UFC on Fox 2: Fans Shouldn't Be Surprised with Lackluster Show

The first UFC on Fox had a fight that lasted a minute long, and the UFC’s second go at Fox tonight was less than spectacular.

In fact, if it wasn’t for Chael Sonnen and Michael Bisping going to war with one another, fans might go as far as to say the event was rather boring.

But what else did you expect from a fight card that featured important matchups rather than stylistic fights that would send the fans home happy.

In the main event, Rashad Evans dominated Phil Davis with a 50-45 unanimous decision. The fight wasn’t a brawl that will be forever remembered, but that came as no surprise when a conservative fighter like Evans met a young and still evolving Davis.

All too often, fans get caught up in looking at the names on the poster rather than the stylistic matchups they present. If you thought that tonight’s fights were going to be more than what was showcased, then you didn’t look into the matchups well enough.

Thank the Heavens that Bisping and Sonnen were matched up together, or this night could have really been a drag. Which leads me to ask the question, what was the UFC thinking when making this card for Fox?

Did they not expect these fights to pan out this way? Demian Maia was fighting a guy on 11 days notice (instead of boosting Evan Dunham and Nik Lentz to the main card), Sonnen and Bisping was a grappler vs. wrestler matchup and the main event turned out exactly how you would imagine it to.

The only good thing about these fights tonight is that the grudge matches between Anderson Silva and Sonnen and Jon Jones and Evans are going to happen this year.

Moving forward though, the next UFC on Fox card already has Jim Miller vs. Nate Diaz, so fight fans know that they’ll be getting an exciting fight when those two fighters step inside the Octagon.

Add in a few bantamweights and another exciting bout, and the UFC will show the mainstream audience what the hardcore fans are used to seeing.

Was this night a complete failure? It would be a stretch to say that, but it’s also safe to say that the UFC probably didn’t gain many new fans with those performances tonight.