This was supposed to be a relatively quiet week in the world of MMA. The Thanksgiving holiday in America meant that there was one big event, the PFL Championships. While it looked great, most of the results seemed to be certain.

Then Larissa Pacheco went and upset Kayla Harrison.

Let’s start with the PFL, before we get into some questions from the loyal MMA Fighting fans.

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Kayla Harrison and what comes next

So monumental was Harrison’s loss that we did a post-fight reaction to it, so if you have the time and inclination, make sure to check that out where you can hear my immediate thoughts on the matter. This is clearly bad news for Harrison and the PFL in general, though it will be determined if Harrison suffers any serious consequences.

First and foremost, congratulations to Pacheco. While I scored the bout a draw (10-8 Harrison in the first), I have no issues with scoring the fight for Pacheco and I think there is no reasonable way to score it for Harrison, which is a heck of an accomplishment given how the first two fights went. While Pacheco displayed all of the skills you would expect to see in a fighter like hers, her most significant aspect was her determination to win. Two-time Olympic gold medalist Pacheco must be psychopathically competitive. Pacheco was more determined to win in round five, which saw both the women and Pacheco go for their guts. Pacheco worked harder and did more, even after Harrison was able to get her spots. It was great, and she’s $1 million richer for it.

This is clearly less than Harrison would like. Harrison, like Cris Cyborg, was centered on her dominance. She doesn’t compete at a real weight and her competition level is very low. Although it hurts the mystique of Harrison, a loss doesn’t have to mean she loses. Harrison still won consecutive gold medals at the Olympics, something that no one else in MMA can claim, and something less than 500 people in history (I made this stat up, but I bet it’s correct) can say. Harrison cares most about what’s next.

This is MMA. Losses happen. And in the PFL, with their season format, they are more likely to happen than just about any other organization in the world. So while Harrison losing is unfortunate, if she comes back and finishes Pacheco in their inevitable fourth fight, she rights the ship almost instantly. You can think back to how Amanda Nunes defeated Julianna Pena and everybody just kind of said, “Yeah, sometimes MMA does happen.” Nunes is still the GOAT.’ Harrison can do the same, if she can beat Pacheco again. This is a bigger “if” now than it was before.

Fortunately for Harrison, I doubt that this loss affects her bargaining power in any meaningful way. PFL still considers her the biggest star and is committed to keeping her. The UFC will pay Harrison more than any other organization, and they won’t be paying Harrison for anything, no matter what her achievements. It’s not their business model anymore. Why pay Harrison $1 million a fight when they can sign someone off the Contender Series to a $10K and $10K contract? ESPN pays them the same lump sum for events, so that’s just burning $980K instead of keeping that revenue.

Unless Harrison loses, the greatest result is for us all to say goodbye to the Cyborg Superfight. That ain’t happening now. Cyborg was already making aggressive demands with regard to a PPV between the two, and now there is no way she backs off wanting 80 percent of the revenue (a ridiculous number given that Cyborg isn’t exactly a PPV draw either), and Harrison won’t (and shouldn’t) accept that. Instead, Cyborg will claim victory, even though she has not fought Harrison, and this bout will be added to the list of fights that never were.

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Jiri Prochazka vacates the light heavyweight title

For the first question, you’re in luck! If you have a hard time ranking a weight class, we’re happy to do it for you, and you can see exactly how the bantamweight’s should be ranked, right here. Let’s move on to the Jiri stuff.

People saying Jiri vacating because of the absurd amount of USADA testing he has undergone are just trying to draw connections where none exist because people love conspiracy theories. In life, the simplest answer tends to be the correct one, and in this case the simplest answer is that when Jiri was forced out of UFC 282, the promotion was screwed.

282 only had one title fight to carry the weight of promotion and so when Jiri dropped off, they’re left without a main event. It makes sense to keep Glover Teixeira, the latest champion, in the main-event. But Glover wasn’t going to fight for an interim championship (why would he?) They tried to persuade him by offering the full-fledged belt. But Glover wasn’t willing to face Magomed Ankalaev on two weeks notice (reasonable) and the UFC had zero interest in being reasonable in this situation. The UFC has a PPV, so they screw it. Glover is out. Jan Blachowicz vs. Ankalaev will be the winner for the true belt. Jiri will fight the winner sometime next year it sounds like, and Glover is screwed, all because he wasn’t willing to kowtow to the UFC’s transparent attempt to crown Ankalaev. This is how MMA fighters fight.

Mostly, I’m just bummed about everything though. Jiri vs. Glover is one of the most memorable MMA bouts ever. The chance to get another was amazing. Jiri is one of the best fighters in the world and will now be absent for a long time. He also needs major shoulder surgery. There’s no telling when he’ll be back or what he’ll look like when he does return (shoulder’s are tricky, just ask T.J. Dillashaw), and that’s a huge bummer.

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Bellator heavyweight and light heavyweight title fights

It makes sense to book Yoel Romero vs. Vadim Nemkov for this promotion. Nemkov likely wins because he’s really damn good and actually does stuff, while Romero is really damn good but often doesn’t do stuff. Simple and clean.

As for Ryan Bader vs. Fedor Emelianenko 2, it’s my least favorite fight booking in recent memory, and that’s saying something.

This booking is the textbook example of a bad promotion process. It’s a waste of time and who benefits? I have absolutely zero belief that Fedor draws big eyeballs in 2023, and Bader has never drawn them. Bader is 39, about to be 40, and Fedor is 46 going on 107. Neither of these men are the face or the future of the promotion, so why in the name of Chester Cheeto would you put this as the headline for your big CBS event? Let’s play this out logically.

Scenario A: In the infinite number of universes out there where this fight takes place, an overwhelming amount of them see Bader KO Fedor again. Cool. Hardcore fans hate it because it’s Fedor and regular people hate it because most normal human beings don’t relish seeing 46-year-old dudes getting sent to the hospital. Ryan Bader is the only one who cares. Literally no one benefits from this outcome. Everything is bad. And in the darkest timeline, things are really, really, horrifically, catastrophically bad in a way that I don’t want to think about or say out loud.

Scenario B: Fedor pulls off the massive upset. Great! That’s a legitimate moment in MMA history and one that hardcore fans will cherish. But Fedor is still 46 and he’s going to retire, now with the title, leaving the promotion without a heavyweight champion, and having used their precious time on CBS to elevate a man no longer competing. This is clearly the better outcome, but it still doesn’t benefit anyone, other than Fedor. Bellator has wasted an opportunity, for little to no reward, and the risk was enormous.

The essence of good fight promotion (at least in the MMA landscape) is creating no-lose fights, where regardless of the outcome, there is a good path forward. Conor McGregor losing to Nate Diaz is a defeat, which means that Nate Diaz becomes the star and we now have two great aces. Fantastic! Conor will win, and the money machine keeps rolling. Huzzah! This is good matchmaking. Instead, Bellator booked a fight with a marginally good and a horribly bad outcome, but no ability to control that outcome (and with the bad outcome being the most likely one!).

This is why Vince McMahon famously wasn’t concerned with the UFC all those years ago. “How can they build stars when they don’t control who wins and loses?” It’s really tough! But instead of doing their best to mitigate that very real problem, instead Bellator is just making a bad bet, like Elite XC did with Kimbo all those years ago (not entirely the same but you get the drift). If you continue to make bad bets they will catch you.

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Thanks for reading and thank you for everyone who sent in Tweets! Do you have any burning questions about things at least somewhat related to combat sports? Then you’re in luck, because you can send your Hot Tweets to me, @JedKMeshew, and I will answer them! Doesn’t matter if they’re topical or insane. You can send them to me, and I will answer those I love the most. Let’s have fun.

Source: https://www.mmafighting.com/2022/11/27/23480201/hot-tweets-what-kayla-harrison-losing-means-for-her-and-the-pfl?rand=96749