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#4. The UFC pushes feuds to build fights just like WWE does
The UFC encouraging its fighters to play outlandish characters just like WWE superstars only works if fans are willing to part with money to see them fight. This leads us to our second point.
Just like WWE, the UFC attempts to push feuds between fighters – often hoping that they’ll turn personal and bitter – to build up to fights in an attempt to suck the fans in.
Of course, the UFC doesn’t rely on weekly programming and various skits to build its feuds like WWE does. They’ve found different methods to succeed. The majority of the UFC’s biggest feuds are built by fighters slinging insults at one another in the media. They will continue this at the various press conferences the UFC uses to promote its events.
On other occasions, the UFC has positioned two feuding fighters as coaches on its reality show The Ultimate Fighter to build to a big fight. Other fights, meanwhile, are given a UFC Prime Time series to highlight a rivalry.
Unsurprisingly, this approach largely works. The wild incidents that shaped the Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov rivalry helped their fight become the biggest drawing success in MMA history.
We’ve even seen lesser UFC headliners such as Kevin Lee vs. Michael Chiesa become must-see fare after wild incidents at UFC press conferences. Boxers like Muhammad Ali were slinging insults at their foes to build up their fights decades ago. However, the idea of feuding fighters that the UFC loves was almost directly lifted from WWE.
#3. The UFC often rewards undeserving fighters and ignores more deserving ones just as WWE does
One of the major criticisms faced by WWE is that they pick and choose which wrestlers are given the biggest opportunities to succeed.
As WWE is scripted, this naturally has nothing to do with wins and losses. It has more to do with which wrestlers Vince McMahon and his acolytes believe can become superstars. They often don’t seem to agree with WWE fans on this, preferring to reward athletes for a flashy look more than their in-ring ability.
The UFC was not necessarily like this a few years ago. Fighters like Jon Fitch, Nate Marquardt and Jeff Monson moved into headline spots due to their winning streaks, despite their less marketable personalities.
In recent years, however, that’s changed. Today, deserving fighters on lengthy winning streaks are often ignored. The UFC prioritizes giving headline spots to fighters who they believe can draw the most money.
Quite often, those fighters aren’t coming off long winning streaks. The likes of Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz, for instance, have been given multiple major fights, even for UFC titles in Masvidal's case. Some of these have come after losses, while others struggle for traction despite numerous wins.
Essentially, the UFC’s habit of rewarding undeserving fighters is one that’s come directly from WWE. It may not exist were it not for the pro-wrestling promotion making it the norm to do the same.
