Former UFC Welterweight #1 contender Jon Fitch says unlike the World Series of Fighting (WSOF) promotion he now fights for, UFC is shifting from putting on world-class sporting events to “entertainment” spectacles. The transition has been so dramatic that Fitch wouldn’t be surprised if UFC started putting on “fixed” fights to maximize their bottom line. HE told BloodyElbow this week:
“WSOF is staying true to the sport. They’re allowing it to be a sport. It’s about who the best fighter is, whose game is the best and who has the best approach to winning the fight.
“The UFC is really going more towards entertainment; they’re almost fully about entertainment now. It’s almost to the point that I wouldn’t be surprised if fake, worked fights like there were in Japan start happening. They’re so controlling of what they want for the product, because they went the route of marketing to professional wrestling fans, and that’s just not the fanbase for MMA, it’s not the same, but it’s easy money if they provide the level of entertainment that those people are used to, which is fake.”
Fitch will fight Dennis Hallman at the World Series of Fighting 11 event this afternoon (7/5) from Daytona Beach, Florida,
