Following Disappointment Of UFC 200, Fight Fans May Want To Steer Clear Of UFC 201

The overall popularity of mixed martial arts, and more specifically, the UFC, has risen to new heights in 2016 due largely to a recent rash of unprecedented upsets in some of the sport’s biggest bouts. But after the disappointment of UFC 200, fight fans might want to pass on paying for this weekend’s main card at UFC 201.

At first glance, the card headlined by a welterweight title tilt between reigning champion Robbie Lawler and longtime contender Tyron Woodley looks fairly promising. Lately, Lawler is one of the very few fighters on the UFC’s roster who can be consistently counted on to entertain, and Woodley’s explosiveness and athleticism have made him a fan favorite.

What are we hoping for when Lawler meets Woodley? Come on, be honest https://t.co/tH24WcUIVZ

— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) July 26, 2016

But in order to entertain, and probably carry a main card that’s severely lacking in star power, Lawler must be fighting a durable opponent who can absorb the champ’s offensive onslaught for up to 25 minutes, and while Woodley would usually be up to the task, the fact that he hasn’t fought in 18 months means that he won’t be anywhere near his usual self when he steps into the Octagon for the first time since January of 2015.

Even worse for Woodley, Lawler is also coming off one of the best performances of his career after earning a razor thin split-decision victory over Carlos Condit in January, and since beginning his second stint in the sport’s leading promotion in February of 2013, Lawler has lost just once in nine Octagon appearances.

A prime example of a seasoned veteran and one of several UFC champions who’ve recently defied Father Time by winning their first title a little later in life, Lawler has never been known for giving in-depth analysis of an opponent or talking his way into a fight, and that’s why he’s not a mega-star of the same caliber as Conor McGregor or Ronda Rousey.

After defending his belt against Condit, Lawler stayed true to his reputation at the UFC 195 post-fight press conference, offering a few concise responses that reminded us of why he’s never attained the level of mainstream success that he truly deserves.

”Carlos is a hell of a fighter,” said Lawler via Fox Sports. ”There were two winners tonight. Let’s do it again.”

In this weekend’s co-headliner, women’s strawweight contender Rose Namajunas will square-off with fellow title challenger Karolina Kowalkiewicz. Although both are worthy of their main card billing, the card’s second most significant scrap in an event that we’re expected to pay for should offer fight fans a little more.

It’s not a knock against either strawweight contender, and it has nothing to do with the fact that we’re talking about women’s MMA. If anything, the promotion’s two female divisions have proven to be some of the most consistently entertaining in the entire sport—especially in 2016. But a few years ago, the UFC would’ve put this fight on one of its free cards or moved it further down a pay-per-view lineup.

For Namajunas, Saturday’s fight wasn’t even supposed to be part of the plan. After winning her third straight contest in April over Tecia Torres, many, including Namajunas herself, thought that a fight versus one of the division’s top two combatants would be next, and said as much during the post-fight press conference at UFC Fight Night Tampa.

”Absolutely,” Namajunas told reporters via Fox Sports when asked if her next fight should be for the title. ”I don’t see after Tecia, I’m number three, Claudia and Joanna are number one and two so I don’t see what’s after that. That’s kind of what I’m looking at.”

On the surface, the welterweight showdown between ninth-ranked Matt Brown and former contender Jake Ellenberger looks like a bout worth watching. However, despite Brown’s reputation as a brawler, he’s never been a legitimate welterweight contender. In fact, Brown has lost three of his last four fights entering Saturday’s contest, and even worse, Ellenberger has dropped five of his last six Octagon appearances. Does that sound like a fight that’s worthy of its place on the main card of a pay-per-view?

Of the five fights scheduled for the main card of UFC 201, the bantamweight bout featuring unranked Francisco Rivera and equally-irrelevant Erik Perez is easily the most out of place. Not only are neither of these two 135-pounders relevant within their own division, but Rivera is 1-4 in his last five fights, while Perez stands at a mediocre 2-2 in his last four contests. Again, not exactly a fight worth paying for.

Finally, the pay-per-view opener between flyweight contenders Ian McCall and Justin Scoggins could actually be quite entertaining. McCall has fought some of the best in the business including a pair of unsuccessful outings against current 125-pound king Demetrious Johnson during his time in the UFC, and Scoggins currently sports an impressive pro record of 11-2.

But much like the Brown-Ellenberger matchup, looks can be deceiving, and entering UFC 201, McCall has gone a horrible 2-5-1 over his last eight fights, while Scoggins has yet to defeat a UFC contender of consequence and stands at an even 2-2 in his last four appearances.

If UFC 200 reminded us of anything, it’s that big names don’t always equal great fights. The historic event wasn’t a complete bust, and to be fair, losing both McGregor and Jon Jones killed the main card. At the same time, one of the few negatives of UFC expansion is the existence of watered down cards such as UFC 201 that we’re expected to pay for.

With ten separate weight classes and 15 ranked contenders in each, at the very least, the UFC should ensure that its ”numbered” pay-per-views consistently offer Octagon addicts a product worth paying for. As fight fans, we aren’t expecting a title fight on every costly card, and we know that even the most seemingly uneventful bouts featuring unknown talent can become legendary. But we are expecting to get the promotion’s best effort when we’re asked to cough up this kind of cash.

Could Saturday’s card turn out to be an action-packed evening that’s worth every penny? Of course, that’s one of the reasons that we watch MMA. But with so many free events, it only makes sense for the cards that cost to consist of the most potentially entertaining fights, and while Lawler-Woodley is probably worth watching, the rest of the main card simply isn’t intriguing enough to justify its pay-per-view price tag.

[Photo By-Alex Trautwig/Getty Images]