With all of the changes happening in the fight game in terms of popularity, money, and booking; it has been and will continue to be a tumultuous year for the UFC. This comes with the territory when you are living in the age of the “Super Fight.” The UFC is quickly going from the fair and balanced, rankings based promotion it prided itself as, to a company that will try to maximize it’s profits every time it has the opportunity; even it it means pissing off some fighters who may be worthy of a big time fight, but just are not a big enough draw to casual fans. This is the direction we are headed in with the UFC, but at least for one more fight night, we will get a badass card full of fights that were made based on merit and intriguing match-ups instead of just how much money they would generate.
UFC 211 features an incredible mix of highly skilled fighters who are not over-the-top personalities looking to get famous in the fight game. If you look at the card for Saturday night’s pay per view in Dallas, you will find the names of fighters who have become well known based solely on their skill in the sport and not so much their antics outside of the octagon. You will see names like Miocic, Jedrzejzyck, and Edgar; professionals who are there to do one thing, and that is compete. While fight hype can come in a variety of ways, and it is entertaining to see two guys throw energy drinks at each other, the best part of the “big fight” should be the actual fight itself and that is what UFC 211 is all about; no games, no gimmicks, just a good ‘ole fashioned night of high quality fights between top notch pros who are there to make a buck and climb up the rankings.
This night of fights is without the superstar personalities but it is being dubbed “The Baddest Card of the Year” by the UFC marketing team. That is the type of theme that will get any sports fan hype for a big event. And it is not a stretching of the truth either, this is truly the baddest card of 2017. The future of fighting meets the present when the flashy Yair Rodriguez brings his video game style up against the heart and technique of fan favorite Frankie Edgar. The UFC’s most elusive fighter, Demian Maia, will look to avoid the violent Jorge Masvidal in a number contender’s fight for as shot at the Welterweight crown. In a division that always steals the show because of the courage and brutality of the women competing, Joanna Jedrzejzyck, the insanely tough Women’s Strawweight champion will attempt to continue her dominance against the lethal combination of speed and power that is Brazil’s Jessica Andrade. Native son Dustin Poirier, an incredible story of a young man who used the fight game to rise from nothing and become just a quality human being, will face a former champion in Eddie Alvarez, who himself is a nice guy who tries hard. It’s a fight between two guys who do nothing less that leave everything they have in the octagon each and every time they step into the cage. And it is all headlined by the baddest man on the planet, Stipe Miocic, defending the most important title in UFC against a man who has been ton the top of the mountain and has beaten him before, the one and only Junior Dos Santos.
You are going to be sold on a ton of so-called “super fights” for the foreseeable future. Some of them may actually end up being super. But more often than not, the hype outweighs the actual event. At UFC 211, you are guaranteed to get your money’s worth because the card is too good and too deep to disappoint. It’s the Blue Collar Fightin’ Tour! And it rolls into Big D on Saturday night! Don’t you dare miss it!