A great champion is easier to market and bring in more fans too. Because as time has shown, if the star is big enough sometimes it doesn't matter who they are fighting because it will bring in the fans just to see them. You can have some very very popular and cross over fighters come along marketed bringing people into the sport and not even be a champion. The competitive division thing feels a bit overrated, because competitive fights are great for the sport but it really doesn't bring in new fans to see two unknowns duking it out that have the diehards loving it but have the casual expect that all the time and see any other fight and it not turn out that way. And a competitive division is great but not if the ones that are so competitive in it not fighting the main ones. So a great champion within a competitive division is probably best. As the great champion would be marketed the right way and because they are 'great' they will defend against the best.

Sad thing is, most fans refuse to acknowledge a fighter as 'great' until the last 2 or 3 years of their career. Or they give it too soon and that fighter gets exposed.