UFC on FOX 3: How Does It Stack Up Against the First Two?

The UFC returns to FOX this weekend for its third installment of MMA action. 

The event comes to you from the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and features a main event contested by lightweights Nate Diaz and Jim Miller.

FOX's first MMA broadcast centered around a heavyweight title fight between Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos, but the decision to feature a single live fight proved disastrous, as fans who tuned in saw but 1:04 minutes of live action.

These flaws were done away with for UFC on FOX 2, which featured four live fights.

While the improvement was noticeable, both the UFC and FOX network are hoping that the third time is the charm and will be looking to put on the best show yet.

But will that be the case?

Let's take a glimpse at how Saturday's night of fights compares to its predecessors in terms of the undercard, main card, main event and overall.

The aforementioned formatting issues left the original UFC on FOX without a main card, so I've taken it upon myself to form one out of Ricardo Lamas vs. Cub Swanson, Dustin Poirier vs. Pablo Garza and Benson Henderson vs. Clay Guida.

The rest of the fight, excluding the main event, will be considered the de facto undercard for the purpose of these rankings. 

The Undercard

1. UFC on FOX 2

The second installment of the UFC's foray on the FOX network had the best undercard of the three. It featured Lavar Johnson's crushing knockout of Joey Beltran and Charles Oliveira's calf slicer finish of Eric Wisely.

The personality of this lead-in was formed by a handful of up-and-comers. Collectively, they provided a tasty appetizer for the night's main dish.

2. UFC on FOX 3

Like it predecessor, the undercard of UFC on FOX 3 features a bevy of young talent. Tony Ferguson, Michael Johnson, John Dodson, Tim Elliot, John Hathaway and Nick Denis are included on the card.

There is a lot of potential here for some fast-paced action with only one bout over welterweight set to take place. 

As was the case during the last FOX show, tuning into Fuel TV before the main card should whet your appetite for the main card quite nicely.

3. UFC on FOX 1

There were some solid fights on this event's undercard, but overall the action was quite limited. Only one finish quelled the night's excitement, and an accidental headbutt in the Robert Peralta vs. Mackens Semerzier fight was a drag.

All together, the six fights that comprise our undercard for this ranking were pretty lackluster.

The Main Card

1. UFC on FOX 3

Lavar Johnson versus Pat Barry? Yes please. Rousimar Palhares versus Alan Belcher? You're too kind! Josh Koscheck versus Johny Hendricks? If you insist.

This card has three meaningful and potentially entertaining fights. All three of these would fit in well on any PPV card, which makes the $0.00 price tag all the sweeter.

2. UFC on FOX 2

If I adhered a little more to a Marxist discourse, I would have put this one in a tie for first.

Chael Sonnen versus Michael Bisping was a heck of a matchup, and Chris Weidman versus Demian Maia was intriguing, even if the fight itself was a bit ho-hum.

3. UFC on FOX

Our de facto main card for the original FOX show included appearances from Dustin Poirer, Ben Henderson and Clay Guida. While those are some nice names, the only interesting contest was Henderson vs. Guida.

On the bright side, things only got better from here.

The Main Event

1. UFC on FOX

It was the only fight they broadcasted live, but at least it was a good one. Not so much in terms of entertainment, as it lasted a mere 1:04 minutes, but the matchup pitted the world's two best heavyweights (nearly a consensus at the time) against one another.

We really couldn't have asked for a better matchup.

2. UFC on FOX 3

While it's no heavyweight championship fight, Nate Diaz versus Jim Miller promises to bring a lot of excitement to your Saturday night.

The bout is an unofficial lightweight title eliminator that should not lack for pace or intensity.

3. UFC on FOX 2

Rashad Evans versus Phil Davis was not a poor matchup, but the writing was on the wall before the fight ever went down.

Definitely the least intriguing of the series' three main events thus far.

Overall

1. UFC on FOX 3

With two second places and a first in these rankings, UFC on FOX 3 should be the best event the network has hosted.

The card is solid from top to bottom with lots of young talent populating the undercard, intriguing fights characterizing the main card and a solid main event. 

2. UFC on FOX 2

While it lacked the type of main event that really revs up fans, the undercard and main card of UFC on FOX 2 was very strong.

The star power was also considerable, with Bisping, Sonnen and Evans being three of the sports most polarizing figures.

3. UFC on FOX

The main event was terrific, but the "main card" as a whole was mediocre. The plan to have a single fight main card was inherently flawed and that showed during the broadcast.

It also negatively influenced the strength of the event's undercard.