There is no date set yet, but the fight has been announced, Michael Bisping will defend his middleweight title against George St-Pierre. The announcement of the fight is barely a week old, yet there is already criticism from MMA guru, color commentator Joe Rogan. Bisping was expected to defend the title against Yoel Romero, the current #1 ranked MW contender. Instead, he is fighting St-Pierre, who is undoubtedly a legend in his own right, and perhaps the greatest MMA fighter of all time but is past his prime to match up against Bisping.
Much like the inevitable matchup of McGregor-Mayweather, the UFC is grasping at straws. Many recent high profile bouts have left little to be desired. Bisping’s last fight against Henderson was a hometown win. Many believe that he received the hometown discount fighting in his native land. Ronda Rousey’s big “comeback” was derailed by Amanda Nunes fist seconds into the fight. And the recent Thompson-Woodley fight was a disgrace, it was not only one of the most boring fights in recent memory but the outcome was shady to say the very least. UFC fans are a passionate bunch, still how much disappointment can they take?
Undercards have been the highlight lately for many of these PPV fights. Young, hungry fighters, not yet touched by the fame bug, fighting their hearts out. Most recently at UFC 209, the Teymur-Vannata fight left fans on the edge of their seats, starving for more. The Undercards are picking up the slack for the underwhelming Main Cards.
In addition, UFC judges are leaving much to be desired. It is starting to feel like we are watching boxing. Judges swaying outcomes to their benefit. One shouldn’t be surprised, most of these fights take place in Vegas, the sports gambling capital of the world. Do I have proof? No. Yet, anyone with two eyes can see a pattern of shadiness.
Now, we are on the cusp of the circus that will be McGregor-Mayweather. A boxing match? Well, that’s not really fair. McGregor excels in a sport where he uses multiple skills, not just boxing. Mayweather has one skill, boxing…oh wait, add dancing to that list. Regardless of McGregor’s boxing skills, this fight favors Mayweather.
There are a few things we can be certain about:
- Both fighters will walk away with a Kings Ransom
- The ratings will be through the roof. No explanation needed.
- Mcgregor and Mayweather will dance around the ring for 12 rounds.
- It will leave little to be desired, but it will require a rematch due to some controversial ending.
UFC has reached significant heights from where it was when it was founded in 1993. Still, they have struggled in the first half of this year. The diehard fans are hanging in there, but the casual fans need StarPower. Enter: McGregor-Mayweather. Enter: Bisping-St-Pierre.
Still, one thing remains, if the Main Cards continue to consistently not match up to the hype, or continue to have shady outcomes, both fan bases will be hanging on by a thread.
