MAKES YOU THINK: How last night’s UFC main event relates to the current freight market
(Author’s note: this is a stretch, I get it, but it is funny to think of it like this)
As millions tuned into last night’s UFC main event bout between Colin McGregor and Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, I sat watching the fight in hopes that McGregor would make his return to the cage a triumphant one. He did not disappoint winning in just 46 seconds of the very first round TKO.
I sat after watching the post interviews and my mind started wandering. I started to think about freight, and how this fight reminded me of the current state of freight. Now follow with me here, as I know it is a stretch but think of Cerrone as the independent owner-operator or small fleet. He is the underdog, the tough as nails guy that never stops fighting. He is available to take the place with short notice when another carrier, or I mean fighter falls off the card due to breakdown or injury. He is the one they call when they need to get something done, and someone that loves the business……of fighting, and it is not just for the money, but for the thrills he gets from fighting. He is the one we all want to stand behind, and hope for the win as we know how much it means.
On the other hand, look at McGregor. He is like the mega-carrier. He is out there to make money. He is large, and has no issue showing all the little guys just how big a force to be reckoned with nearly every time he gets in the ring. Like a mega, he jumps around in different classes and segments of the industry trying to show everyone that he is not only the best in his class but in every class, and although he sometimes fails, he knows that his fans will rally behind him in everything he does, and if they don’t, well he will take them out as well.
As much as we hope for the underdog to win, we often put our money behind the megas. Maybe it’s because of all the showboating. The larger than life attitude and the fact that he feels that he is better than everyone. We want the little guy to win, to shut up the big guy who, in our opinion, is giving the sport a bad name with his actions and his “exception to the rule” mentality which often is the reason behind the changes in the sport, good or bad.
And like the trucking industry, the little guy seems not to stand a chance against the big guy. The little guy gets into the ring, hoping that he will stand a chance. They have spent months preparing to enter the field, and like many others, it is way too fast. It’s not his fault. He spent enough time in camp training to join the field, but the big guy had something up his sleeve (in this case, his left shoulder) that effectively finished the little guy before he even had a chance to throw a punch. I like everyone, wanted the little guy to win, but put my money behind the big guy. Why? Because he is too big to fail.
Like trucking, we often say we want the little guy to win, that we want him to be successful and go out there swinging, but then we are not surprised when he gets put right out of the business. It’s the big guys we care about, when they decide to get out of the business we celebrate, not because we are sad they are closing, but because of the opportunity it opens up for the next little guy in line who is trying to make it big.
