The ‘BMF’ Title Is Stupid, But At Least We’re Forced To Pick Sides

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“Everybody’s putting on a fake show and I’m not into fake shows, you know what I’m saying?” —Nate Diaz, who appears to be in denial about his role in the “BMF” gimmick.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will quietly jump the shark on Sat. night (Nov. 2, 2019) in New York City, where the baddest mother fucker, or “BMF” will be crowned at the conclusion of the UFC 244 pay-per-view (PPV) main event. I know all the cool kids are bro-fisting each other over the Jorge Masvidal vs. Nate Diaz headliner, being billed as a battle between east and west coast “gangsters.” But what other gangster in the history of gangsterdom has ever paraded around town with a made-up belt their boss gave them for doing a good job and making the company a lot of money?

I also have an issue with the way the BMF title casts a long shadow over two very talented combatants. Am I supposed to believe that storied veterans like Masvidal and Diaz can’t be promoted on their own merits? Masvidal (34-13) has been competing in UFC for over six years and went from hot-and-cold journeyman to the guy who kicked Darren Till out of the division before handing Ben Askren his first professional loss. He looks good, talks good, and has a tremendous backstory. So too, does Diaz (20-11), who captured The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 5 trophy and sent Conor McGregor to his first defeat inside the Octagon. I know haters like Colby Covington and Leon Edwards complain about a “BMF” main event featuring combatants who sport double digit losses, perhaps forgetting that “Gamebred” has more professional fights (47) than Covington and Edwards combined, and Diaz is not far behind at 31. When you start racking up those sorts of numbers, losses are inevitable.

But nobody seems to be talking about that because being “bad” is good enough. If you hate pro wrestling, think trash talk has no place in the business, or just want MMA to be treated like a real sport, then you have to be equally critical of the BMF belt and everything it stands for. You can’t play hopscotch on moral ground or let things slide because Masvidal and Diaz are “cool” or “badass.” Or we can just forget about all that and sit back, relax, and treat MMA like that old “King of the Mountain” game we used to play as kids. Everyone does what they need to do to get to the top and once they get there, they’e earned the right to brag about it.

Until the next “King” comes along and takes their place.