Opinion: High stakes event, low stake fights

Once again, Rousey isn’t helping herself. She officially burned her bridges with the UFC when the pay-per-view model was eliminated with the Paramount deal. Previously negotiating with the organization, the talks went south when she couldn’t count on PPV points and they were unwilling to give her a base salary to her liking. Thus, while Rousey never mentioned a thing about fighter pay prior to not getting a preferable payday, she now paints herself as a champion of the topic. The disingenuous nature of her change could be a turnoff for those familiar with her nature.

The way the contest came together doesn’t help the perception. Rousey has been ridiculed for being unable to show Holm any respect following her loss. For expecting -- and receiving -- special treatment when she challenged Amanda Nunes for the belt. For showing nothing but disdain toward the fans. Rousey came out a year or so ago and claimed she was unable to gain medical clearance to fight again due to concussions. That would be a viable reason, but why wait years to reveal that? Isn’t there considerable risk for wrestling in professional wrestling too? Why is it you can fight now when she’s facing an opponent who hasn’t stepped into a cage in 17 years? Rousey recently professed a new diagnosis stemmed from migraines, but it’s convenient timing.

Yep, you read that right: 17 years ago was the last time Carano stepped into a cage. Rousey claims she felt bad for Carano when she saw her appearance and wanted to do something for her. Is she sure that she wasn’t looking for a cash grab? That a contest with Carano wouldn’t be both the easiest contest and the biggest payday? As much as I respect Carano, the sport passed Rousey by a while ago. It had long passed Carano by when Rousey was still active. And while Carano has worked herself into fantastic shape -- and she will get a hell of a payday herself -- a single camp doesn’t make up for years of inactivity. In terms of star power and ability, this feels like the equivalent of the UFC making a fight between B.J. Penn and Conor McGregor. One name completely past their prime and likely having no business in combat sports anymore, the other who might still be relevant had they maintained their commitment to the sport, but shopworn otherwise.

Thus, the question is what are the stakes? It isn’t a legacy fight. No one cares about the third contest between Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell as they were well past their prime. It was a disaster of a contest. So was Mike Tyson and Jake Paul, a boxing match that saw another star of yesteryear return. Why would anyone expect Rousey and Carano to be any different given the massive similarities?

As for the other fights, Diaz is long past his prime and only seems interested in paydays. Perry washed out of the UFC. As impressive as he has been in BKFC, it also shows there’s levels between the UFC and BKFC. That keeps the stakes relatively low. And while Ngannou is the lineal UFC heavyweight champion, he’s had one MMA fight in four years in PFL. Like Diaz, Ngannou has been more interested in chasing boxing paydays than furthering his legacy. I’m not ripping on him for doing that, but interest in him has dropped significantly. Plus, while Phillipe Lins, Ngannou’s upcoming opponent, left the UFC with a winning record, none of those wins came at heavyweight.

Nevertheless, while the stakes for the individual contests are low, the potential for rewards are high. For the sake of the sport ,the UFC needs some competition. Their brass is getting lazy in terms of giving fans what they want. While none of the high-profile fights on the MVP card interest me, I hope the event does well. The young prospects on the card indicate they may be planning for the long run -- and force the UFC to up their game -- but the first event needs to go well. Not just in terms of viewership either. The contests need to be quality. There’s a lot working against it. But it also has something the UFC is struggling with: star power. That could be enough to push it over top. I pray it does.