Roll the tape back to September 2019. Khabib Nurmagomedov had just submitted Dustin Poirier at UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi. Yet the headlines were all about Dana White’s announcement at the post-fight presser. Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal would headline UFC 244 in New York, at Madison Square Garden, for a “one-and-done” BMF belt. As the date approached. The belt took on a personality of its own, with Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson presenting it to the inaugural winner, Masvidal. Think about it, a belt that was conceived because Nate Diaz said this was a fight to see who was the ‘baddest motherf—er in the game.’ Now, the belt stands in fear of being taken into oblivion a second time since its inception.
“There is a certain section of the mixed martial arts community that thinks the BMF title is only a gimmick… and it needs to be done away with,” said Daniel Cormier, worrying about the future of the BMF belt. But his worries were further amplified with the upcoming BMF title fight being a retirement bout. Yes, Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier are set to engage in a third fight, and it’d likely be ‘The Diamond’s final fight in the UFC. And that’s where the problem lay.
During a conversation with Chael Sonnen on Good Guy/Bad Guy, the former heavyweight champion explained his concern regarding the future of the BMF belt. He pointed out that if Poirier managed to get a third win over ‘Blessed’ at UFC 318, the BMF belt might just walk out of the UFC with the Lafayette resident. But while these worries were persistent, Cormier also took a U-turn with his perspective about Dana White’s so-called gimmick.
Taking to his YouTube channel, DC quoted, “My question is, does the BMF title go out the door with Dustin Poirier if he wins it? Or do we just put that belt on someone else? There is no lineage. There is no this guy to this guy to this guy. But it does add to a fight now. I thought it was one of the worst gimmicks when they made the BMF championship.” Needless to say, his feelings about the belt have now changed.
The UFC color commentator continued, “I like it now, because it does add something. It adds something to the story that is a story that really don’t need much, because the fights are what matters when it comes to Dustin Poirier and Max Holloway.”
Cormier has a point. The BMF belt first came into play because the UFC could not get a deal done between Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington for a welterweight title fight at UFC 244 back in 2019. And since then, the make-shift title has saved the UFC’s face at least twice. The BMF tite bout headlined UFC 291 in Salt Lake City, Utah. For the second year in a row, the UFC PPV main event at the Delta Center ended in a head kick KO when Justin Gaethje ‘sent Dustin Poirier into the stratosphere,’ as Jon Anik so colorfully put it.
November 1, 2019 – New York, New York, USA: DANA WHITE and BMF belt during UFC 244 Weigh-in. UFC 244: Weigh-in – ZUMAs277 20191101_sha_s277_524 Copyright: xJasonxSilvax
Fast forward a few months, Dana White is under the threat of being ‘oiled up’ by restless fans over the delay in announcing the UFC 300 card. Many expected Conor McGregor‘s return to headline the 300th PPV, but Alex Pereira got the slot instead. But the highlight of the night was Justin Gaethje defending his BMF belt against a lightweight version of Max Holloway. The buzzer-beater KO in the penultimate second of the final round showed what the BMF belt was really about. Just a fighter willing to put it all on the line, even when they are leading decisively on scorecards to get a ‘Holy Sh-t’ moment that gets fans out of their seats.
Well, the importance of the BMF belt is now pretty widespread, with many fighters aspiring to claim it. However, some fighters like Islam Makhachev believe that it’s nothing more than a “belt for bums.” But keeping that aside, let’s focus on the trouble that has been worrying DC and Sonnen. And as it happens, ‘The Bad Guy’ had a suggestion for the future of the BMF title.
Chael Sonnen has some advice for Dana White regarding the BMF title
Taking to his YouTube channel, ‘The American Gangster’ revealed that he didn’t wish for the BMF title’s retirement. He said, “If Poirier is able to grab it and move on, I would certainly hope that we don’t retire the belt.” Sonnen pointed out that people have sacrificed a lot for the belt, and many others are willing to sacrifice much more. That’s because the BMF championship belt had now acquired a sense of recognition.
And that’s why Sonnen stood up and promised, “So, regardless of how Dustin and Max goes, I will campaign now that the BMF live on if Dustin were to win it, it would create a great opportunity to move the belt.” But what exactly are those opportunities? ‘The Bad Guy’ said, “We could have it at 205 lbs, we could have it at heavyweight, we could slide it over to the women’s division. Which I’m saying just to sound nice. That mere idea is quite laughable, right now, but we could.”
No doubt, the former interim lightweight champion from Lafayette aims at claiming the BMF title and walking into the sunset. He claimed that if he got the win and won the BMF belt, he’d be the BMF forever. But is it really something that the UFC head honcho would allow? Is it really the end of the BMF championship title?
What are your thoughts on the BMF belt’s lineage? Do you think fighters will fight for a vacant BMF title after Poirier vs. Holloway 3? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.
The post Daniel Cormier Changes Tune on Dana White’s “Worst Gimmick” as Poirier vs. Holloway Trilogy Could End UFC’s “Lineage” appeared first on EssentiallySports.
