UFC News & FeaturesOpinion: Fighting Isn’t Fair
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The impromptu main event at UFC 279 was the ultimate contrast. On the one hand, you had Tony Ferguson, a living legend and one of the most underrated, underappreciated and undercompensated fighters of all-time. On the other hand, you had Nate Diaz. No one has achieved more fame and fortune with less fighting ability; and because fighting isn’t fair, Diaz was the victor.
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In the process, he proved his utterly unique, thrilling fighting style worked at the highest levels. When Ferguson’s speed, reaction time and phenomenal chin and cardio were at their peak, he was mixed martial arts’ version of all-time great boxer Henry “Homicide” Armstrong—a perpetual motion attacking machine. Whether punching, kicking, elbowing, wrestling or pulling off submissions, Ferguson never stopped coming after an opponent. There was just no escape or respite from “El Cucuy.” There was no one else like him, using weird angles on his feet, with a unique rhythm of strikes that could come from anywhere at any time. His ground game was equally bewildering and difficult to counter, employing the rubber guard and training under Eddie Bravo. Despite the risky nature of his style and some of the monster shots with which he was blasted, Ferguson was undefeated from Oct. 19, 2013 to May 8, 2020.
Alas, Father Time defeats everyone, and by the time he turned 36, Ferguson started to show the tread on the third and began his current losing streak. However, let me give a little perspective to all those who use it to dismiss him. As a consequence of its high skill requirements and constant evolution, the lightweight division is a place where many unbeatable champions become hapless fighters who are incapable of winning quickly. B.J. Penn began his current seven-fight losing streak at the age of 32. Takanori Gomi began a six-fight losing streak at 35. The original UFC lightweight champion, Jens Pulver, began a six-fight losing streak at 33. I could go on and on, with more recent examples like Pettis and Benson Henderson. Yet, there is an acknowledgment with all those fighters, especially Penn, that they were still incredibly great in their prime. Why then is that denied to Ferguson? Simply because he never held the undisputed championship? Belt or not, Ferguson was very likely the best lightweight in the world from 2015 to 2017. That he never fought for the title, in large part due to UFC President Dana White’s favoritism and indulgences towards Conor McGregor, is a tragedy.
Ferguson isn’t just disrespected by many fans. He also never made the really big money. In fact, the improvised UFC 279 headliner was only the third pay-per-view where his surname adorned the marquee. A large part of that has to do with the cursed Ferguson-Khabib Nurmagomedov bout, which was booked and canceled an incredible five different times—due to injuries to both men and a worldwide pandemic.
On the other side of the equation, we have Diaz. I believe we need to coin a brand-new term just for him. Diaz is the biggest overachiever in MMA, not in terms of accomplishments relative to his raw talent but in terms of money and success compared to his fighting ability. This is a guy whose record now stands at 21-13 and has rarely ever been an elite contender during his career. He has a clear weakness to better wrestlers and has been defeated by plenty of strikers, too. Yes, Diaz once challenged for the lightweight belt in 2012 after a mere three-fight winning streak over Gomi, Cerrone and Jim Miller. The title shot was partly a consequence of his popularity, but he was absolutely dominated by Henderson in one of the most lopsided decisions you will ever see. Josh Thomson, a man believed to be well past his prime by 2013, knocked out Diaz a fight later. Of course, Diaz made a lot more from MMA than either Henderson or Thomson, especially after his two big pay-per-views with McGregor made him a huge star. Now, I don’t begrudge him for any of this. I wish more good fighters made as much money and were as well-known as Diaz. However, the fact remains that he was never a champion of any kind or even close to it, yet he is vastly more successful than those that were.
There is a benefit to picking one’s spots. While only a year younger than Ferguson and also past his prime, Diaz had a lot less mileage on his body and retained a lot more of his skills. Thus, he was the one who ended up victorious at UFC 279, not his legendary, underrated opponent, who had to suffer his fifth defeat in a row. It’s an outstanding example that fighting simply isn’t fair. In fact, it’s a cruel mistress that doesn’t give a damn about legacy, karmic justice or anything else. All that mattered was that Ferguson was woefully washed-up while Diaz was past his prime but still an OK fighter. As painful as it was to see Ferguson look like a shadow of what he once was, that unfairness is part of what makes mixed martial arts the awesome, unpredictable and brutal sport we all love so much.
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