5 times the UFC handed title shots to more marketable fighters instead of deserving contenders

#4. Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal – UFC 261

Jorge Masvidal had not really earned his second bout with Kamaru Usman

It’s highly rare for the UFC to give a title shot to a fighter coming off a loss, but there have been a handful of notable exceptions to that rule over the years. However, Jorge Masvidal’s UFC welterweight title bout against champion Kamaru Usman at UFC 261 was an even bigger offender than most of the other examples.

That’s because ‘Gamebred’ was handed a second shot at Usman despite losing to him in a one-sided fashion at UFC 251 a year earlier and then not fighting again during the period of time in between.

It’s true that the UFC did have a few outs when they booked this fight. Firstly, Masvidal argued that he’d only lost to ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ in their first meeting because he took the bout on late notice following the withdrawal of Gilbert Burns.

Secondly, the promotion didn’t exactly overlook another fighter in particular, as top contender Leon Edwards was coming off a no contest with Belal Muhammad, while Colby Covington was only one fight removed from his own defeat to Usman.

However, Stephen Thompson was on a two-fight winning run at the time and would’ve provided a tricky stylistic bout for Usman, making him far more deserving than Masvidal.

The UFC, though, recognized the drawing power of ‘Gamebred’ and went with it. To tell the truth, the choice probably paid off. Usman defeated him with one of the most brutal knockouts of 2021 and likely increased his own star power tenfold in the process.

Still, there’s no way that Masvidal was deserving of a title shot at UFC 261 and were he less of a star, there’s no way he’d have gotten one.

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#3. Tito Ortiz vs. Ken Shamrock – UFC 40

Even deserving contender Chuck Liddell was happy to let Ken Shamrock leapfrog him for a fight with Tito Ortiz at UFC 40

Despite some fans claiming otherwise, the UFC’s habit of overlooking more deserving contenders in favor of marketable fighters in title bouts isn’t something that’s been introduced since 2016’s Endeavor buyout.

In fact, the promotion did such a thing in pretty stunning fashion back in 2002. They matched UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz with returning legend Ken Shamrock, overlooking top contender Chuck Liddell in the process.

At the time, not only had Shamrock not fought in the octagon since 1996, but he’d also had just four MMA bouts since returning from a lengthy stay in WWE, winning only two of them. However, it’s probably fair to say that the decision made sense for the UFC, so much so that Liddell was reportedly quite happy to step aside in order for Shamrock to take his shot at ‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’.

That’s because Ortiz’s rivalry with Shamrock dated all the way back to 1999. Also, at the time, Shamrock was a far bigger star than any other fighter on the UFC’s roster. With the UFC struggling to stay afloat financially, the fight was essentially the promotion’s last roll of the dice.

Thankfully, things paid off in tremendous fashion. Ortiz defeated Shamrock impressively, becoming a bigger star in the process, and UFC 40 drew 100,000 pay-per-view buys. That was a huge number at the time.

Essentially, it was a hint of things to come, showing that going with marketability over actual fighting ability could be the key to the UFC drawing huge money in the future.