The UFC’s new partnership with Fox will provide fighters with an opportunity to reach levels of popularity never before seen in the sport of MMA. With fights being aired on network television, millions of new fans will be drawn to the sport.
At UFC on Fox 1, a precursor to a seven-year deal between the UFC and Fox that will begin in 2012, only one fight will be aired on Fox’s flagship channel. Leading into the event, which also features a bout between top lightweights Clay Guida and Ben Henderson, a heavyweight title fight between Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos has received most of the attention.
Since neither Velasquez nor dos Santos has reached a high level of mainstream popularity in their rise to the top of the heavyweight division, this event will be their opportunity to put their skills on display for a whole new audience. The winner of this fight could potentially become one of the more popular fighters in all of MMA with a single knockout punch.
While Guida and Henderson have a lot to gain in the form of a lightweight title shot, the chance being given to Velasquez and dos Santos is exponentially larger in the grand scheme of things.
In addition to the opportunity to gain new fans, dos Santos will have a shot at becoming heavyweight champion, so the Brazilian striker seemingly has more to gain than any other fighter on this fight card.
While Velasquez has already picked up a win over a huge draw in Lesnar, dos Santos has only headlined one event, which generated only slightly more than 300,000 pay-per-view buys.
Competing on Fox would be the biggest fight of any fighter’s career, but this appearance is especially pivotal for dos Santos. He is already becoming a star in Brazil, but a win over Velasquez could put dos Santos on track toward global popularity.
Sean Smith is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. For the latest insight and updates on everything MMA, you can follow Sean on Twitter @SeanSmithMMA.
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