The Doggy Bag: UFC 100 Edition

Why is there so much hype about UFC 100? It’s not the 100th card promoted by the company, and the card is headlined by a 3-1 “champion” named Brock Lesnar. What gives? On paper, there have been far superior cards, but the fans and media are hailing this overrated garbage as if it were a stacked Pride Fighting Championships card back in the day. After all is said and done, I guarantee this event will not stack up to stupendous action cards like Pride 13 and UFC 49.
-- Paulo, Philadelphia

Brian Knapp, associate editor: No offense, Paulo, but this is not a hard egg to crack. It boils down to marketing. The number 100 has universal appeal, and UFC President Dana White & Co. were smart to use it to their advantage. No one cares how many official shows the UFC has promoted. UFC 100 just has a nice ring to it.

Like it or not, Lesnar has emerged as the biggest draw in mixed martial arts. Pay-per-view numbers and revenues do not lie. His performances in the cage since he lost to Frank Mir in his UFC debut may have fallen short of flawless, but no one can argue with the results. He dominated Heath Herring and Randy Couture, and most pundits now consider him a top 10 heavyweight. Crucify me for saying this, but he now carries a certain amount of legitimacy into the cage.

Few outside Zuffa LLC headquarters dispute there have been stronger cards on paper, but no one will know whether or not the hype surrounding UFC 100 came with equal substance until after the final blow flies on July 11. Many shows have been skewered by pre-fight analysis, only to turn the tables when the violence actually plays out in the cage.

No sane man can call the UFC 100 lineup “garbage.” Four of the world’s top 10 welterweights, two of its top 10 heavyweights and one of its top 10 middleweights, along with three “The Ultimate Fighter” winners, will compete at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. I think you should revisit your stance.

Will UFC 100 live up to all the hype? Probably not, but does anyone really expect it to?