With her recent successful title defence against legitimate featherweight contender, Holly Holm, Cris Cyborg took a big step in building her featherweight division.
Her upcoming title defence against relatively unknown, Yana Kunitskaya is a big step backwards.
UFC 222 was left in limbo after Max Holloway was forced to pull out of his main event title defence with Frankie Edgar due to an ankle injury. The event was almost rebranded as a free Fox Sports show after there were no realistic title fights to save the pay per view.
The event will now go ahead as planned after the Brazilian agreed to put her featherweight title on the line against the former Invicta FC bantamweight champion, Kunitskaya who oddsmakers have as a 10-1 underdog.
While it would have made more sense to rebook the event as a free ‘Fight Night’ with Edgar taking on fast-rising contender Brian Ortega in a non-title main event, the organisation asked Cyborg to save the pay per view.
Although this makeshift main event makes little competitive sense, the UFC is expecting fans to pay just to see the Brazilian Juggernaut put on yet another destructive performance.
The offer for UFC 222 was far from Cyborg’s plans as she seeks to cement herself as the Queen of a legitimate featherweight division. Holly Holm has been the only real featherweight she has fought in the UFC as she has easily destroyed smaller bantamweights in catchweight bouts.
While the fight offers little for Cyborg’s legacy, for her, it shows that she can be a company woman and build a better relationship with her employer.
“When [the UFC] called saying they needed a new main event, we saw this as an opportunity to prove to everyone that Cris Cyborg can be a company girl and that I’m willing to step up when the promotion needs it” said Cyborg in a recent interview with the LA times.
Cyborg has been frustrated by the slow growth of her newly minted women’s featherweight division as well as her promotion and marketing.
The organisation has previously stated they are seeking a super fight with bantamweight champion, Amanda Nunes. However, Cyborg openly stated she wanted to see her division grow against suitable opposition as opposed to a short-term money fight.
She has actively sought fights against genuine featherweight contenders such as Australian, Megan Anderson. The inaugural champion, Germaine de Randamie refused to defend against her, citing Cyborg’s past use of performance enhancing substances. In the age of extreme USADA testing, that argument did not fly and the UFC rightly stripped her of the title.
The fact that the UFC will seek to match the Brazilian knock-out artist against bantamweights or try to make short-sighted super fights and expect fans to pay just for her star power, has caused some angst between Cyborg and the UFC brass.
She has longed for the promotion to put energy behind the featherweight roster and bring in some more suitable competition. But she now appears willing to put that behind her and show them she can be a team player.
By proving she can take the high road and help them when they need it most, Cyborg deserves for the UFC to listen to her concerns, and help her build a strong women’s featherweight division.
Although she has solidified herself as one of the most destructive forces in Women’s MMA she will only be remembered as the greatest featherweight pioneer if she can fight and defend against the best female featherweights.
It is now up to the UFC to find and nurture that talent and bring them to the Octagon. Cris Cyborg will be waiting.
BigJ
Roar Guru
Here is more evidence that backs up my theory, UFC fight posters, I have collection of fight posters that I obtained through different means and sell them on EBay (no I don't use BigJ as my ebay account) UFC 217 and 220 I could not sale quick enough but I cant give away 216, 218 or even 219. I not even going to bother putting on 221 as I know it wont sell, unless some bloke in Perth wants it as keep sake. The interest in these "just for the sake of having another PPV" cards will be the demise of the UFC. As we all agree, quality not quantity fight cards. Could not interest anyone in a UFC fight poster????
Kavvy
Guest
My own buying rate for PPV's lines up perfectly with your analysis, it's only every third PPV I am buying and not because of any budgetary constraints, just cos I only buy cards I deem worthy. UFC217 and UFC 220 were well worth it and I am looking forward to UFC 223 with Khabib v Tony and the Joanna Rose rematch but doubt I'll buy another card until the DC v Stipe card at UFC 226. That is literally every third card because the two in between are always weak and not worthy of being full PPV cards
BigJ
Roar Guru
The Ufc is doing the same stupid things that wcw (world championship wrestling) did back into the late 90s before the company fell apart. They brought in a whole bunch of non passionate money chasers and sacked all the people that built the company into the number one wrestling company in the world. UFC needs their passion players back as aposed to these no idea bottom liners who only care about money. It seems that the ufc is going to destroy itself
James Bakker
Roar Rookie
I totally agree that they should focus on quality over quantity - I don't believe they should do PPV every month and should separate them a bit more. I also feel as though its harder to make stars with the Reebok deal as everyone just looks the same and they cant be individuals.
BigJ
Roar Guru
that's two PPV that have been changed now, the year started off with the best possible start with UFC 220, but now the wheels are starting to fall off. I sense that the beginning of the end is coming for the UFC, much like the Bitcoin fad its all down hill form here. The UFC has no clear cash cow that they can use to get up for a PPV event and so they create more PPV to fill the void. The revenue that UFC 217 generated would take three or four other PPV to create, now that GSP is injured again, McGregor not fighting, Rousey pretending to play tough girl in the WWE and many of the experts of the UFC (Liddell, Goldberg etc) replaced by money chasing accountants that have no idea about the UFC, this late minute replacement changes to ppv will happen more often. I appreciate that injuries will and do happen in training for a fight but since the UFC has increased its PPV status to about one a month, it puts more pressure on fighters to stay in shape and that causes injuries. The UFC should focus on quality rather the quantity events and stop worrying about the bottom line as it will take care of itself through quality PPV. Learn from the WWE mistakes, too much PPV that are crap just to increase the renune margins with Wrestlemanina constantly saving the day. It is better to have eight great PPV a year instead of twelve poor ones.