything Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who acted as the publicity face of the upcoming fight and hung the belt on Masvidal right in the cage.
How was the first fight for the BMF belt:
Masvidal broke Díaz after 15 minutes, but was unable to finish off. Nate was saved by a doctor.
“Masvidal retired and we got the belt back. You have no idea how many guys want to fight for this belt. Everyone likes this title, it’s fun and unusual, so we’re fighting for this belt again. For the first time, the perfect guys fought for him, like now. Poirier and Gati correspond to this as well,” Dana White commented on the decision to play for the BMF belt again in an interview with MMA News.
In general, the very thought of introducing such a belt caused bewilderment among many. What is this title, who fights for it, what does it give? In fact, this is just an advertising trinket and a PR move, nothing more. And okay, if in the first case the real “morons” fought for the belt, some conflicts and unpleasant stories are constantly connected with the names of Diaz and Masvidal. They can really be called the “gangsters” of the UFC, and this fight under the banner was still more or less suitable. But the announcement after four years of the fight for this belt between Poirier and Gaethje is a strange move. The boys were waiting for candidate status and preparing to commit suicide for the right to go against Islam, and they would get a toy title instead of a real one. And Dustin and Justin aren’t up for the phrase “asshole.” Difficult, yes, but you can hardly call them bad.
Poirier and Gaethje are excellent fighters, and there is no doubt that they will stage a real cage cut at the weekend, as it was in 2018: then Dustin and Justin scored the most brilliant fight, Poirier finishing the opponent in the fourth round. But they are unlikely to take into account the fact that the BMF belt is at stake.
On Poirier and Gaethje’s rematch:
Poirier and Gaethje will fight for the belt! The winner will be torn apart by Makhachev.
“I’m not going to walk around looking like an undisputed champion if I have this belt around my waist in July, but it’s fun,” Dustin Poirier told The MMA Hour.
His opponent in the next fight spoke even louder.
“When Masvidal and Nate Diaz fought for the belt, I thought it was stupid. I still think the BMF belt is dumb. But the UFC gives fighters the opportunity to earn money from paid streams. It’s a belt, and any belt counts as a championship on paper. In the eyes of the UFC, you become a champion. And those fighters are paid differently,” Justin Gaethje quotes MMA Fighting.
As it turns out, Dana White was a bit sly when he said there’s a whole queue behind the BMF belt. Poirier and Gati, who are destined to fight for this title, do not take it seriously. Both factor in the organization’s actual belt, and the upcoming fight will be the final step toward the title: winner will most likely meet champion. In the meantime, we’re expecting a superfight with a toy belt up for grabs.
