In just over three months, we’re going to be smashed in the face by UFC 200, a seminal moment in the company’s timeline. The headline is the highly anticipated McGregor-Diaz 2, with an undercard that already has Frankie Edgar battling Jose Aldo for the interim featherweight champion.
My first reaction was, “Awesome! A rematch of that awesome fight I just saw? Hell yeah!” But then I started to think about it and that’s when I started to ask myself, “What’s the point?”
This is supposed to be the UFC’s biggest event ever. Why would you put your biggest draw in a rematch against a fighter that means very little in the big picture? It’s not like Dana White would suddenly make Nate Diaz the poster boy of his company if he wins. There are no titles on the line. Even if McGregor wins, it only evens the record between the two and everyone will always hold the first fight in higher regard because Diaz waltzed in as a fill-in with little to no preparation.
So is UFC 200 actually going to be as big of a deal to the company? It might be, but not in the way that they’re hoping.