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Is the UFC Making a Concerted Effort as of Late to Stack PPVs?

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has had quite the hard time fighting off its critics this year. One of the main reasons that many have taken to their pitchforks and torches is the perception that the UFC is not presenting the best fight cards possib…

However, the promotion has recently put together some events that should quell the words of their detractors. The UFC has a slate of upcoming events that will remind fans of the old “stacked” cards of lore.

Yes, the year 2014 has seen some less than desirable cards that featured mid-tier competitors in the main event contests. Names such as James Te Huna, Nate Marquardt, Tarec Saffiedine and Hyun Gyu Lim have taken headline spots that were usually held for titleholders or those on the cusp of shots at the belt. These are just a few examples of the cards that have garnered a lackluster response from fight fans. They are quite different from the cards that were put on when the promotion and the sport itself battled for mainstream recognition.

Mookie Alexander of Bloody Elbow has presented commentary pleading with the UFC to no longer present their fights as they have in the past.

“It is simply no longer enough to just say ‘the UFC is on, now watch it,’ you have to make the audience interested in your product and interested in your fighters, and they do neither,” he wrote.

One must also not forget about the injuries that have torn into shows. UFC 178 was one of the biggest planned events that the promotion would have put on in recent memory. Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier were set to meet in the main event until an injury forced Jones out of the fight.

However, the UFC was able to move Demetrious Johnson’s next title defense against Chris Cariaso into the main event slot. Still, the excitement level around that card is not the same, even though it still features 12 fighters who are currently ranked officially, per UFC.

Looking beyond UFC 178, it seems as if the UFC is making an effort to present better cards to the public. Lorenzo Fertitta has gone on record to state that pay-per-view events should feature a main event contest with a title belt on the line, per Fox Sports Live. Below those headliners, the organization plans to put together not only exciting fights, but also contests that have value within specific weight classes.

Bleacher Report lead writer Jeremy Botter recently wrote a piece on the improved cards the organization planned to give fight fans:

There is hope peeking over the horizon. If the slate of upcoming UFC pay-per-view events is any sign, the promotion has heard our cries. After a dismal season of PPV events (at least from a monetary perspective), the world’s largest MMA promotion is loading up for bear hunting season.

Take a look at UFC 181 set for December 6. Chris Weidman and Vitor Belfort will meet for the middleweight title. This fight will occur just after Anthony Pettis defends his lightweight title against Gilbert Melendez. These are two highly anticipated title defenses, and they will occur on the same night.

A month before this event, UFC 180 will feature Cain Velasquez against Fabricio Werdum. The undercard doesn’t have any other title bouts, but still includes fights such as Diego Sanchez versus Norman Parke, Dennis Bermudez versus Ricardo Lamas and the continued emergence of Kelvin Gastelum. All of these examples are key fights within their respective weight classes that fans should enjoy on an excitement level as well.

As the UFC makes more of an effort to make itself a force within the worldwide fight game, fans will continue to complain about “weaker” cards that will house lesser-known and local talent. These events are being used correctly as a chance to build foreign talent in their home countries.

In North America, the UFC is working and presenting examples of cards that feature more well-known talent in an effort to rekindle the excitement that once accompanied every UFC PPV. Starting with UFC 178, the promotion is clearly headed in the right direction.

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UFC’s 3 Biggest Underachievers

Not every fighter in the UFC is destined for greatness.
Sometimes, even the greatest of fighters with seemingly boundless potential hit an unexpected wall.
Maybe they can’t handle the step up in competition. Maybe they can’t handle the pressure. …

Not every fighter in the UFC is destined for greatness.

Sometimes, even the greatest of fighters with seemingly boundless potential hit an unexpected wall.

Maybe they can’t handle the step up in competition. Maybe they can’t handle the pressure. Maybe, just maybe, they were never the fighters we thought they were.

Whatever the case may be, some fighters are simply destined to eternally dwell in the balance of stardom and anonymity.

Scroll on to see who made the cut as part of the three biggest underachievers in the UFC. Fighters were selected based on talent, performances and general expectations that were never met.

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Predicting and Previewing the Next Title Fight in All 9 UFC Weight Classes

The first eight months of 2014 haven’t been the most stellar for the UFC or its fans.
We were supposed to be greeted into the new year with the return of its bantamweight champion—Dominick Cruz—only to have a groin tear force the form…

The first eight months of 2014 haven’t been the most stellar for the UFC or its fans.

We were supposed to be greeted into the new year with the return of its bantamweight champion—Dominick Cruz—only to have a groin tear force the former champion out of the bout and his grip off the title. So, yeah, that didn’t happen.

We were also supposed to see Jon Jones square off against the only man to challenge him inside of the Octagon in September, only to see Alexander Gustafsson pull out of the fight because of a knee injury. In steps Daniel Cormier to save the day in the one of the most anticipated bouts in recent memory. Of course, it would all be too good to be true—Jones would later pull out of the fight and reschedule it for January of 2015.

That doesn’t mean the UFC didn’t put on some great title fights, because it did. And it’ll continue to do so as we start rubbing elbows with the new year.

Scroll on to preview the next title fight in each UFC weight class.

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Top 5 Coaches in the History of The Ultimate Fighter

The Ultimate Fighter has long been the lighting rod that helped play a role in the development of mixed martial arts. That fight when Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar collided and glued eyes to the sport will long be recognized as a pivotal moment fo…

The Ultimate Fighter has long been the lighting rod that helped play a role in the development of mixed martial arts. That fight when Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar collided and glued eyes to the sport will long be recognized as a pivotal moment for not only the UFC but MMA as a whole. Since then the show has produced some interesting moments and even more interesting characters.

While the athletes who are competing for the coveted UFC contract should receive the main spotlight, the coaches from TUF can quickly become central characters of their own. With that in mind, here is a listing of the top five coaches in the history of The Ultimate Fighter.

The coaches on this list were selected due to their ability to lead the men and women who were on their teams during their respective seasons. Their own UFC careers were not fully taken into consideration, although they were recognized for success in the cage that could be used as an example to those on the show. The rankings were dependent upon how well their team finished at the end of the season in relation to the opposing group.

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Can Johny Hendricks Be an All-Time Great Welterweight Champion?

First there was Matt Hughes, who had two stints as the UFC’s welterweight champion for a total of 1,577 days.
He clobbered opponent after opponent as he became the first great welterweight champion of the modern UFC era.
Then there was Geor…

First there was Matt Hughes, who had two stints as the UFC’s welterweight champion for a total of 1,577 days.

He clobbered opponent after opponent as he became the first great welterweight champion of the modern UFC era.

Then there was Georges St-Pierre, who, like Hughes, had multiple stints as the welterweight king. St-Pierre absolutely dominated a majority of his opponents en route to surpassing Hughes as the longest-reigning welterweight champion to ever be. His 2,204 total days as champion stand second to only one other UFC champion—Anderson Silva.

Hughes eventually fell victim to Father Time, while St-Pierre fell victim to his own personal vices as he vacated the welterweight throne after a controversial victory over incumbent champion Johny Hendricks.

Like St-Pierre, Hendricks stands before a tall task ahead—he must attempt to fill the shoes of one of the most dominating champions the sport, let alone the division, has ever seen.

The question on everybody’s mind: Can he be as dominant as the champions before him?

The answer: Probably not.

It’s probably important I mention that this notion has less to do with Hendricks’ skills as a fighter—because he’s obviously capable of standing toe-to-toe with the best of them—but more to do with the idea that the current crop of challengers is far superior to those who challenged his predecessors.

Waiting in the wings is Robbie Lawler, whom Hendricks narrowly defeated upon earning the title at UFC 171 in March. After decisively defeating Jake Ellenberger and Matt Brown in his next two fights, Lawler stands as the first man who will try to unclasp Hendricks’ grip from the crown—a difficult task for the champion.

Likely to come after Lawler is Rory MacDonald, who is finally comfortable with taking aim at the throne now that training partner St-Pierre is enjoying his vacation. Unlike Lawler, who possesses one-punch knockout power and an uncanny thirst for a bonus-warranting brawl, MacDonald would likely forgo any sort of bonuses so long as he sees his hand raised in the end. He’s long, crafty and willing to compromise excitement.

Next is Tyron Woodley, who, save for two sleep-inducing performances against Jake Shields and MacDonald, has shown he’s capable of duking it out with the UFC’s best. Depending on which version Woodley decides to show up in any hypothetical matchups against the champion, this could be a difficult task for the champion.

Then there’s Carlos Condit, Hector Lombard, Brown, Kelvin Gastelum, Gunnar Nelson and Ryan LaFlare—all of whom could prove a difficult task for the champion if he chooses to go 70 percent against any one of them, much like he claimed he did against St-Pierre in his first attempt at the title.

And what if St-Pierre decides to mend his torn ACL and return to competition? Who’s to say the former champion won’t have a chip on his shoulder and place a firm target on Hendricks’ back as he makes for a third run at his rightful throne? Yes, his last victory was controversial, but would it be so hard to concede much of the detracting arguments and believe him when he said he had a lot going on in his life? It certainly wasn’t the St-Pierre that most of us were used to seeing. The St-Pierre we knew would certainly be a difficult task for the champion.

Maybe, just maybe Hendricks manages to get past all of his soon-to-be foes. But maybe he doesn’t. Only time will tell.

Kristian Ibarra is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report. He also serves as the sports editor at San Diego State University’s student-run newspaper, The Daily Aztec. Follow him on Twitter at @Kristian_Ibarra for all things MMA.

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Why Ronaldo Souza Should Face the Luke Rockhold-Michael Bisping Winner

Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza’s third-round guillotine choke of Gegard Mousasi at UFC Fight Night 50 established the Brazilian as one of the top contenders for Chris Weidman’s UFC middleweight title.
With the win, Souza made a strong c…

With the win, Souza made a strong case for the next title shot, but the UFC has the opportunity to build him up as a true No. 1 contender if they match him up with the winner of Luke Rockhold vs. Michael Bisping.

Those two will end their trash talk and finally step into the cage on November 8 in Sydney, Australia. Just one month after that, we’ve got UFC 181, where Weidman will look for his third defense of the UFC middleweight championship against Vitor Belfort. With the title fight happening on December 6, a fight between the winner of Rockhold vs. Bisping and Souza could headline a card in early 2015, giving Weidman or Belfort time to prepare for their next challenger.

Souza’s ascent up the middleweight mountain thus far has been a quiet one. The Alligator hasn’t made that big of a splash just yet. His four victories inside the Octagon have all come on Fight Night cards, and only his most recent win was in a headlining spot.

In order to stick in the mainstream consciousness of fans, he’ll need a highlight-reel victory over a high-profile opponent on a well-promoted and stacked UFC card. A main event spot opposite Rockhold or Bisping would provide exactly that.

Another reason why Souza should get the Rockhold-Bisping winner is to test him against a dangerous striker. Rockhold and Bisping are both extremely technical on their feet and likely won’t be as listless as Mousasi was against Souza.

Bisping has always been able to use his great takedown defense to keep fights standing, where he picks his opponent apart with crisp boxing. It would be interesting to see if Jacare would fight a standup battle with Bisping or look to get him to the mat and submit him.

Rockhold’s diverse arsenal of kicks are tough to deal with, as evidenced by his first-round destruction of Costas Philippou back in January. Regardless of who wins in Australia, Jacare would have a world-class striker to get past on his way to a title shot.

In the fight with Mousasi, Souza avenged a 2008 KO loss. A fight with Rockhold would give him an opportunity to avenge the loss of his Strikeforce middleweight championship, which Rockhold took from Souza via a unanimous decision in September of 2011. If Jacare can get past Rockhold, especially if he were to do so impressively, he’d be viewed as even more of a threat to Weidman than a lot of people think he already is.

Against Bisping, Jacare would get a business partner who would do more than his part to sell the fight. Already for the Rockhold fight, Bisping has threatened to knock Rockhold out at a media event and hurled a slew of insults Rockhold’s way at a press conference in Sydney last week. Bisping has always done his best to bring as much attention to his fights as possible.

The fight itself would give him another opportunity at the title shot that has thus far eluded the eight-year UFC veteran, should he be able to beat Souza. It would also give Souza a chance to get a win against a very well-known and established fighter en route to the title.

After UFC Fight Night 50 at Foxwoods, UFC President Dana White indicated that Souza would need to fight again before getting a title shot, telling Ariel Helwani on Fox Sports 1:

“There’s a title fight that’s going to happen first. You can’t say a guy is next in line for the title when somebody’s already next in line for the title. Obviously Jacare looked incredible and put on an incredible performance, and I’m sure he’ll fight again before we talk about title shots.”

When asked at the post-fight press conference about White’s statements, Jacare expressed his willingness to fight for the title, saying:

“I work for the UFC, so whatever they want. I’m here to fight. I think I deserve the title shot, but we’ll talk about that later, and he needs to talk to my manager.”

UFC Tonight has since reported that Souza was planning on going through training camp ahead of the UFC 181 middleweight title fight, in order to be prepared to step into the title fight on short notice.

It makes sense for Jacare to stay somewhat ready to fight, because in today’s UFC, you never know when a title fight is going to need a replacement on even a single day’s notice. As a part of Belfort’s licensure to fight Weidman at UFC 181, he will be undergoing random enhanced drug testing from the NSAC, because of his past positive tests in Nevada.

Weidman vs. Souza would be a great backup if something happens and Belfort can’t fight in December, but the fight should be used as just that. Jacare vs. the Rockhold-Bisping winner should be Plan A, as it will provide an undisputed No. 1 contender in the middleweight division.

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