Did the Stars Come out at UFC 169?
With 2014 just beginning, the UFC is without many of its top draws and UFC 169 didn’t actually help in that matter.
I reside in Boston MA and am pursuing my dream of writing about MMA. I am very passionate about the sport and helping to continue its growth. Follow me on Twitter @TyGuyMMA
If a friend asked you, an avid MMA fan, to describe the World Series of Fighting, what would you say? Honestly, a little over one year into the promotion’s existence, I have no idea what I tell them. And I’m not so sure the brass at World Series of Fighting would know what to say either. Pretty soon though, that uncertainty is going to become a problem. Lofty goals mixed with some financial backing can garner results for some time; but lacking a solid value proposition and true identity is a surefire way to ensure your downfall. Differentiation is vital in a saturated marketplace.
In the ever evolving consumer landscape, the UFC saw fit to offer a package, Fight Pass, which would serve as ancillary income to their bottom line. Two other contributing factors helped to push this offering to the forefront.
Fluke. Luck. Accident. All words critics and Anderson Silva apologists have used to describe the UFC middleweight champion, Chris Weidman. This is still after Weidman has beaten Silva not once but twice. With both of his victories over the former pound-for-pound king coming in bizarre fashion, it is easy for one to call into the question the legitimacy of his current crown.
“A future contender in the middleweight division.” “The next Anderson Silva.” “The most dangerous fighter in Ultimate Fighter history.” These are just a few of the phrases used to describe Uriah Hall during his time on the Ultimate Fighter season 17
Urijah Faber returns this Saturday night when he takes on Michael McDonald at UFC on Fox 9. After spending years helping to build the WEC and defending his featherweight title, Faber returns home to Sacramento. It only seems fitting that, in the city in which he forged his legacy, Sacramento is the place where the fate of that legacy will be decided.
In revving up their quest for world domination, 2014 will likely be a defining year for the UFC. During their growth over the past 20 years, the promotion has become synonymous not just with mixed martial arts but with the best mixed martial arts has to offer.
As much as they would hate to admit it, Gray Maynard and Nate Diaz may have been destined to fight each other one last time. Their career paths, while diverging slightly in the middle, have followed a rather parallel trajectory. It seems only fitting that they meet once again to determine the next stage of their careers.