UFC Fight Night this past weekend saw the retirement of the once heir apparent to Kamaru Usman’s welterweight throne. Gilbert Burns five years ago was on a tear through the UFC welterweight division, adding devastating punching power to world class Jiu jitsu. On route to a championship fight becoming only the second man and the final, in twenty years, the first since his debut to Ko Damian Maia.
The fight itself with Usman saw Burns rock Usman early with a big right hand before slowly being dismantled from Usman’s jab before finally being knocked out.
Burns following the loss was Incredibly emotional and he would never see an opportunity at UFC gold again, culminating in five straight losses in the past three years.
Gilbert Burns’ retirement after a losing streak was more than the end of a career, it was the painful reminder of the silent debt that every fighter accumulates. Burns’ decline was not sudden, it was a gradual, slower reactions, longer-layoffs and a loss of the level of durability that elite fighters require (three of the five knockout losses Burns suffered were during this losing streak).
Damage isn’t just physical, It affects matchmaking, career length, earning potential and UFC’s internal workings. This is a topic that is rarely discussed, this is the ugly side of a beautifully chaotic sport.
So why does having a “good chin” have such high market value? Why does having the ability to take damage increase a fighter appeal in the minds of the OFC matchmakers?
Its impossible to discuss great chin, without mentioning Max Holloway. The third holder of the BMF (Baddest Motherfucker) title. However ridiculous I think that title might be, I will admit it gets attached to some good fights.
Max had one of the most iconic moments in UFC history, against Justin Gaethje, comfortably winning the fight, gestured Gaethje and pointed to the centre of the cage, both fighting squaring up they began to swing for the fences. Max having full faith in his chin, KO’s Gaethje in the final second in spectacular fashion (words can’t do this moment justice).
Moments like this are what make good chins so valuable to the UFC, fighters standing in the pocket with no fear willing to swing.
The UFC’s matchmaking process can often be shaped by a fighters ability to endure. The UFC’s internal logic of who gets the favourable matchups vs who gets thrown into wars. The effectiveness of one’s chin can decide how a fighter can be used, will they be viewed as a rising star, a gatekeeper or a bonus winning machine. If a fighter is viewed as a star for the future, it would make little sense to put them in the cage with a veteran war machine who wants to brawl, giving unnecessary damage to a young fighter before they are ready. For a veteran/gatekeeper, they can often face the most dangerous up and coming fighters, fighters who are ready for that next step and are ready to push into the big time. A cruel reality for fighters who are too tough to completely disappear but too worn to make a title run.
So the inevitable decline, few fighters retire on top, nearly all fighters one way or another face the unfortunate fact that sooner or later the damage sustained will start to cost them money and/or worse. The moment durability fades, the slower reaction to strikes and takedowns, worse and longer recoveries and reduced confidence. The UFC is not well known for caring for fighters when they start to decline, by which I mean they quickly move on to the next hot prospect.
The financial cliff that the fighter then falls off, with a longer recovery and worse injuries, the fighters in question receive fewer fight offers, fewer fights per year means less income. A fighter who once fought three times a year might drop to one or two, cutting their earnings by a third or more. Fighters who are knocked out or beaten severely, like the aforementioned Burns had been in his last few fights, face a medical suspension, 60 or 90 days suspensions during which fighters can’t train properly, can’t accept short term opportunities and can’t build momentum. Fewer bonuses from exciting fights and fewer opportunities at the big time. The financial downfall from losing durability quickly raises the equation of how valuable a fight can truly be.
Unfortunately for fighters, fans love wars, the UFC profits the most and the fighters pay the bills. The economy of damage is invisible but it shapes everything, careers, matchmaking and the stories fans love. But for the fighter, is it worth it?