No matter who the owner, president or play-by-play announcer is, they are not the face of the company. The champions are the figureheads out front, the ones who are instantly recognizable, the ones who are the real representatives.

With that in mind, I thought about some champions – some who I know personally, others who I have talked to in the past and even a few who I’ve only ever seen on TV.

Let’s start with the most obvious (and newest) champion, Randy “The Natural” Couture. He is now THE man when it comes to the UFC. But is that a good thing.

Yes and, I’m sorry to say, no.

Couture put on a terrific performance in dethroning Tim Sylvia, and even though I predicted he would win, I had no clue that he could dominate in the standup like he did. So on one side it’s a definite positive that Couture is the champion. The most important reason being that he rid the UFC of its most-hated champion in Sylvia. The UFC now has a champion who is admired for his athleticism and work ethic, who will come to fight every time out and one who is a great ambassador.

Unfortunately there’s a negative side to Couture winning the belt. For starters, he’s 43. Taking a page out of George Foreman’s comeback bid, it proves that you’re never too old to be a success. But even with his incredible physique, Couture is not what would be considered the most marketable champ since the UFC is about being the new breed, the next generation, the cutting edge, the sport of the new millennium. Give Couture credit, he won the fight and convincingly. But he is a throwback to an era gone by.

(I digress to say that maybe this is all to blame on the sorry state of the heavyweight ranks although that is probably another rant all on its own.)

And at 43 his longevity (don’t forget he’s already been retired once and nobody hates on-again, off-again retirements more than I do) is minimal at best.

And the UFC actually has another issue at middleweight although thankfully Anderson Silva is working on his English. There may not be a better fighter in the world right now but if he can’t represent your company to fans and advertisers because he can’t speak the language, his role is very limited.

As colourful and passionate as Dana White is as head honcho of the UFC, he can’t be the guy that is first and foremost in people’s minds when you think of the company which is why it was as close to perfect as it gets when Tito Ortiz wore UFC gold. He may not be everyone’s cup of tea (and frankly he isn’t in my top 10 of favourite fighters) but here’s a guy who could brawl with the best of them, had all sorts of charisma, charm and bravado (take that Lion’s Den guys) and he could properly talk about the sport whether working in the mic in post-fight interviews or doing a road show of publicity across the U.S.

Georges St. Pierre may be the next to fill the spot. His passion is always burning and he can represent the company well. The job could have gone to Chuck Liddell, the longest-serving champion on the UFC roster right now, but he hasn’t got any element of charm or charisma and after seeing his display on Texas TV a week or so ago, you have to wonder about his lifestyle as well.

But this rant is not all about picking on UFC guys. In fact what I believe to be far worse for the sport of MMA than a couple of “untimely” champions is the crowning of unworthy champions.

You can’t question Couture, Liddell, St. Pierre, Silva, the MFC’s Patrick Cote and Victor Valimaki, Pride’s Fedor Emelianko and many others for the sheer fact that they deserve to wear their belts because they’ve fought and beaten all the challengers put before them.

It is giving away championship belts like they are promotional fliers that I can’t figure out. How do fighters riding out a losing streak get a crack at a championship? And more often than not, we’re talking about a guy who didn’t just a lose a close or even controversial decision his last time out and is now getting a shot at a belt. I refer to guys who have lost five of their last eight bouts and have been losers (and often by knockout or quick submission) of three or four in a row. These are the best contenders?

Plus it’s almost as bad giving a belt to a guy who has won three or four in a row – at the beginning of his career. A champion after five fights? It’s ridiculous for a promotion to throw their belts around like cheap toys simply to have someone (and an undeserving someone at that) be called their champion.

All fighters aspire to the big time which is clearly the UFC, but that doesn’t mean that smaller, developmental or regional promotions should treat their belts with any less respect. Wouldn’t you rather have the best fighter wear your belt instead of the guy who was the quickest to 4-0?

Stick a guy up against four tomato cans and give him a title – for starters, what does that do for him and more importantly, what does that say about your belt and your organization. Perhaps this is where a sanctioning body should step in. I realize that you don’t want commissions sticking their noses in matchmaking and who should or shouldn’t be a champion or challenger, but either a provincial, state or national governing body maybe should have the power to take a second look at what is a championship fight and what isn’t.

Maybe a mandatory number of total fights (8 to 10) and victories (7 or more) could be required before a fighter can go after a title. And certainly fighters stuck in the mud of a losing streak shouldn’t even come close to being eligible. The fans deserve to see real champions, not pretend ones.