“Ultimate Fighting Entertainment.” This is how the fans are labeling the UFC since Dana White triggered the hardcore MMA fanbase with drab, boring on-paper fight announcements. Apparently, the promotion doesn’t seem to care about creating exciting, elite matchups anymore. And their actions are telling.

Only mere days ago, Rinat Fakhretdinov experienced one of the worst fates in UFC history, with a non-renewed contract after its expiration, despite delivering 7 jaw-dropping performances in all 7 of his UFC fights. Still, the undefeated fighter had to make his way out of the promotion, much to his frustration.

While Fakhretdinov already has offers lined up, this snub hints at a more disturbing pattern looming large over the UFC, one that has the promotion’s future on crutches.

The platformization of UFC

Netflix and other streaming platforms have transformed how media is produced and consumed completely. These platforms often prioritize polished spectacles designed for mass appeal over authentic content, a path the UFC now seems to be following. Unfortunately, that’s exactly where the UFC is headed.

Since the UFC dropped its PPV model and signed US streaming rights to Paramount, the promotion has abruptly shifted its focus from sporting authority to entertainment culture, now that the numbers on individual cards no longer matter. We could remain in denial, but the picture looks no better than reheating WWE’s fate, especially after its latest questionable move.

As Ibo Aslan shared, the light heavyweight has received a new 6-fight contract with the UFC despite being on a 3-fight losing skid. What happened to the ‘best fighters only’ motto that UFC promised? Well, that’s standing on thin ice with its recent roster shuffle that not only affected Fakhretdinov but also UFC veterans like Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos, with 25 career wins.

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Santos’ 2-fight losing skid becomes a good enough reason for the promotion to cut ties with the fighter. But, for some reason, Aslan gets a pass for the humiliating first-round KO against Iwo Baraniewski, stacking the third back-to-back loss in just 5 fights in his UFC career.

That has ruffled the feathers of the hardcore MMA fanbase in all the wrong ways, and rightfully so. “They’re clearly going the WWE route,” one user called out, while another added, “At this rate Pfl will have more skilled fighters than the UFC.” Another fan probably underscored the crux of the issue, commenting, “Because ibo aslan trying to fight like drunk.”

If this isn’t loud and clear already, the UFC is headed towards a future where shock-culture value matters more than how the fighters perform on paper. And the general audience doesn’t seem to be as interested in grappling’s ‘bear-hugging’ style as blitz KOs and highlight-reel spinning back kicks. And this couldn’t get more evident than Arman Tsarukyan’s title shot snub.

Star power trumps skill in the UFC

Well, obviously, star power cannot help when getting punched in the face inside the Octagon. However, it can surely help smooth your path to the cage. Or wreck it. And Arman Tsarukyan has definitely gotten the short end of the stick after Dana White announced a hugely disappointing interim title fight between Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett while completely sidelining the top lightweight contender.

Whether Tsarukyan is the rightful contender is a fact, not a matter to have opinions on. Being one of the most consistent fighters in the 155 lbs division, with wins over former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira, the Armenian fighter was no doubt the top threat for Ilia Topuria. Even Demetrious Johnson had coined that fact long before the Qatar bout even took place, where Tsarukyan only further proved his competence.

That clearly didn’t ring a bell to the matchmakers, who argued that Tsarukyan was an unreliable fighter after he pulled out once against Islam Makhachev at the beginning of 2025. Not to justify last-minute nightmares like this; however, Dana White’s front-runner, Conor McGregor’s MMA record, wasn’t picture-perfect either. Jon Jones is a completely different conversation, with lawsuits and drug-testing failures plaguing his UFC run.

But, at the end of the day, it’s Tsarukyan who is suffering a punishment sentence by the promotion. The reasoning behind this is fairly simple, yet increasingly disturbing: fighters who help tap into the wider audience get the pie. In that sense, Paddy Pimblett’s incendiary pre-fight antics trump Arman Tsarukyan’s grappling-heavy exchanges any day.

But this is not just the fate of the lightweight division, with the Paramount effect shifting the MMA environment forever.

UFC: Not the best fighter, but the most popular

After Islam Makhachev’s welterweight dominance against JDM, Ian ‘Machado’ Garry or Shavkat Rakhmonov appear as the next logical step for him moving forward. Instead, it’s Kamaru Usman in talks for another title shot, given his past success with the welterweight belt and a more widespread appeal.

Sharing that fate, even in the featherweight division, the matter looks bleak, with a nonsensical rematch between Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes that has put even Volkanovski in a no-win situation. But the rematch isn’t the worst. Rather, it was snubbing two of the most solid featherweight contenders, Movsar Evloev and Lerone Murphy, of the title fight that ticked off ex-UFC champ, Aljamain Sterling.

“It’s 110% not what it used to be. I ride for the company but this [expletive] is beyond frustrating!” Sterling wrote on X. “I get their POV, but stop saying we give the fans the fights they want to see and we make the best fight the best! It’s way more frequent now and extremely hard to ignore. Especially at your weight class.”

The effects of the Paramount deal are already showing up as clear as day, with matchmakers prioritizing fighters that can rake in the most eyeballs. Wanting to expand its reach to worldwide audiences, the UFC is focusing on marquee names that can tap into the general audience, no different from how Netflix and other online streaming platforms transformed movies.

The UFC is no longer a merit-based fight promotion, with the pathway to the top getting increasingly curated for mass appeal. As painful as it may sound, that’s the direction the UFC is headed towards at rapid velocity. From title snubs to canceled fight contracts and matchups that make the front row seats feel like the nosebleeds for the MMA community, it won’t be a far-off claim to equate the UFC with the WWE.

So what do you think? Has the UFC turned into an entertainment company? Or does it still have the essence of true fighting spirit? Comment below.