The 2010s were, to date, the most significant decade in the history of mixed martial arts. Back in November 2009, the thought of ESPN airing Ultimate Fighting Championship post-event programs across multiple platforms would’ve been laughed at by industry analysts, die-hard followers of the product and even fighters. As the 2010s reach their conclusion, MMA and UFC are more mainstream than ever before thanks to multiple promotions and broadcasters that provide new content every weekend of the year. If anything, MMA suffered from overexposure during the second half of the decade.

The two most important aspects of all combat sports leagues are win-loss records and the ability to draw eyes and, in certain instances, pay-per-view buys. According to Alan Dawson of Business Insider, the August 2017 boxing match between UFC champion fighter Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather drew over 4 million PPV purchases even though McGregor didn’t belong in the ring with who is arguably the greatest ever pound-for-pound pugilist.

Best, in this scenario, doesn’t necessarily mean most skilled. The “a tree falls in a forest” thought experiment applies to all combat sports. If a fighter dominates his opponents but nobody cares to watch, do those wins matter?