A hot topic recently in the world of mixed martial arts is teammates not willing to fight each other when such an ideal scenario should arise. Mainly fans and media are growling about arguably the number 1 and number 2 contenders in the UFC welterweight division, Jon Fitch and Josh Koscheck (products of American Kickboxing Academy) refusal to fight each other. This has caused many (including Dana White) some obvious frustration when building the next contender in line to fight welterweight champion Georges St Pierre. With that said, was anyone extremely amped up to see Jon Fitch and Mike Pierce fighting at UFC 107? (A match against teammates Koscheck or Swick arguably at the time would have made more sense in terms of legitimacy). But it's understandable the mentality of teammates not wanting to fight each other. Think of it like having a drunken one-night stand with a co-worker and going to work the next day, the environment is totally different. The argument raised by many camps is that the UFC has enough fighters on its roster (Unless should the fight be for a title and the money made sense....right?) for UFC matchmaker Joe Silva to assemble a legitimate matchup.

 But what's far worse than teammates unwilling to engage in battle, are veteran fighters given leeway to protect their image by rejecting fights.  As Ken Shamrock use to so elegantly say, you have to give respect to those who paved the way. Unfortunately in MMA, you're only as good as your last fight. However for the fans though, should this mean seeing lackluster fights because a fighter wants to protect his legacy? A few examples of this scenario are in some upcoming fights

Matt Hughes vs. Renzo Gracie (UFC 112)

Former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes has been inactive for quite some time and has talked recently about fighting only in legendary fights similar to when he fought Royce Gracie at UFC 60. Hence we see Hughes taking on another Gracie in 42 year old Renzo Gracie. When Hughes talked about fighting "legendary fights" is this code for gimmie fights he should probably win? Gracie while a pioneer in the sport of MMA hasn't established the type of record that should land him in the UFC. Hughes has been rejecting fights with other contenders in the division, stating that some of these fighters aren't big enough names. It's understandable for Hughes a legend in the sport, defending the UFC welterweight title seven times, dominating the 170 pound division for years. But is there fear of Hughes's last years in UFC being nothing more than part of a highlight reel of Josh Koscheck knockouts? Look no further than his TKO loss against Thiago Alves at UFC 85. Does a fight with Gracie have any meaning to the rankings in the welterweight division? Should he beat Gracie does this warrant a rematch with Thiago Alves or a shot at the welterweight title?  The answer is no. Hughes should either move into a different weight class or retire.

Randy Couture vs. Mark Coleman (UFC 109)

A legend Randy Couture would never turn down a fight to protect his image; however the UFC is feeding Randy a fighter in Mark Coleman that he should easily defeat.  The matchmaking in this fight makes no sense. Randy Couture three fights ago was the heavyweight champion, two fights ago lost a fight of the year with a legitimate heavyweight contender (Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira) and just one fight ago won (albeit controversial) over a decent fighter in Brandon Vera. He fights 45 year old Mark Coleman who after a 3 year layoff and lackluster TKO loss to Mauricio Shogun Rua at UFC 93, most recently earned a unanimous decision win against Stephan Bonner at UFC 100. It's clear the UFC is trying to pin this as a legends match between two former NCAA wrestling standouts, while also giving Couture a step in the right direction towards a shot at the light-heavyweight title. But for the fans, this is two veterans trying to spark something new in their careers. 6 years ago this would have been an intriguing fight, not so much now.

Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz (TBA)

The coaches for the next season of the Ultimate Fighter were announced being familiar light-heavyweight foes Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. Keeping with the theme of past TUF seasons, the two are set to fight at a date to be determined. In reality, this is a fight between two veterans on the downfall of their careers. Liddell (unlike Matt Hughes) actually took the risk in his last few bouts, fighting younger opponents with hopes of re-claiming the light-heavyweight title which he held for over 2 years. Unfortunately Liddell lost two back to back highlight reel losses to Rashad Evans and Mauricio Shogun Rua on his comeback trail, which sparked questions of retirement.  Unlike most trilogy fights that are usually split 1-1 (except Wanderlei Silva and Quinton Jackson fighting a 3rd time), Liddell has TKO'ed Ortiz twice and raises the question, what would difference would a third fight make? Ortiz meanwhile hasn't won since beating a haggard Ken Shamrock via 1st round TKO back in 2006.  This scenario of course is a win-win for the UFC, but not much intrigue for the fans.  If Liddell wins, he will most likely retire on his terms (on a winning note) and erase the memory for the youtube hipster generation as "that old guy who got knocked by Rashad Evans" Even if he chooses to make another run at the 205 title, Ortiz is a big enough name that fans will actually believe he still has something left in the gas tank. If Ortiz gets the win over a big name like Chuck Liddell, it will lead him in the right direction on the path to the 205 pound title, plus a little revenge from his previous losses. Moneywise, this fight and having Liddell/Ortiz as coaches for TUF makes total sense. However it's a complete loss for the fans because we're seeing a meaningless 3rd fight between these two.  If Ortiz is serious about making a run for the title, why not fight someone like Jon Jones or Brandon Vera? And if Chuck Liddell wants a comeback fight against someone he won't be completely overmatched, why not fight a headliner like Rich Franklin?

Like we witness in most sports, only the player (or in this case fighter) knows when it's time to retire. But at what point do the fans get bored of seeing matches that mean nothing for a division, and have zero potential for entertainment? In any sport it's extremely challenging to leave on top, and in fast paced sport like mixed martial arts it's even greater of a feat.  At the end of the day the UFC is all about making money and keeping their top fighters happy. Unfortunately for the fans, this also leads to saturated fights.

Agree or disagree? Comments are welcome at james@thefightnetwork.com