Viewpoint: No Network Nightmare

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The moment had finally arrived.

It came 18 years after the Ultimate Fighting Championship was conceived in Denver; three months after UFC President Dana White beamed like a proud papa at a news conference announcing his company’s newest partnership; 30 minutes after the unlikely trio of White, Curt Menefee and Brock Lesnar set the table for the promotion’s next potential watershed event.

And then, just 64 seconds later, it was over.

With one thudding, overhand right, Junior dos Santos ended Cain Velasquez’s title reign before it began, and, with no other bouts to occupy the evening’s airtime, the UFC’s much ballyhooed debut on Fox.

“What a night. What a finish -- basically, it was just getting started,” quipped Menefee, moments after the newly crowned champion gave an emotional post-fight interview in the Octagon.

On Saturday, the rest of the world found out what MMA devotees have known for years: a heavyweight bout in a cage is usually a sprint, not a marathon, even when the combatants come as capable as dos Santos and Velasquez.

In a perfect world, dos Santos-Velasquez would have gone the distance, giving viewers the opportunity to see what two well-conditioned big men in their primes could do in the Octagon -- a more technical reprisal of the Stephan Bonnar-Forrest Griffin brawl at “The Ultimate Fighter 1” Finale. Each fight is a different canvas, however, and the one painted inside the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., was one of a precise striker laying claim to a throne that he might not relinquish for quite some time.

In the days leading up to the bout, White admitted that he was a “wreck” and that he could not wait “for Saturday to be over with.” In his pre-fight analyst’s chair, he did not look the part of the cocksure UFC boss he usually is during most interviews. He need not have been nervous, because even if the UFC on Fox 1 did not hit the ball out of the ballpark, it was at least a standup double for the organization, setting the table for future fight cards to gain a foothold in the national conscience.

In hindsight, it is easy to say that one more bout should have been included on the broadcast, with the rollicking lightweight battle between Ben Henderson and Clay Guida being the obvious candidate, but White did not really have a choice in that matter. Fox executives wanted one bout for one hour, and that is what they received.


The coverage of the fight was better than anticipated, as the network did a solid job building a narrative for both fighters while not alienating longtime fans with an overdose of MMA 101.

Landing the famously reclusive Lesnar on the panel was a coup, too, if not for his firsthand experience with Velasquez, then for the simple fact that the hulking Minnesotan remains the UFC’s biggest draw.

“There I am lurking in the shadows,” Lesnar said. “I’m excited to be back, be healthy, fight Alistair Overeem and get back what is rightfully mine -- the UFC heavyweight title.”

Lesnar might not be everyone’s favorite personality, but getting the eyes of the Fox audience on the former champion should help with pay-per-view buys for his bout with Overeem at UFC 141 on Dec. 30.


Combat sports took center stage at the beginning of last week, when the passing of boxing legend Joe Frazier prompted a series of heartfelt eulogies from members of the media who could remember a time when the heavyweight showdown was the country’s signature sporting event. The week ended with Manny Pacquiao, a man many say is boxing’s current pound-for-pound finest, eking out a controversial majority decision in the third bout of his trilogy with Juan Manuel Marquez. There is hope that the narrow triumph keeps alive hopes of a super fight between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. Between those two bookend moments was the UFC, celebrating its 18th birthday on its biggest stage yet with a free heavyweight title fight.

Such an offering might have old-school boxing promoters rolling over in their graves, but that is the way the UFC does business. You have to give something to get something, and what Saturday’s main event lacked in length, it more than made up for it in other areas. There would be no controversial scoring to leave first-time viewers with the bitter aftertaste of a questionable decision. Instead, they were left to marvel at the swiftness and efficiency with which dos Santos dispatched an opponent who had never previously tasted defeat. There would be no serious injuries in the cage to give ammunition to detractors who still hold fast to the antiquated view that MMA is little more than a glorified bar fight. Velasquez was coherent after the disappointing loss and, in the aftermath, expressed the resolve of a champion.

“I just wanted to say sorry to all the fans, my friends and family. I disappointed you. I will come back, and I will get this belt back, for sure,” he said.

There would be no speculation regarding the status of the next heavyweight MMA super fight, unlike the on-again, off-again dalliance between Pacquiao and Mayweather. It is common knowledge that the Lesnar-Overeem winner -- barring injury -- gets the next crack at dos Santos. “Cigano” did not want to dampen his championship celebration by looking too far ahead, but he acknowledged the looming bout.

“I never choose any opponent, so it doesn’t matter [who wins] ... but, of course, I will be watching the fight,” he said.

All things considered, the night went well for the UFC. Those who want to complain about the lack of fight time on Saturday are simply splitting hairs. There is no script in sports, no perfectly written ending for live competition. The UFC and Fox will dance four times in 2012, and you can expect a more traditional fight card to appear on the network then. For now, it is best to appreciate the 64 seconds of history that occurred in the Octagon in Anaheim.

In terms of building a global empire, Walt Disney was a man who achieved the kind of success White and the UFC can only dream about. “Always leave them wanting more,” he once said. That is what made Saturday so special. It has the feel of building to something greater. As it turns out, Menefee was right. Things are just getting started.