The UFC has experimented with themes, such as “Blackzilians vs. American Top Team.” | 📷: Getty/UFC
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UFC 327 approaches on Saturday in Miami, and while I don’t think it’s a bad card, it’s an event that where I had to stop and think about what’s being offered. Is there an actual title fight this time around? Two of the last three numbered shows only offered either an interim championship fight or a ceremonial belt. There is a title on the line but no defending champion, as Alex Pereira vacated the light heavyweight crown, leaving Jiri Prochazka and Carlos Ulberg to vie for the empty throne.
There are a couple of reasons it took me a bit to think about the headliner. The fact that champions frequently vacate rather than defend until they drop their titles keeps a revolving door in the championship scene, which makes it hard to develop stars and also limits the excitement level. More problematic is the frequency of cards, with the Ultimate Fighting Championship running eight or nine weekends in a row without a break quite frequently. Card after card makes it difficult to catch one’s breath and develop anticipation for the biggest events.
Given the UFC’s contract status with Paramount, I understand that it can’t cut down on the number of cards it produces. In fact, I’ve been an advocate of the company increasing the number of shows. The advocacy there is to present bite-sized events in the middle of the week—not unlike Dana White’s Contender Series—to help get contracted fighters more opportunities to gain experience. However, that wouldn’t do anything to help the UFC build anticipation for numbered events. That’s another problem to address on a different day.
Given that the UFC is the world’s largest MMA promotion, you’d think it would have an idea about how to develop stars. Unfortunately, the last few years have served as an indication that the organization isn’t as good at that as its status would indicate. My thoughts? Produce themes for the numbered events. It isn’t a concept that’s completely foreign to the UFC. It has sporadically done it in the past, the most notable example being the all-heavyweight main card for UFC 146. Granted, that was 14 years ago, but it’s still a show that fans can easily recall due to the heavyweight theme. Furthermore, it would provide a safety net for another issue that rear its head frequently. It offers an easy alternative to a potential injury at the top of the card.
UFC 146 is again a prime example of what I’m referring to. At the top of that card, Junior dos Santos was supposed to defend his title against Alistair Overeem. However, Overeem popped for elevated testosterone, creating the need for a new challenger for dos Santos. Cain Velasquez and Frank Mir were also scheduled to meet on the card. Given that dos Santos had just defeated Velasquez for the heavyweight title, it made sense to create a fresh matchup and slide Mir into that position. While Mir didn’t need to cut weight, he was already aiming to peak for that weekend. It worked out. If it were a card themed for a different weight class, it would be even more convenient, as peaking includes cutting weight—often the most difficult part of peaking. Not having to ask a short-notice replacement to cut weight in a limited window would help keep the integrity of the contest as much as possible if the replacement can already be found on the card.
Another benefit would be the press conferences. Having several people within the same weight class able to jaw at one another would build not just for whatever card they are promoting but for potential fights in the future. I can only imagine the barbs Sean Strickland would be throwing at the other nine people on the main card of a press conference in which he was involved. I’m sure there are nine other middleweights who would love to throw darts right back at him. The more relevant targets at the press conference for a combatant to dish on, the greater the chance for an immortal soundbite.
There are some divisions that don’t have a lot of depth, so it would be nearly impossible to build an entire numbered event around those classes. Women’s bantamweight comes to mind. In that case, perhaps just build an all-female card. I’m sure there are a few fans who wouldn’t care to see that, but it would be a marketing dream.
Status quo creates malaise
The themes don’t have to stop at weight classes, either. There are other areas the UFC has tapped into in the past that have potential. UFC 58 saw the company promote a USA vs. Canada card. I get that similar themes frequently happen in the overseas shows, but those are also contests featuring favorable matchups for the home crowd for UFC Fight Night cards. Why not promote an event for the United States without the favorable matchups? Besides, wouldn’t the rest of the world want to tune in to see the arrogant Americans get their tails kicked?
It doesn’t have to be countries pitted against one another. The UFC did a season of “The Ultimate Fighter” where it was the Blackzilians vs. American Top Team. Admittedly, it would be hard to find enough competitive camp-centric matchups strictly within the UFC, so how about American Top Team vs. everyone else? Because of ATT’s size, that has almost been the case on several occasions anyway. Why not make it a marketing opportunity? I don’t think the camp would have an issue with it; it’s extra visibility. Same with the other teams, as a spotlight would be put upon the camp aspect as opposed to just the fighters involved.
I understand that putting cards like this together wouldn’t be easy. There’s a reason the UFC hasn’t had something similar to what they put together at UFC 146 since. However, something needs to be done to help differentiate and market these numbered events. I’m sure it wouldn’t be too difficult for the promoters to think of other themes, as well. Everything is currently a blur, and the UFC doesn’t seem to be doing a whole lot to differentiate the numbered events now that they aren’t pay-per-views. Themes would help, especially with the creation of new stars proving to be problematic. In fact, the themes would probably help produce stars. Regardless, the status quo is creating a malaise. It’s worth trying something different.
