As an avid MMA fanatic who
currently resides in Boston, admittedly, I was initially a bit disappointed by
the fight card that the UFC announced it will be bringing to the Hub for its
Fox Sports 1 debut on August 17.
Maybe it was all the talk
about the possibility of a champ like Jon Jones or Benson Henderson getting the
nod to headline the summer event at the TD Garden—or perhaps it was just me
acting as a spoiled fan—but I was expecting more from these bouts, especially
after UFC president Dana White said that it would be “the biggest card on free
television that we’ve ever done.”
Although the line-up features
a plethora of former Zuffa title holders and TUF alums, the fact that eight of
the 12 main card fighters are coming into this event off of losses made me feel
uneasy about the promotion’s kick-off on FS1 this summer.
But once my fan-boy side
simmered down and I took the time to reevaluate the fights, I am now actually
pretty pumped for the UFC’s next trip to Boston.
Like really, super pumped.
True, many of the athletes on
the main card have seen their stock fall in recent months due to losses, but it’s
not like they are coming in with Leonard Garcia-style losing streaks. In fact,
if this line-up had been announced just a few months prior, critics and fans
alike would be praising the promotion for putting together such a stacked
event.
However, there always seems to
be a “what have you done for me lately” mentality with us fickle MMA
enthusiasts.
For example, headliners Chael
Sonnen and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua may be a combined 4-5 over the past three
years, but each of those defeats—and even most of the wins—have come against
the best of the best in their respective divisions.
There’s a difference between
having back-to-back losses against the likes of Jon Jones and Anderson Silva
and having back-to-back losses to middle of the pack fighters, so maybe we
should cut the main eventers a little bit of slack.
The same goes for the night’s
co-main event.
Every MMA fan and their mother
was excited to see Alistair Overeem finally grace the Octagon in December of
2011. But after one unexpected, yet brutal, knockout loss—and let’s not forget
his positive drug test prior to UFC 146—“The Reem” has lost a ton of support.
Think what you will of the
Dutch striker, but his recent misfortunes shouldn’t completely dissuade viewers
from tuning in. Before fans completely write him off, we should give Overeem a
chance to see if he can get back to his glory days, like when he was putting
people to sleep as the K-1 and Strikeforce heavyweight champ.
As for the card as a whole,
critics need to consider that there is a former UFC champ, a former Strikeforce
champ, two former WEC champs, a TUF winner and plenty of TUF alums that will be
fighting in Boston—not to mention one of the sport’s best trash-talkers, as
well as a certain budding Irish prospect.
With names like Sonnen,
Overeem, Conor McGregor, Urijah Faber and more set to do battle at the TD Garden,
on paper, this card could rival most of the UFC’s recent pay-per-views.
For me, the only true gripe I
have with this event is the lack of featured local talent.
Sure, Boston-area native Joe
Lauzon and Irishman McGregor will be on the card, but that’s about it. I would
love to see Team Link’s Gabriel Gonzaga of Ludlow, MA be featured at this show,
or even the UFC return of Dorchester’s own John Howard.
But, even without featuring a
lot of hometown fighters, this card is still quite stacked for a free, televised
event.
Sure, fans may be a bit weary
since many of the fighters are coming into the summer event following losses,
but that should make fans even more excited because athletes almost always do
their best when their backs are against the wall. And, if these fighters want
to stay employed by the UFC, you can bet that they are going to bring their all
on August 17.
Not to mention one of the
sport’s best trash-talkers, as well as a certain budding Irish prospect. (Source)
