We’re nearing the end of the UFC doldrums of March. April will see a whole new host of big fight cards, with plenty of questions posed and answered in the coming weeks.
For now, though, we’ll take a look at the upcoming Bellator card, the effectiveness of heavyweights in selling UFC 146 and the ineffectiveness of Team Faber on The Ultimate Fighter.
1. Will any of the Bellator tournament entrants provide a challenge for champion Ben Askren?
The next Bellator tournament kicks off Friday night, and this time around, it’s the welterweights who will take center stage.
Askren struggled in his last title defense against Jay Hieron, and he’ll have to defend his belt against Douglas Lima in two weeks. But he’s still the reigning champion, and I have a tough time picking anyone in the season six tournament that will mount much of a challenge for Askren.
Brian Foster would have been an intriguing choice, but he’s out of the tournament due to lingering medical issues. Ben Saunders is the most recognizable name due to his long history with the UFC, but few would contend that he’s on Askren’s level at this point in his career.
Will any of these Bellator welterweights present a real threat to Askren’s reign? I’m not sure they will, but we’ll get a glimpse on Friday night.
2. Will UFC 146 be a hit with ticket buyers?
May’s UFC 146 event is an interesting experiment. For the first time in promotional history, the entire pay-per-view card will feature heavyweight fights exclusively.
It’s headlined by a big world title fight between Junior dos Santos and Alistair Overeem. Former champion Frank Mir welcomes Cain Velasquez back to the cage in a No. 1 contender bout, with the winner facing the main event winner later in the year. And Roy Nelson welcomes former Strikeforce star Antonio Silva to the Octagon for the first time.
It seems like a fantastic idea on paper. Fans love a good heavyweight battle. But with tickets going on sale later this week, will the event have enough intrigue to sell better than typical Vegas fight cards?
Sure, Vegas is a fight town. But it’s also not a town known for selling out UFC events on a regular basis. They see a lot of fighting in the city, and so they pick and choose the events they are truly interested in attending.
Las Vegas also has a packed UFC schedule this summer, and it’ll be difficult to sell a huge amount of tickets for all of them. Will an all-heavyweight bill intrigue enough fans to garner a sellout?
It’s tough to say, but we’ll find out later this week.
3. Will Team Faber rebound?
Team Faber is down 2-0. They were punked heavily in the first episode of the season, and Dominick Cruz’s team has all the momentum heading into the third episode on Friday night.
It’s easy to rebound, especially this early in the season. But they’ll need an upset win from Al Iaquinta over Myles Jury, and that’ll be a tough obstacle to overcome. Jury is an experienced and proficient fighter and was considered an early favorite to advance all the way to the finals.
But like I said, it’s easy to come from behind. Team Faber can start the process on Friday night.
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