Yesterday’s announcement of the long-rumored Anderson Silva versus Nick Diaz bout for next January’s UFC 183 card was met with near unanimous praise from the notoriously ornery mixed martial arts fanbase.
However, MMA fans are an insatiable bunch. With that fight being scheduled so far down the road, the collective thought process went from focusing on how exciting the prospect of Silva/Diaz was to where the bout’s scheduled date left UFC 178.
Recently, rumors have circulated among media and fans that the UFC has a secret bout in the works for September’s UFC 178. Anchored by a UFC Light Heavyweight Championship match between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormi, and supported by a cast including featherweight phenomenon Conor McGregor and returning former UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz, UFC 178 already looks to be one of the best cards in recent history.
This purported mystery bout is expected to propel UFC 178 into a new stratosphere occupied only by the likes of the hallowed UFC 100. The returns of Silva and Diaz certainly fit the bill; many expected this bout to be announced for September’s card. Since that’s clearly not the case, let’s take a look at the remaining possibilities, from the probable to the nigh impossible.
Ronda Rousey versus Gina Carano
This prospective bout has been right up there with Silva/Diaz as the most talked about attraction the UFC could conceivably book. With one off the table, Rousey/Carano appears to be the odds-on favorite to be 178‘s surprise contest. We know negotiations between the UFC and Carano have been ongoing; could the reported difficulties simply be promotional smoke and mirrors?
There are two major roadblocks stopping this fight from becoming a reality. While the exact condition of her contract negotiations can be obfuscated, Carano’s past cannot not. “Conviction” was notorious for having issues with her weight when she fought in Strikeforce at 145 pounds, thus her ability to make 135 pounds should certainly be called into question.
As for the champion herself, Rousey made it know she had some injuries to deal with after her title defense at UFC 175 earlier this month. Considering how often she’s fought and how little time there is between her last bout and UFC 178, it seems unlikely the UFC would risk their biggest star if she wasn’t completely ready regardless of the caliber of her opponent.
The UFC Debut of Eddie Alvarez
Looking outside of the UFC, the biggest name the UFC could poach is current Bellator Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez. Alvarez’s mired quest to fight in the UFC has been well-documented, but with Bellator’s recent change in leadership now might be “The Pitbull’s” best chance at getting out of the promotions he’s been more-or-less indentured too.
Alvarez couldn’t come in and fight for the title right away as current champion Anthony Pettis has a date in December with Gilbert Melendez after the two wrap up coaching season 20 of The Ultimate Fighter. Still, bouts with the likes of top contender Benson Henderson or the always game Donald Cerrone would be more than welcome additions to 178.
Neither of those fights are at the level of notoriety the mystery bout is supposed to be at however. Alvarez is a relatively well-known and well-respected fighter sure, but he doesn’t have any tangible star power outside of being one half of the first ever UFC/Bellator title unification bout.
Lesnar/Fedor? GSP? CM Punk? Bigfoot?
The rest of the rampant speculation is fun conjecture but nothing of substance. Two of the most intriguing bouts fans are wishing for include Dana White’s white whale matchup of Brock Lesnar versus Fedor Emelianenko and the UFC return of Georges St-Pierre. Aside from the obvious restrictions (Lesnar is currently signed to the WWE and competing for their heavyweight championship in August at SummerSlam, Fedor is retired and has been since 2012, and GSP is recovering from ACL surgery), neither bout is one the UFC would announce with only two months to promote, and as a co-main event no less.
The MMA debut of former professional wrestler CM Punk would certainly fit the bill of providing a major boost to pay-per-view sales as Brock Lesnar’s debut showed just how much a dedicated pro-wrestling fanbase can move the proverbial needle. It’s certainly possible logistically as Punk’s WWE contract expired in mid-July and he hasn’t been on the road or in the ring since January, but the bout would be a farce. While Lesnar had a prestigious amateur wrestling background, Punk has no such skills to speak of despite what Rener Gracie might have you believe.
Or Maybe Nothing, and that’s Okay
The way things are shaping up, the most likely scenario is that there is no mystery bout and once again the MMA media and fans have perpetuated a baseless rumor. Silva/Diaz was a realistic option, but it was the only viable one. The rest of these fights are pipe dreams that may or may not ever come to fruition, let alone in two short months.
So for now, instead of asking for more, maybe we should sit back and enjoy what we’re getting. If there is some major fight waiting in the wings, all the better. But if we can’t enjoy a card with one of the most intriguing title fights in UFC history, the return of a champion, and the possible prelude to the coronation of another, maybe we don’t deserve anything extra to begin with.
Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow me on Twitter – @LWOSCarlucci. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter –@LastWordOnSport – and “liking” our Facebook page.
For the latest sports injury news, check out our friends at Sports Injury Alert.
For more great MMA interviews with the biggest fight stars on the planet, remember to check out Hammer MMA Radio on 93.3 CFMU or find their latest episodes on LWOS. Hammer Radio features interviews from some of the industry’s biggest stars. You can find the latest on the Hammer @SteveJeffery.
