Second round for UFC on Fox
Date: 2011-12-04 00:00:00
Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/top/news?slug=ycn-10599337...
Submitted By: MMAFightsDump
From the beginning of the NFL on Fox venture, UFC President Dana White and Zuffa have expressed their desire to roll out the various aspects of mixed martial arts for the casual fan event by event instead of giving it to them all at once The first card was a colossal title fight between Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez that ended with a quick dos Santos KO and an onslaught of conflicting opinions on both sides of the argument over whether or not it was a good thing for the sport or not. AdChoices White told the media and fans it was all part of a more comprehensive plan and essentially only an appetizer for what the UFC had in store for the next few installments. Now, the UFC is rolling out phase two, with four of the sport's best wrestlers reportedly on display in Rashad Evans, Phil Davis, Chael Sonnen and Mark Munoz. Title shots are likely on the line in the light heavyweight division's Davis vs. Evans fight and the middleweight division with Sonnen vs. Munoz, and that adds the allure of the card. The UFC also is making a smart move by giving the fans more fights this time around in Chicago, as White reportedly said according to ESPN UK that the card will have three headlining fights. Whether or not the fans will enjoy wrestling-centric contests if that's what breaks out in the two announced fights is up in the air, however. Americans are quite familiar with the sport of wrestling both in high school and college and the obviously scripted WWE, and it's probably a more accessible martial art that jiu-jitsu at this point in time. The fans have also taken well to wrestlers in the past like Randy Couture, Tito Ortiz and many others considering that some good old fashioned ground and pound is likely to follow. Munoz, Sonnen and Evans also have shown very good striking skills at various points in their career and seem to be evolving as mixed martial artists. While the first choice here would have been to reserve a big name, guaranteed entertainer and big money draw like Anderson Silva or Brock Lesnar for the next UFC on Fox card considering the mixed feelings after the first event, the UFC is on the verge of putting together a nice card with both personality and strategic intrigue. Putting Silva or Lesnar on the card also likely would have resulted in big pay-per-view money losses as well. If they can round out its current slate of two with another more striker-friendly matchup, perhaps a Michael Bisping-Wanderlei Silva rematch as Silva said he wouldn't mind on his Twitter account or something similar, the UFC's second foray into network TV could give the fans everything they want this time around. You never know when a classic fight like the recent Dan Henderson vs. Shogun Rua clash will break out but at least this time around the UFC is giving itself more chances for a similar outcome and the network TV breakthrough it's been waiting to see.
