3 Questions: UFC’s Debut in Sweden, Gustafsson’s Toughest Fight Yet

Will the UFC’s debut in Sweden be a successful one?The stars are aligned for the UFC to have a successful show for their debut in the Swedish market. Tickets to the event—held at the 16,000 seat Ericsson Globe Arena and one of the coolest-looking…

Will the UFC’s debut in Sweden be a successful one?

The stars are aligned for the UFC to have a successful show for their debut in the Swedish market. Tickets to the event—held at the 16,000 seat Ericsson Globe Arena and one of the coolest-looking buildings I’ve ever seen—sold out quickly. The market is primed for top-level MMA, and the UFC has placed their best Swedish fighter in the main event.

The truth is, the UFC is almost always a success the first time they hit a market. It’s usually not until the third or fourth time in a city that you begin to see diminishing returns.

So yes, this will be a highly-successful event. A small portion of Swedish fans will likely complain that it’s not a pay-per-view event, but let’s be honest here: this is an incredible card for a Fuel TV broadcast. Fuel fight cards are the fourth tier of UFC television broadcasts—behind pay per view, FOX and FX—and yet you’re getting a card featuring fights that could easily find a home on UFC PPV events.

You’re telling me Brian Stann vs. Alessio Sakara or Paulo Thiago vs. Siyar Bahadurzada aren’t compelling fights? They absolutely are.

I fully expect the UFC’s Swedish debut to be a resoundingly successful one. And it’ll likely be a really fun event to watch on television.

Is Alexander Gustafsson ready for the big time?

Gustafsson is a guy many see as the next great hope in the light heavyweight division. He’s the guy who could eventually take out Jon Jones. He’s got the same rangy limbs and unorthodox fighting style that makes him a handful for opponents. 

He’s not on Jones’ level just yet. But there’s no shame in that, because nobody else in the entire world is on Jones’ level yet. 

Gustafsson could get there, someday. Thiago Silva is a much bigger test than anyone is giving him credit for, and a much tougher opponent than Antonio Rogerio Nogueira would’ve been. Silva is 14-2, with his only two losses coming to Lyoto Machida and Rashad Evans. That’s a pretty good record, and it’s a big win if Gustafsson is able to get past him.

Will the second episode of UFC Primetime: Jones vs. Evans be as compelling as the first?

I love the UFC Primetime series. I know they tend to pale in comparison to HBO’s 24/7 series, but they’re still an excellent product and a compelling watch.

The latest edition, featuring Jon Jones and Rashad Evans as they prepare to face off later this month, has the potential to be the best in the entire series. Primetime works best when the two fighters have an actual grudge, or at least the ability to sell a grudge as being real. There’s no doubt that Jon Jones and Rashad Evans do not like each other, and the history between the pair makes for rich television.

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