It wasn’t too long ago when the WEC merged with the UFC and it was expected that fans would be treated to the featherweight and bantamweight divisions, with the inclusion of Jose Aldo and Dominick Cruz.
Current UFC bantamweight title-holder Cruz’s talent is often overlooked in the long of list of UFC champions.
His UFC debut saw him thrust into the main event picture against Urijah Faber at UFC 132, and while the bout provided its moments, the event had failed to promote Cruz as a marketable competitor.
No one can question Cruz’s talent and credibility as a dominant champion, but it seems there is more to be desired.
The UFC is looking to heavily promote their newly-acquired divisions and have slotted Cruz on UFC on Versus 6 on October 1. This will be the organization’s first title bout to be broadcast on free cable since UFC 75.
Cruz, who will defend the bantamweight title against Demetrius Johnson, still needs some time to grow onto the company’s target audience, so the UFC will want to advertise the 135-pound champion on free television.
The opportunity to watch Cruz on free cable will allow casual fans to become exposed to the former WEC star and further broaden Cruz’s resume to all demographics.
A win will certainly contribute to that, but it will also show that Cruz is capable of headlining both pay-per-view and free cards. This would then lead to a rematch against the winner of Brian Bowles and Urijah Faber, who will face each other at UFC 139.
By then, it is expected that Cruz will be able to not only maintain success as a champion, but maintain some marketability to the bantamweight division, who—aside from Faber—lacks in star power.
This will bring in a huge diaspora of fans interested in the lighter divisions and continue to solidify the UFC as the most successful promotion in the world.
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