UFC Fox - Velasquez vs. dos Santos

[ConvoyGTR]

64 secs. -_-

For a fight fan it was awesome, but as a event designed to introduce new fans to MMA, kinda not so good.

Velasquez should've used his wrestling in the match instead of trying to band with a specialist, wonder what hte game plan was. I wonder how much the 12 month layoff and surgery affected his mindset going into the fight. I know there were rumors of Velasquez injuring himself in preparation for the fight, but dos Santos said himself that he was not 100% either.

[pud333]

I think he was trying to feel things out. Not a good idea. You can't let a striker like Dos Santos any room to gauge distance. He should have gone for the takedown right away. That behind the ear punch is killer. GSP fell to that against Serra, Couture did against Brock and Machida against Shogun. Totally knocks your equilibrium out of wack.

It is what it is. I mean, most people figured if Dos Santos was going to win, it would be early. IF Cain won, it would be later. Pretty much played out that way. I still enjoyed it.

And how about the guida fight? That was awesome! I bet the Fox execs are kicking themselves for not airing that one.

[ConvoyGTR]

Yeah, that Guida fight was sick. I was hoping they would air that after the title fight, but it was a 30 min build and like 15-20 min post analysis. It would of been good to give newcomers a truer taste of what a MMA match that goes all the way looks like.

I guess what really bothers me is that all the money spent and build up was kind of a waste in terms of bringing in new fans. I sorta doubt this is going to give the UFC and FOX the kinda buzz they wanted. They should of waited until their contract kicks in next year to make their major push.

But yeah, everyone expected it to go either 25 secs or 25 mins. I guess I'm just critical of Cain for not shooting earlier. Ring rust I guess. But props to dos Santos, he deserves it. Such a good guy, actually they both are.

[pud333]

Yeah, I feel the guida fight would have been a better showcase, but they were looking for a KO and they got one. If you think about the old big-time heavyweight boxing events with Mike Tyson - dude finished guys so quickly, but people loved him for it.

almost 5 million people saw the show. So that's still gotta be a positive thing.

I think it made some new fans. But the UFC should have had a backup plan. They should have done 10 minutes of buildup, have the fight, then do aftershow. Because the fight ended so quickly, they could have stuck in Guida/Henderson. Ah well. It is what it is.

I'm still so excited over it though. Watching the show with the Fox Sports theme song was glorious.

[ang3l3s]

Another champ back from surgery beaten 1st time back.

[pud333]

Yeah, 13 months off is no joke. Ring rust is definitely a factor a lot of the time.

Some facts: Looks like it was Fox's decision to air one fight. The UFC wanted to air the Guida/Henderson fight, but was overruled by Fox.

Dos Santos had a torn meniscus and Velasquez had a sprained knee that required cortisone shots just to compete.

5.7 million was the average for the show. We still don't know the peak numbers, which will be higher. Much higher. Apparently this was the most watched UFC ever, and apparently this is the most-watched pro fight of any kind on any network since '03 when 7.0 million watched Lewis-Klitschko on HBO.

In the demographic of men 18-34 yrs old (What Fox is going after), the UFC event beat out every single college football game this year, except LSU-Alabama. That is freaking insane.

Wow.

I think the big winner here is the UFC. It's a great time to be an MMA fan.

[ConvoyGTR]

I'm not a boxing fan, but I do watch some fights when they show it on TSN or whatever and have seen some Mike Tyson fights, and I do love how furious and fast some of them are. But the difference being that I know what boxing is and who Mike Tyson is and appreciated what I was seeing.

We will have to wait and see how people felt about what they saw and if they want to see more of it in future events. Maybe I'm being overly negative, just that it wasn't the best showing for newcomers. I'm not blaming the fight itself or UFC, I guess I'm blaming FOX for only showing one fight. Guess I shouldn't be surprised when the FOX guy at the beginning called it "The Ultimate Fighting Challenge" twice.

At least it beat the Kimbo fight in ratings (and everything else), so mission accomplished.

[pud333]

Originally Posted by ConvoyGTR

At least it beat the Kimbo fight in ratings (and everything else), so mission accomplished.

Pretty much this. I got nothing against Kimbo - dude was just taking advantage of opportunities given to him. But I was always a bit embarrassed that he was the most watched fighter in the world for a while, especially since I knew the UFC would eat him up and spit him out.

I think as hardcore fans, we can be overly critical of MMA. The Fox show was a SHOW in the best sense of the word. There was the Fox booth, the analysis, the fight, the post fight analysis, all enshrouded in the Fox sports anthem, making it very familiar feeling to new fans even if they had never seen MMA before. I love how Fox is treating MMA just like another high profile sport.

I think the show ultimately did its job. People tuned in to see something exciting, and even though it was only 64 seconds long, it was exciting to me, and the casual fans I was watching it with. So I dunno how it translates, but I think it did a lot of very positive things for the sport. But I totally get how you feel.

Just wait: the second show will be better.

Can't wait for 139! Shogun vs Hendo, Silva vs Cung Le! Should be a good one. (Nice little plut at the end of the Fox broadcast for it)

[ConvoyGTR]

Yeah, personally I got nothing against Kimbo either, he saw an opportunity to make money and took it, I would too. I got a lot of respect for Kimbo on going to TUF and trying to prove himself. I hated everything around him and how everyone put him on this pedestal as this MMA god. Actually, I was so disgusted by that, that I never saw the Kimbo fight in protest.

Anyways, I totally agree with what you said. In hindsight I wonder if this event was even necessary with a few more months until the FOX deal kicks in and then give a full proper show, but hey, it is generating buzz on whatever level and that's good.

And dude, 139! What a stacked card! Can't Wait!

[pud333]

Who do you think takes it? Shogun or Hendo? My head says Hendo, my heart says Shogun. The big variable is if Shogun is healthy. He is constantly injured these past couple of years.

Also, I am in love with ring girl Brittney Palmer. I really just wanted to say that. my gf says she's my one free pass.