There’s no denying it—a great deal of shuffling left UFC 177 underwhelming on paper.
UFC 176 was cancelled. The highly anticipated rematch between Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson was pushed back. So was the co-main event between Demetrious Johnson and Chris Cariaso. Even the rematch for the UFC Bantamweight Championship between TJ Dillashaw and Renan Barao was canceled when the challenger passed out trying to make weight for the main event, according to UFC.com.
Instead, the biggest fight of the night features Dillashaw defending his title against promotional newcomer Joe Soto. While there are a handful of solid lightweight fights and an intriguing women’s battle between Bethe Correia and Shayna Baszler, this card feels worthy of a time slot on television during the week instead of a pay-per-view event.
The PPV buys are going to be down, and it’s not going to be the best show of the year, but there are still plenty of reasons to watch.
Let’s take a look at how the results play out from Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento, California, on Saturday.