Why Chael.

"The problem with steroids," Roddy Piper once told yours truly, "was the warning label.  The bottle had a warning label saying all of this stuff about it having no benefit, and then you worked out on it and you saw the benefit."

Steroids are bad.  But try telling a young athlete that.  Then try telling a young athlete that after he's been lied to.  Won't work.  Can't work.  Has no chance to work.

Why bring up a ten year old conversation about a thirty year old problem the day after Chael Sonnen is rewarded for his 1-1 record in 2012 with the biggest money match of 2013?  Because it's the same dang thing, only different.

Booking championship fights for guys who are below the championship level is bad.  But try telling a struggling promoter that.  Then try telling a struggling promoter that after he just saw that sub-championship level fighter talk his way into a million buys.  No.  Chance.  In Hell.

Chael Sonnen vs. Jon Jones for the light heavyweight championship makes no sense and is bad for long term business in all of the ways that everyone knows it makes no sense and it bad for long term business.  But you have to do it.  Just like a guy who has been partying  away the weeks leading up to SummerSlam has to do an early August P.E.D. cycle, Dana White has to get through a tough business stretch by using Mr. Sonnen as a buyrate-enhancing drug.

UFC did it before Randy faced Tim and when Brock faced Randy.  Neither match made a whole hell of a lot of sense, except to the hundreds of thousands of fight fans who bought those fights.  The sport was less well established back then and a fanbase needed to be built, so a few shortcuts were in order.

Today UFC is well established and the fanbase is there (though staying away in droves at the moment), so the dynamic is different.  But the core problem is still a lack of transcendent fights that will get Joe Applebees talking about UFC.

One can only hope that UFC realizes that fights like Chael vs. Jonny are events that need to be safe, legal and rare.  No amateurs, no suspended superstars and only once every couple of years.

Two other requests, while on the pulpit:

1) Book it in Dallas.  The stadium rules, the weather is great in April and I want to stay at the Belmont again.

2) Dump the TUF format.  In case American Idol and Here Comes Honey Boo Boo haven't clued people in on it, the competition format is out and the personal story format it in.  Eighty-six the house, trim the cast to four and give fans the full camp experience.