The fight is finally here. Junior dos Santos (17-3) vs. Alistair Overeem (39-14, 1 NC). A fight that fans have been waiting for since Overeem was signed to the company and a stylistic matchup that should deliver some of the best heavyweight action all year.
Too bad it doesn’t mean much of anything anymore.
The magic is gone.
When this fight was highly anticipated, Dos Santos was the heavyweight champion of the world and Overeem looked like a world-beater coming in as the Strikeforce champion. But injuries, definitive losses and missed opportunities kept pushing back the date for the fight.
Now, in December 2015, this fight isn’t even the main event. It’s lucky to be a co-main event on a Fox event.
One could argue that it still means a lot because of how wafer-thin the heavyweight division is, and those who would say that are not entirely wrong. The division does need new life, but Overeem has been knocked out by lesser guys, and a big win over Dos Santos won’t enthuse a wide range of fans to buy into him as a realistic threat. As for Dos Santos, two defining losses to Cain Velasquez took all the steam out of his championship hopes.
If this fight had taken place years ago, it would have drawn a quality buyrate for the UFC and been big business in Las Vegas. All you need to know about how big this fight is now is that it’s being fought in Orlando.
That’s not a slight to the beautiful city of Orlando; it’s only to say that it’s not a fight hub where big fights go to be showcased to the world. It’s not Las Vegas, Los Angeles or any other big market for the UFC.
Fans notice the lack of shine to this fight.
With a victory, perhaps Dos Santos could move himself into title contention, but he has to hope that Fabricio Werdum beats Velasquez again. No one wants to see him fight Velasquez for a fourth time. His hopes at a title shot depend on someone else.
Overeem could move himself into serious title contention with a win, but he, too, is not in position for a title shot with a win.
This fight means little in the way of the heavyweight division. It won’t drastically alter the landscape should either win. It’s a statement of how ragged the division is as we move into 2016. Regardless, as fight fans, we are still privileged to see this fight take place.
It is still a good matchup, and it will still be fun to watch. But do not fool yourself into believing this has any lasting impact. It’s not the fight it could have been.
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