Everyone that has been paying attention to the UFC for more than just a couple of years knows that the makeup of the roster and the landscape of the sport as a whole has shifted considerably over the last decade, and that both are unrecognizable from 15 or 20 years ago.
Fighters are reaching the big stage sooner than ever before and the opportunity to build and grow and thrive on the regional circuit that once served as both a proving ground and “rehearsal space,” if you will, has largely disappeared. Quality tests are hard to come by and if one is found and passed, it’s usually a one-and-done situation where the athlete then graduates to the more prominent promotions in the sport.