Tonight’s UFC Fight Night 45: Cerrone vs. Miller card takes place at Revel Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and it’s somewhat fitting that a short week and a half removed from UFC’s International Fight Week, which emanated from the fight capital of the world Las Vegas, Nevada, the UFC’s next promotional offering takes place in Sin City’s oft-overlooked little brother.
Sure, Atlantic City may have the same attention-grabbing features as Vegas on the surface: casinos, hotels, and strip clubs, oh my! But nobody’s confuses it with Sin City any more than they’d assume their Big Mac was from a five star restaurant despite containing the same basic ingredients.
Vegas is the destination spot you plan a trip to with your college buddies months in advance; AC is the weekend getaway when you’re tired of seeing the same faces at the same local bars.
So it only makes sense that while “Red, White, and Fight” week gave fans of mixed martial arts their first “big fight feel” of 2014 and commanded their attention, Fight Night 45 is the platonic ideal of inconsequence.
This isn’t a criticism mind you, just a simple assessment of the situation. And as long these events are appropriately (and thankfully this week has been utterly devoid of Dana White blustering that we’re not “real fight fans” if we don’t watch), the discrepancy is more than welcome.
We’ve seen what happens when the UFC tries this approach with a lackluster card, as the underwhelming UFC 174 tanked at the box office. They’ve already appeared to have learned their lesson as 176 was cancelled in lieu of another bomb, and this week of pre-fight hype only reinforces that message.
The UFC has made the right move here, offering a minimally promising card while asking for suitably minimal investment. You’d be hard-pressed to find fans willing to give up a Saturday night for this card, especially if it involved opening up their wallets. Ask them to tune into Fox Sports late on a Wednesday evening during the notoriously dead television summer season however, and you’re in business.
That kind of commitment doesn’t necessitate anything but the promise of some ephemeral pugilistic pleasure, and Fight Night 45’s main event promises nothing but that.
Jim Miller and Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone’s best days, and title hopes, are behind them. They’re a combined 6-1 in their last seven fights, but have faltered when trying to make that leap into title contention. Cowboy was finished with a relative ease by incumbent champion Anthony Pettis, and both fighters suffered lopsided losses to lightweight stalwarts Benson Henderson and Nate Diaz.
But none of that matters tonight, as like their recently-retired lightweight brethren BJ Penn, both men epitomize the mantra of “just scrap.” Five of those aforementioned six wins were finishes, and neither man has ever met a slugfest he didn’t like.
They may be a little late for Independence Day festivities, but once that cage door closes and Bruce Buffer’s voice has faded from the loudspeakers, these two will be sure to deliver some fireworks over Revel tonight.
Just like those fireworks, they’ll be delivering shock and awe from the opening salvo. And also like those fireworks, they’ll burn out at their brightest, the momentary thrill they provide will be nothing a faded memory. Placating us for the night, but having faded in the morning, leaving us in search for that next cheap thrill.
But hey, we knew what to expect and we still look forward to those fireworks every year don’t we?
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