On August 18, the UFC announced arguably the biggest news in it’s 18-year history: The UFC and Fox made a deal to put UFC on network television.
It was also announced that the first card on Fox would be on November 12 in Anaheim.
Immediately after that announcement, people began to speculate on who would fight on the card and even more about who would headline the card.
Recently, UFC president Dana White talked about the deal, the card, and who may fight on it.
On the subject of the deal with Fox, and whether or not MMA was mainstream, White said: “We’re not mainstream yet…Now’s the time to dig in and work. If we pull this thing off, we will be mainstream.”
“This thing,” of course, being the November 12 card.
White also said that who headlines the Fox card would depend on what happens this Saturday in Rio at UFC 134.
After saying that, White was asked if that meant that UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva would headline the card, to which he answered: “I’m not saying that… Let me get through these fights.”
With this being the first card that the UFC has put on network television, they are going to have many first-time viewers of mixed martial arts.
On that subject White talked about educating the new fan:
We live in a bubble in our [UFC Las Vegas] offices and take it for granted people know what armbars, guillotines, and triangle chokes are—nobody knows what this [stuff] means. We have to view [Fox programming] as if nobody knows anything about this sport, that people die in this cage…We’re going to educate the masses, treat it like nobody knows who we are. I think our [hardcore] audience understands that’s necessary.
The UFC still has work to do to be mainstream, but with this card on Fox, and if they pull it off and educate the masses, the UFC will continue to grow bigger, better, and stronger.
As far as the card on Fox, rumors have been running rampant that if Anderson Silva is to defeat Yushin Okami on Saturday, Silva would headline the card opposite Strikeforce light-heavyweight champion Dan Henderson for the middleweight title.
If they are unable to come to terms with Hendo, then Chael Sonnen will be pulled from a UFC 136 match with Brian Stann, and Stann will take on Vitor Belfort.
It’s very confusing, but in the end, it could give us some better matchups than what is already scheduled.
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