He's entitled to his opinion. I wholehearedly disagree. Part of making this sport mainstream is having basic things like drug testing, athletic commission oversight, a living wage / benefits for the fighters, etc. There is still much work to be done (for example, with fighter pay), but the progress and growth is undeniable.
To go back to the free-for-all days of the 90s-early 00s seems fun, but would actually be a regression that could see not just the UFC, but the sport as a whole, lose the mainstream acceptance it worked for decades to attain, resulting in:
- loss of ESPN/other big broadcasting deals/major sponsors
- less money for fighters
-fights taking place in small clubs in unregulated areas
I remember not being able to watch MMA because the cable companies were pressured to take it off the air in late 90s-early 00s. I don't want to go back to that time.