The Greatest MMA News Column 07.13.10: I'm Not Paying for That

Posted by Dan Plunkett on 07.13.2010

411's Dan Plunkett takes a look at Lesnar vs. Velasquez headlining UFC 121, Batista, and Dream.15. Plus, a look at whether "throwaway" lackluster UFC cards are really as bad as they seem on paper! All this and much more; check out the full article for details!

It has been said that the fans of mixed martial arts are the most knowledgeable, passionate, and "best" fans in all of sports. The validity of these claims is highly debatable. How can MMA fans be the most knowledgeable when the majority probably couldn't identify the greatest fighter in the sports history, Fedor Emelianenko, if he was standing in front of them on a street corner in Moscow? Can fans that boo fighters because of what they deem as inactivity be labeled "passionate" about the sport? Something that isn't debatable though is that we're really talented at complaining. If you put your mind to it and take five minutes out of your day you will find a thread on the Underground or Sherdog complaining about whatever MMA-related topics you can think of. From Shane Carwin shaving his head when he should have kept his hair growing out to the direction insert-company-name-here is taking, there are complaints for pretty much anything you can imagine. I'm not immune to complaining about the sport myself – I do it every week in this very column.

Perhaps nothing short of a horrendously botched decision gets MMA fans riled up more than a UFC deemed unsatisfactory by the public; especially if it's on pay-per-view. Typically, this criticism is reserved for cards lacking a title bout. Since UFC 52, the dawning of the modern UFC era of global domination, 19 major events have lacked a card featuring a UFC champion. Not all of these events are "throw away cards," a term I use because it seems people would rather throw away $45 rather than spend it on a card judging by their reaction to it. With two more throw away cards being announced (UFC 119 and 120), I'll take a look at the UFC's history of these events, come up with a solid definition of "throw away cards," and finally see if they're actually worth dishing out the dough for.

Here are the signs that you may be watching a throw away card:

1. The event is on PPV. Any event shown for free is not a throw away card. Sure, they usually don't feature title fights, but fans aren't forced to pay for them. These events are gifts. I don't care if the main event is Bisping vs. Leben; if it's not on PPV, there's no real reason to complain.

2. You aren't sure who the past two opponents of a main event fighter were. This could be deceiving, but if you frequent MMA websites and can't name the past two opponents of one or both main event fighters, chances are not many people are buying the PPV. (Example: Yushin Okami at UFC 72).

3. The main event is held at a catch-weight. These fights usually have little relevance and were just thrown together for one reason or another. (See Franklin, Rich).

4. The event sneaks up on you. In other words, it just so happens you walk into a bar on Saturday night and there's a UFC card on. If the event is highly anticipated, such UFC 114 featuring Rampage Jackson vs. Rashad Evans, it's not a throw away card.

5. The under card doesn't feature a fight where the winner is one win away from a title shot. Even if it does, it doesn't guarantee that it's not a throw away card because it's not guaranteed said fighter will win their next fight and get a title shot, but it helps. (Example: UFC 78).

6. Both fighters in the main event are coming off of a loss. The fight usually isn't relevant if this is the case, though there are exceptions. (Example: UFC 115).

Those are the warning signs of a throw away event. Under that criterion, 9 events since UFC 52 were throw away events. Those events are:

UFC 72 (Franklin vs. Okami)
UFC 78 (Evans vs. Bisping)
UFC 93 (Henderson vs. Franklin)
UFC 99 (Franklin vs. Silva)
UFC 103 (Franklin vs. Belfort)
UFC 106 (Ortiz vs. Griffin II)
UFC 108 (Evans vs. Silva)
UFC 109 (Couture vs. Coleman)
UFC 115 (Liddell vs. Franklin)



Rich Franklin: King of the Throw Away Cards

Two cards, UFC 96 and 102 were on the fence for different reasons. UFC 96 featured a fight where the winner should have gone on to fight the champion, however unforeseen circumstances put a stop to that. No matter, the under card also featured Shane Carwin in a win over Gabriel Gonzaga. At the time, it was thought that the winner would be another win away from a title shot, which makes it a relevant fight and thus I would lean towards not considering it a throw away card. UFC 102 had a battle of legends in Couture vs. Nogueira in the main event. Prior to the bout I believed Couture could earn a title shot with an impressive win, though Nogueira would have needed another victory for a title shot. On the under card, Nate Marquardt fought Demain Maia in a fight where the winner would at most be one win away from a title shot. That, to me, takes it off the throw away card list.

Now that we have 9 fight cards defined as throw away cards, let's take a look at the quality. Going into these events the fighters know that fans aren't particularly excited about the card (Dana White always makes sure to let them know). As a result, these types of cards have gained a reputation for being some of the most exciting events the UFC has ever put on. UFC 72 had Clay Guida vs. Tyson Griffin in a great fight. Houston Alexander choke slammed Thiago Silva at UFC 78, but I admit not much else happened at that event. Marcus Davis and Chris Lytle had a memorable slugfest at UFC 93, as did Wanderlei Silva and Rich Franklin at UFC 99. Every main card fight had a finish at UFC 103. UFC 106 had a great performance from Rogerio Nogueira and an awesome fight in Josh Koscheck vs. Anthony Johnson. January's UFC 108 featured remarkable finishes such as Cole Miller's submission of Dan Lauzon and Paul Daley's knockout. Then, of course, UFC 109 was highlighted by an incredible performance from Chael Sonnen.

The point is that besides UFC 78 which was just terrible, these throw away cards make up for a lack of relevance and star power with action. That brings me to the recently announced UFC 119 card. At this point, the card is a throw away card, but I believe it will follow the trend and deliver the goods. I haven't been excited to see Mir vs. Nogueira II since Minotauro was knocked out by Cain Velasquez, but it does make sense as not only will it prove who the better man is but it may be a fight for relevancy as well. Frank Mir has lost to Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin in brutal fashion and one has to wonder how he's going to beat this next generation of heavyweights. Nogueira has been through so many wars throughout the years he may not have a whole lot left in him. In other action, Rogerio Nogueira vs. Ryan Bader is a very relevant fight in the light heavyweight division and the winner could be only another win away from a title shot. Not to mention if Evan Dunham beats Sean Sherk he'll be in the elite of the lightweight division. Plus, Sean McCorkle, legend of the Underground, takes on Mark Hunt. What more could a fan ask for?

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News!

Jacare vs. Tim Kennedy to determine Strikeforce Middleweight Champion. I would have loved to see a tournament spanned over a few events, but it won't be happening for some reason. Jacare definitely deserves the title fight but I believe Kennedy is getting the title fight because of Jason Miller's suspension. Kennedy would have been in the middleweight tournament anyway and he has continued to impress me over his last few fights but I would have preferred to see him take on a high level Strikeforce middleweight prior to getting a title shot. No matter, I'm looking forward to seeing Kennedy's strategy against Jacare.

Scott Coker: [Brock Lesnar] made the crossover. Why not Batista? I haven't heard anyone say a negative thing about Scott Coker as a human being. This, however, is one of the most idiotic statements I have ever heard from anyone, let alone the head of a fairly well known MMA promotion. I will answer Scott's question with two points because there's really no need to go any further. Point #1: Dave Batista is 41-years-old. Point #2: He has no amateur wrestling background like Lesnar had and no proven success in any martial arts competition whatsoever. End of discussion.

Dream.15 was this weekend. I still don't get HDNet. However, I have seen the important parts and have written this report and said portions of the card:

• Shinya Aoki will beat anyone at lightweight he can get to the floor that isn't as good at submissions as him. It took me about four years to come to this conclusion. Sadly for him, everyone at the top of the division (Edgar, Penn, Melendez) can avoid the ground game and out-class him standing.

• Jake O'Brien wasn't given adequate notice for his fight against Gegard Mousasi and it showed.

• Is Mousasi (29-3-1) vs. Tatsuya Mizuno (8-5) the worst tournament final of a tournament that nobody had any hopes for at all of all time? It has to at least be in the running.

Matt Serra vs. Chris Lytle II set for UFC 119. My sources have confirmed this bout. Let's hope it's better than the first fight.

Lesnar vs. Velasquez to headline UFC 121 in Anaheim. This is a fight that should finally pack the house in Anaheim for the UFC. As I said last week, it will be really interesting what the press coverage is for this fight considering Velasquez isn't really well known and Lesnar isn't coming off a long layoff due to sickness.

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That's it for this week. Thanks a lot for reading and I hope you enjoyed. Feel free to leave feedback in the comment box or at the e-mail address below. You can follow me on Twitter if you please.