If there are two things that are consistently misunderstood about mixed martial arts, it’s the time it takes and the time it gives. As such, a young prospect on the rise often faces two competing narratives that can be entirely misleading.
The first of those is one seemingly built by fans more than anyone else in the MMA sphere, and looks something like the question, “But when are they going to be truly tested?” A top athlete with an instinct for finishing is almost always going to find a host of voices wondering why they aren’t fighting the biggest and best fights available as fast as they can.