Jose Aldo (25-1) vs. Conor McGregor (17-2) at UFC 189 is the biggest fight of the year, all you have to do is look at the amount of promotional dollars the UFC has put into hyping the main event. Some people like me occasionally forget that welterweight champion Robbie Lawler (25-10-1) is defending his title against Rory MacDonald (18-2) in the co-main event on July 11.
It’s Okay to Drink the UFC 189 Hype Kool-Aid
As most fight fans know, hype and promos are fine but when the action doesn’t match the bill of goods that was sold; a bitter taste can sometimes linger in the mouth.
It’s tough sometimes. We get all jacked up for a fight thinking it’s going to be an epic showdown and what we sometimes observe is a staring contest with hugs mixed in for good measure; not the fight we were promised.
In boxing we just had Floyd “Money” Mayweather finally man up and fight an injured Manny Pacquiao in what was supposed to be the “Fight of the Century!” What we got was a snore fest of the decade. I even proclaimed in my 24 Hours Vancouver column that boxing was dead. It might not be dead across the world, but it will be hard to get the casual North American fan back.
Celebrities and rich people gathered from all around for a circle jerk and a boxing match at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The common man and woman watched the proceedings either by expensive pay-per-view or at the pub. Unfortunately, the actual fight was perceived by many to be a dud. Not to mention the undercard was just as underwhelming.
The boxing promoters put all their eggs in one basket and sold the Main Event without adding any real substance on the undercard. Styles make fights and this is the exact reason why I don’t think McGregor and Aldo will go down the painful path as Mayweather and Pacquiao did.
Conor likes to fight and he is not showing up to the same arena, where boxing took a big step back a few months ago, to relax on his laurels and fight scared. No he is coming to the MGM to take the title, entertain the masses, and to knock Aldo’s head off into the 10th row…according to him.
The champ is also not your typical boring fighter either and when pushed by McGregor, this fight could be one for the ages. At least that’s what we hope for right?
What UFC 189 has going for it though is a complete card full of fights that have a chance to give us pure pugilist entertainment. As mentioned, Robbie Lawler is defending his gold against Canadian Rory MacDonald in what could be a big time main event on any other card; instead it’s a five round appetizer before the main course. Yum.
We also get to see Gunnar Nelson go toe-to-toe with England’s John Hathaway in another welterweight scrap that could provide some sparks. The always exciting “One Punch” Brad Pickett will be adding more Irish blood to the card when he takes on undefeated Thomas Almeida. Let’s not forget Matt Brown looking to get back on the winning side of things when he battles Tim Means on the prelims.
So no matter how much hype the promotion puts on one fight, it’s the entire card that fight fans want to enjoy. Sure it’s not as stacked as previous cards from the glory days of the UFC but that was the past and this is the modern UFC. Not every bout will be an instant classic but lately the organization has been putting on some solid cards with some fantastic matchmaking.
So although there will be plenty of Kool-Aid being sold prior to July 11, feel free to drink it because McGregor vs. Aldo has all the possibilities of being a great fight and Lawler vs. MacDonald could also steal the show. It’s okay to get sucked into this one. July 11, 2015 can’t come soon enough.
Keep checking MMASucka.com as we will have more coverage leading into the big fight card.
