LAS VEGAS — I arrived fashionably late for UFC 183, just in time for the first preliminary-card bout. But I was also just in time for Bruce Buffer’s special announcement over the MGM Grand Garden Arena’s loudspeakers: The bout between Jimy Hettes and Diego Brandao had been canceled at the last minute due to medical issues.
Minutes later, we’d find out that Hettes was displaying concerning signs, while getting his hands wrapped for the fight. And just like that, one of the most anticipated fights on the preliminary card went up in smoke. Sure, Brandao vs. Hettes was not Silva vs. Diaz. But it was an intriguing fight, and “circumstances” kept us from seeing it.
But mostly it was a continuation of the UFC’s incredible run of bad luck. Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta would probably like to pretend the past seven days never happened. In addition to Hettes, UFC 183 also had weighty issues with both Kelvin Gastelum and John Lineker.
And in the midst of those troubles, Chris Weidman hurt his ribs and pulled out of UFC 184, and then Vitor Belfort began making all sorts of crazy demands about fighting for the “full” middleweight title (despite Weidman holding the belt and fighting last summer).
That’s if you believe Belfort’s side of things, of course; White said Belfort wanted to fight for an interim title, but wouldn’t accept a fight against Lyoto Machida.
And then Stephen Thompson pulled out of his UFC Fight Night 60 main event against Brandon Thatch. That’s the one that originally featured Matt Brown vs. Tarec Saffiedine. Thankfully, Benson Henderson decided to take the Donald Cerrone route, moving up to welterweight to face Thatch and saving a show that looked to be on the verge of cancellation a few weeks ago.
Yes, these are troubled times for the UFC. Fighters are getting hurt left and right. Cards are being shuffled, and fights are being hastily put together. It can’t be a fun time to be Joe Silva or Sean Shelby or Dana White.
But it is difficult to feel bad for the promotion. They brought it on themselves, after all. Put simply, there are too many UFC events on the calendar, and there are too many fighters on the roster. Both of these scenarios feed the other.
The UFC wants to expand internationally, which means running more events. And when there are more events, you have fewer options to choose from when a fighter is injured and needs a replacement.
It was a weird week for the UFC. And I’d like to say things will get better from this point forward, but I’m not sure that’s true.
2. TATE’S GUTSY PERFORMANCE MAY HAVE BEEN HER BEST
Miesha Tate went into her UFC 183 bout against Sara McMann as an underdog. Experts believed McMann’s wrestling would be too much, because there is a distinct difference between high school wrestling (Tate) and Olympic medal wrestling experience (McMann).
And for the first round, it seemed like the fight was playing out according to script. McMann displayed vastly improved striking and controlled Tate on the ground. Tate’s visions of a third shot at Ronda Rousey were fading quickly. And to top it off, McMann broke Tate’s orbital bone with a punch in the first round.
MMA fans laugh when Tate talks about a third fight with Rousey. But the grittiness she displayed in coming back in the second and third rounds against McMann—and with a horribly painful eye injury, no less—may lead her back to a championship opportunity.
She capped off the performance by keeping McMann on the ground for the entirety of the third round, completely out-wrestling the Olympic wrestler. It may have been the best performance of her career.
3. MCGREGOR, ALDO HEADED FOR BIG SUMMER BUSINESS
Brazilians enjoy traveling to Las Vegas to support their heroes. This is doubly true when Anderson Silva fights; the MGM Grand Garden Arena was, by my own rough estimation, filled with at least 70 percent Brazilian fans.
On Friday, the UFC announced that featherweight champion Jose Aldo will defend his belt against Conor McGregor to headline International Fight Week in July. McGregor, perhaps the fastest-rising star in UFC history, conducted a Q&A session prior to the weigh-ins. He was heavily booed. When shown on the arena screens during UFC 183, the same thing occurred: resounding boos.
The fight makes all the sense in the world for International Fight Week. There is a Fan Expo, and the UFC’s goal is to bring in thousands of tourists from around the world. It is a big week, both for the promotion and for the city.
The fact that Aldo vs. McGregor is headlining IFW tells you all you need to know about the promotion’s belief that Aldo and McGregor will draw a big crowd, and perhaps even a big pay-per-view number. Aldo has never been a draw, and it’s safe to say that McGregor is a bigger star than the featherweight champion.
In fact, McGregor’s recent success on Fox Sports 1 shows that he is one of the biggest stars on the entire UFC roster. And now, going for the championship, McGregor will certainly draw a massive contingent of Irish fans, and Aldo will bring the Brazilian fanbase out to support him.
It’s a big fight. How big? We’ll have to wait and see. But sitting here right now, months away from it coming to fruition, it feels like a very big deal.
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