When mixed martial arts fans learned that there were no plans to air the Clay Guida vs. Ben Henderson undercard fight on Saturday’s UFC on FOX special, even if the Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos main-event ended quickly, disappointment emerged. Why would UFC even consider not doing everything possible to air a match deemed as must-see by so many long-time MMA fans?
One would assume UFC President Dana White, in some respects, shares a demand to see that fight. But in terms of Saturday’s show, White is fine with the decision to focus on the heavyweight championship.
Speaking to Headline Planet during a media conference call this week, White noted that UFC’s deal with FOX does not formally start until 2012; Saturday’s show is a way to kick things off with a bang. Consequently, the goal wasn’t to deliver the normal show UFC fans will get on big FOX–a show that will typically be 90 minutes and contain 2-3 live fights–but to put the company’s biggest foot forward and return to the glory days of broadcasting heavyweight title bouts on free TV.
“We’re not only bringing big fights back to television, we’re bringing the heavyweight championship of the world,” said White. “It’s about the heavyweight championship of the world just like Ali vs. Frazier and all the big fights from back in the glory days of boxing. We went with Cain vs. JDS because it’s going to be very exciting.”
In re-capturing that glory, it made sense to keep the UFC show focused on the biggest prize possible–the heavyweight championship. The undercard fights could prove exciting, but White publicly contends that could take away from the special moment the company wants to put together for fans.
So committed to a heavyweight focus is White that he confirmed December 30’s UFC 141, featuring heavyweights Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem in a number one contendership bout, will receive far more promotional attention on UFC on FOX than next weekend’s UFC 139, headlined by light heavyweights Dan Henderson and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. White said that as of Wednesday, both UFC 141 headliners were set to be on-hand for the FOX show.
Ultimately, White and FOX believe this arrangement will be best for attracting new fans. And in the spirit of attracting new fans, the UFC president confirms there will be some aspects of the broadcast tailored to those with little-to-know mixed martial arts and UFC experience.
“Now that it’s going to be on FOX and we know we’re speaking to a wider, broader audience that may not know much about mixed martial arts and has probably never seen the UFC before it’s going to be different than a typical UFC event,” said White. “There’s going to be more storytelling and explaining on who we are, what this is and what these athletes are about.”
