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Matchmaking in the UFC has come under some criticism over the last few years, with the promotion seemingly placing emphasis on money fights rather than giving deserving fighters their share of the pie.
As fighters in the UFC struggle for better pay and more health benefits, several high-profile fights have fallen through. Fighters like Jon Jones and Paulo Costa have spent a considerable amount of time on the sidelines, while others like Charles Oliveira and Jared Cannonier have opened up about their financial situation.
But even outside fighters being unwilling to step inside the octagon, matchmaking has been suspect. Here are five UFC stars who spoke out against the promotion's decisions.
#5 Former UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic
Stipe Miocic isn't happy, and he has made his feelings about his current UFC situation abundantly clear. The former heavyweight champion believes he should've been given an immediate rematch against Francis Ngannou after 'The Predator' viciously knocked him out to wrest the strap away from him.
Now in limbo as Ciryl Gane gears up to face Ngannou in a heavyweight title unification bout, Miocic has added another chapter to his book of displeasure with the UFC. The Cleveland native has had a sketchy history with UFC president Dana White and is of the opinion that he hasn't been shown enough respect for his accomplishments in the octagon.
Voicing his disappointment with the UFC's decision to make an interim title without consulting him, Miocic said he would "be a matchmaker" if he knew how to make head or tail of the promotion's decisions.
"It does bother me, because I just wish they would have at least came to me. Even if I wasn't able do it, I would have just loved to be given the opportunity. I think I deserved it. But I'm not gonna bitch and moan about it. I've seen it for years. If I knew, I wouldn't be a fighter; I would be a matchmaker. ... We'll have a sit-down come September with Dana and figure everything out."
It remains to be seen what Miocic's UFC future holds. A shot against the winner of Ngannou vs Gane could be in order, assuming Jon Jones doesn't enter the picture by then.
#4 Former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman
Chris Weidman is currently recuperating from a nasty leg break he suffered against Uriah Hall earlier this year, and his UFC future hangs in the balance. During his prime, 'The All-American' enjoyed a storied career that saw him clinch the UFC middleweight championship and defend it three times.
But when Michael Bisping was booked to fight Dan Henderson in the Englishman's first title defense, Weidman was not pleased. He branded the UFC's matchmaking "a joke", and it wasn't hard to see why.
While there was a sense of poetic justice to Bisping fighting Henderson, who had knocked him out many years ago, the latter was ranked 13th in a division stacked with talented, more deserving fighters. Apart from Weidman, fighters like Gegard Mousasi also hit out at the UFC's decision.
Weidman never entered the title picture again, so his frustration now seems even more justified.
#3 UFC lightweight contender Beneil Dariush
In February this year, surging lightweight contender Beneil Dariush fought Diego Ferreira in a close fight that ended in the former's favor.
Following the win, which extended his winning streak to six, Dariush uncharacteristically called out Dana White and the UFC for not giving him a top-five opponent. The Iranian said in the post-fight interview:
“I’ve got to say something, this is really bothering me. Diego should have fought a top-five guy. I should have fought a top-five guy. We have tough win streaks. We fought everybody. We never say no to anybody. But instead of giving us a top-five guy, Diego I still think he deserves a top-10 guy. I’d feel a little disrespected if I was Diego. I know I feel a little disrespected.”
Dariush later apologized for his call-out, insisting that it was aimed at the lightweight division's top fighters and not UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby. But the damage was done then, and he received a step up in competition when he faced off against Tony Ferguson at UFC 262 in May.
#2 UFC bantamweight Sean O'Malley
Sean O'Malley isn't even ranked, but he's one of the biggest draws in the UFC right now.
The up-and-coming fighter, who brutalized Kris Moutinho at UFC 264 in July, revealed that he was offered a fight on the UFC 268 card headlined by Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington.
O'Malley turned the fight down, something he says didn't sit well with Shelby. 'Sugar' said that the UFC matchmaker "treated him like a piece of s**t" and "acted like a f***ing tool."
“I don’t even know if I’m supposed to say this…Sean Shelby was mad at me. Dude, I don’t wanna fight in New York. It’s far, the taxes are ridiculous, and Tim (Welch) has no-Gi or no, ADCC trials that weekend.”
“And he told me that before I even potentially had a fight. So, that’s his thing, and I’m not gonna say, ‘No. I have a fight’. We’re doing it, especially when I could fight like a month later in Vegas. And Sean Shelby was just like, mad and like, ‘Fine. Go hang out with (American rapper) 6ix9ine’. Like, just acting like a f**king tool, dude. So, I don’t know if I should’ve said that or not. But it’s like, dude, come on. What do you do?”
“Yeah, so, it’s like, ‘Cool, dude. Treat me like a piece of s**t’. No, it’s like, dude, I would rather not deal with him at all and just deal with (UFC president) Dana (White).”
O'Malley has been fairly outspoken about a variety of issues UFC fighters face. He also criticized the fact that he gets paid the same amount irrespective of his opponent and the card he's fighting on.
#1 UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou
When Francis Ngannou knocked out Stipe Miocic to become the UFC heavyweight champion, he understandably wanted a few months of downtime before defending the belt he had worked so hard to acquire. But the UFC had other plans.
An interim heavyweight belt was created, with Derrick Lewis and Ciryl Gane contesting it in the former's hometown of Houston, Texas. But there was no real need to create an interim championship, especially since Ngannou had fought only three months earlier.
Ngannou wasn't pleased with the UFC's matchmaking and labeled it a "slap in the face," saying:
"My only issue with that fight is that it's not a title fight. I'm the champ and I'm here, I'm not hurt. I was ready to go. Coming up with this interim pattern, that was like a slap, like a disrespect. You know like, the belt that I work hard for, be patient and get the title, and two months, barely three months after they were just matching it (Gane vs Lewis) like it was nothing. We can throw as many titles out there so you will not get the same value."
