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UFC Insider Breaks Down Money Angle Behind the BMF Title Not Being on the Line at UFC 308
UFC insider reveals the financial reasoning for the BMF title exclusion at UFC 308, shedding light on the business decisions shaping the sport's biggest fights.
The UFC did not put the BMF title on the line due to monetary concerns. According to Chael Sonnen, the sole reason Max Holloway will not defend his title is money. Holloway is slated to challenge for the UFC featherweight belt against Ilia Topuria. While ‘Blessed’ recorded a dominant victory against Justin Gaethje to win the BMF belt, the upcoming matchup will only be for the featherweight title. This was confirmed by Ilia Topuria as well when asked about it.
Appearing in a new video on his YouTube channel, Chael Sonnen broke down the upcoming fight and its financial aspects. Sonnen stated, “If we’re doing a title match anyway… Why not just put it [BMF title] up? Well, my guess is something along the lines of how effective it is for marketing. So, if you had both belts on one guy, right… Let’s not forget the marketing effects that that belt has. We agree there’s something that matters about the belt… we can also establish how coveted the BMF is… To waste it or to use it in something that doesn’t get a bounce [would not be good business].”
Well, in a way, Sonnen has a point. Both the BMF belt and the UFC featherweight belt have their own charisma. While Ilia Topuria’s knockout of Alexander Volkanovski has gone viral, Holloway’s impeccable UFC 300 show has made the fight a frontrunner for the ‘Fight of the Year’ title. Thus, it is only plausible that Dana White and co. will want to save the title and book it separately to intrigue the interest of the fans.
Speaking about the match, both Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway seem raring to go at each other. In a recent dig taken at Holloway, ‘El Matador’ stated that he wants to point towards the ground and knock Holloway out cold inside the octagon. This was a reference to the fact that ‘Blessed’ made a similar gesture to Justin Gaethje in their UFC 300 matchup before getting involved in a dogfight. With both the fighters tearing off at one another, Holloway connected a thunderous blow as Gaethje collapsed.
Topuria had also accused Holloway of trying to duck him for the fight. He even accused the UFC of ‘forcing’ the BMF champion to accept the title fight. However, the UFC promptly debunked such a claim. Thus, with tempers flaring both ways, the UFC 308 main event is guaranteed to be a banger.
ALSO READ: Sean O'Malley Claims Max Holloway Will Beat Ilia Topuria; Believes He Will Move Up To Fight Blessed
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