Of course, the landscape has changed a lot in the time since the UFC got its landmark broadcast deal with Fox.
As in, numerous big-name champions have bowed out for one reason or another, leaving a noticeable vacuum, at least for the casual fan.
Perhaps that trend is reversing itself now.
The best example came this week when UFC president Dana White confirmed Ronda Rousey will return to the octagon Dec. 30.
As the headliner for UFC 207, Rousey will try to take reclaim the bantamweight title she held since its inception in 2013.
The current champion is Amanda Nunes, who is the third woman to have the belt since Rousey lost it to Holly Holm in a November 2015 fight that ruined Rousey’s perfect pro record.
Holm then lost to Miesha Tate, who subsequently couldn’t beat Nunes.
If you weren’t aware of that, don’t feel bad. You’re probably not in the minority.
Like most sports, stars are what drive interest in the UFC, especially for the casual fan (no on questions the devotedness of hard-core UFC fans, who found MMA more than a decade before the mainstream).
Rousey is one of (if not) the biggest, but her fight isn’t the only one on the calendar featuring a big-time matchup.
In November, Conor McGregor will headline UFC 206 when he fights lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez.
Credit: Michael Reaves
Credit: Michael Reaves
McGregor, the featherweight champ, could be considered currently the male equivalent to Rousey in terms of name recognition and drawing power.
He’s an outspoken (OK, loud-mouthed) fighter with an intriguing skill set who also took a division by storm before suffering a loss. In McGregor’s case, it was to Nate Diaz in a welterweight bout that wasn’t for a belt.
The McGregor-Alvarez fight is a good representation of where the UFC stands in terms of mainstream attention, too.
Alvarez, a veteran fighter and a deserving champion, has roughly 50,000 Twitter followers.
McGregor, who came on the scene much more recently, has more than 2.5 million. (Rousey has 3.2 million.)
McGregor also headlined August’s UFC 202 when he won a rematch over Diaz, and the September PPV was strong, too, with a heavyweight title fight (always a draw) and a pop culture angle thanks to the octagon debut of WWE star CM Punk.
Those all drove plenty of attention for the sport, so maybe it’s about to go on another run of good buzz.
Only time will tell, but perhaps Rousey’s comeback in December won’t be the only one.
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