I agree with every word of this article:
A Lesson in Trigg-onometry for Zuffa
By Jeff Holder
Monday night, the UFC released Frank "Twinkle Toes" Trigg after deciding not to re-sign him following the completion of his three-fight contract that concluded with his loss to Georges St. Pierre at 'UFC 54'. Word is that Matt Lindland may be next. If so, Lindland and Trigg would join a who's who list of fighters that have recently been dropped from the UFC roster, including names such as Chris Lytle, Ivan Salaverry and Sean Sherk.
Let's cut to the chase!
Frank Trigg is a top welterweight competitor, period!
Yes, he has recently suffered losses to both Matt Hughes and Georges St. Pierre, two fighters who are widely considered to be the top-two welterweight competitors presently under contract with the UFC. Hence, those losses should position Trigg as the third ranked welterweight in the UFC. Certainly not worthy of being released from the UFC.
Honestly, Trigg vs. St. Pierre was the match I was most looking forward to watching at 'UFC 54', and I'd still like to see Trigg vs. Hughes III considering how entertaining their first two bouts were.
It appears as though Zuffa is too concerned with building their franchise to keep a fighter who has lost a few of his most recent bouts. With the mainstream success of "The Ultimate Fighter", and the slew of welterweights that are en route to UFC contracts thanks to Season 2 of the series, the welterweight division is in need of trimming; and unfortunately for Trigg, his contract just so happened to be up.
My guess is simply that Zuffa felt that a fighter who had lost his two most recent bouts would not have established the necessary connection with new UFC fans to become a major drawing source for Pay-Per-View buys.
Why do I think this?
Simple. Check it out..
Tito Ortiz lost to Randy Couture at 'UFC 44', and upon returning to the Octagon AT 'UFC 47', he then lost to Chuck Liddell. Ortiz lost to arguably the top two competitors in his weight class. In my opinion, these losses are on par with, if not more significant than the losses suffered by Trigg. However, Ortiz was the biggest star the UFC had at the time. They had no reality TV show to promote new stars, and the light-heavyweight division was thin on talent. Hence, Ortiz was given two rebound fights, one against Patrick Cote at 'UFC 50' and the other against Vitor Belfort at 'UFC 51'. Although Ortiz managed to win both matches, he did so in an unimpressive manner (unanimous decision and split decision respectively) and was eventually released from the UFC when his new contract became a major dispute.
I see Frank Trigg in a similar situation as Ortiz after his loss to Liddell. He absolutely had to win a fight to reestablish himself. However, the difference now is that the UFC is more interested in promoting their reality TV stars than giving an established fighter an opportunity to rebound from a couple of losses.
Let's get one thing straight; Frank Trigg is a great fighter. He pounded arch-enemy Dennis Hallman at 'UFC 48' and defeated a very fast and technical opponent in the form of Renato Verissimo at 'UFC 51'. Trigg is tough as nails, bullish, and an all around rough fighter; not to mention a top-notch wrestler. He is simply incapable of overcoming a wrestler's natural instinct to avoid having his back to the mat. Unfortunately, this often results in a wrestler attempting to roll to their stomach, therefore giving-up their back and allowing their opponent to get their hooks in and attempt a rear choke.
Despite this weakness, Trigg remains a vital asset to the UFC. He's bound to be an extremely difficult test for any would-be welterweight contender such as Diego Sanchez or any of the Season 2 "Ultimate Fighter" participants. Zuffa's shameless promotion of these untested competitors, coupled with the release of veteran fighters, threatens to tarnish the reputation of the UFC as the "major league promotion" of MMA competition. In fact, it could quite possibly alienate long-time UFC fans as they wonder where all the established fighters have gone. After all, how are we to measure the skills of the TUF graduates if proven competitors such as Frank Trigg are no longer around to test them?
The answer is simple. Keep Trigg around. Bring back some of the fighters that have been discarded following a couple of losses to marquee fighters. I'm not buying into this "The Ultimate Fighter" title until these guys beat somebody at least somewhat notable.
Zuffa is walking on thin ice with the way they're treating TUF competitors. They must successfully integrate these new fighters into the promotion by having them work their way up the ranks. In addition, it is also important that the UFC ensure that these so-called "Ultimate" fighters avoid suffering any shocking losses that could damage the credibility of the show. New fans would be left scratching their heads wondering what happened to the so-called "Ultimate Fighter" that they just witnessed being pounded to a pulp. The flip side of the coin is that the UFC must avoid upsetting their major fan base due to the over-promotion of TUF fighters. Eventually, even new fans will begin questioning why these "Ultimate Fighters" aren't getting title shots.
The UFC isn't accomplishing anything by letting Trigg go. He's one hell of a test for any welterweight; a fighter of a pedigree that any TUF fighter would have a hard time defeating. After all, had he defeated Matt Hughes at UFC 52, Trigg would be COACHING one of the TUF Season 2 teams.
Give Trigg a contract. Hell, if you want to increase pay-per-view buys, throw Trigg and Diego Sanchez in the Octagon, with the stipulation that the loser gets released from the UFC. The 'Ultimate Fighting' version of street racing for slips. If Sanchez is too valuable to lose, match Trigg against someone from Season 2 of TUF. It would appeal to both new and old UFC fans, and the stipulation would surely be enough to ensure a verbal and physical war.
Oh, by the way, my money would be on Trigg.
