UFC 183 Results: 4 Burning Questions Heading into Fight Night 60

UFC 183 is in the books. The results are as follows:

UFC 183 Main Card

• Anderson Silva def. Nick Diaz, unanimous decision (49-46, 50-45, 50-45)
• Tyron Woodley def. Kelvin Gastelum, split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
• Al Iaquinta def. Joe Lauzon, TKO (Round 2, 3:34)
• Thales Leites def. Tim Boetsch, submission (Round 2, 3:45)
• Thiago Alves def. Jordan Mein, TKO (Round 2, 0:39)

Prelims on Fox Sports 1

• Miesha Tate def. Sara McMann, majority decision (29-28, 29-27, 28-28)
• Derek Brunson def. Ed Herman, TKO (Round 1, 0:36)
• John Lineker def. Ian McCall, unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Rafael Natal def. Tom Watson, unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)

Fight Pass Prelims

• Diego Brandao vs. Jimy Hettes—Cancelled
• Ildemar Alcantara def. Richardson Moreira, split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Thiago Santos def. Andy Enz, TKO (Round 1, 1:56)

Next up? UFC Fight Night 60 on February 14.

As you may notice, UFC Fight Night 60 gets a measly four burning questions. That is a radical departure from the normal seven to ten you typically see here.

The reason? Well, basically the card is super-duper bad.

Brandon Thatch may or may not be in the main event. Past that, streaking unknowns Neil Magny and Max Holloway and flyweights Zach Makovsky and Tim Elliott stick out as the only interesting fighters on the card.

So what can we talk about moving into next week? Find out right here!

What the Heck Will the Main Event Be?

USA TODAY Sports

The Fight: Brandon Thatch vs. TBA
The Real Fight: Brandon Thatch vs. Somebody? Anybody, Please Help!

The Stakes

Matt Brown vs. Tarec Saffiedine was supposed to be the main event for this card, but that fight fell apart when Saffiedine pulled up lame (huge surprise, right?). Then, the new headliner, Stephen Thompson vs. Brandon Thatch, fell apart due to an injury to Thompson. Now, 14 days away from fight night, we have no idea what will happen with the UFC's Broomfield, Colorado, event.

The Question

What the heck will the main event be?

Analysis

Not good, folks!

It's tough to peg what will happen, but it will most likely not be good. It is a disappointment regardless, as Thompson was by far the most compelling fighter on the card. 

Either way, buckle in for a wacky week.

UPDATE: Shortly after the publication of this article, Fox Sports 1 reported that Fight Night 60's new main event would be Brandon Thatch vs. former lightweight champion Benson Henderson in a one-off welterweight fight. You can read Bleacher Report's coverage here.

Will the UFC Ever Stop Undercutting Its Lower-Weight-Class Fighters?

Gregory Payan/Associated Press

The Fight: N/A
The Real Fight: Perception vs. Reality

The Stakes

There are precisely four ranked fighters on the UFC Fight Night 60 card. Three of them are on the prelims. Whether intentional or unintentional, the UFC consistently sends one inaccurate message about its lighter-weight fighters:  They're just not as good as the big boys.

The Question

Will the UFC ever stop undercutting its lower-weight-class fighters?

Analysis

The belief that anybody 170-pounds-plus will always outsell lighter-weight-class fighters has long been a feature of the fight game. However, as boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. and, more recently, MMA featherweight Conor McGregor have shown, a big personality can compensate for a small stature.

The UFC has made an unfortunate habit of underselling top bantamweights, featherweights and flyweights in favor of nearly unknown middleweights, light heavyweights and welterweights.

The result? Interesting title contenders like Zach Makovsky and Tim Elliot being buried behind...Dan Kelly? 

It isn't right, folks. The message being sent is that these men aren't as good as Kelly when, in reality, they are likely the best on the card. The perception that lighter-weight fighters can't draw is basically a self-fulfilling prophecy with the UFC.

Why should fans care about fighters the UFC is wrongly branding as second-rate?

Can Neil Magny and Max Holloway Keep Their Winning Streaks Going?

Buda Mendes/Getty Images

The Fight: Max Holloway vs. Cole Miller, Neil Magny vs. Kiichi Kunimoto
The Real Fight: Patterns vs. Coincidences

The Stakes

Plenty of impressive feats were accomplished in 2014. Among the most impressive, however, were the runs compiled by Neil Magny and Max Holloway, who combined for a 9-0 record in the calendar year. Well, 2014 calendars have officially run their course, and now Holloway and Magny must keep those streaks going at the expense of Cole Miller and Kiichi Kunimoto, respectively.

The Question

Can Neil Magny and Max Holloway keep their winning streaks going?

Analysis

Neither man is anywhere close to a title shot at this time. That is a bit unfortunate, but what can you do?

Holloway vs. Miller is a particularly compelling fight between a well-rounded up-and-comer and a formidable veteran. While Magny is now riding a five-fight winning streak and has a unique set of physical tools (he has a Jon Jones-like 6'3" height with an 81" reach at 170 pounds), he has not quite established himself as a man to fear, but he has the chance to do so against fellow fast-riser Kunimoto.

As such, watch out for these two fights.

Will Throwaway Cards Become a Common Occurrence?

Jeff Chiu/Associated Press

The Fight: N/A
The Real Fight: Card Quality vs. 45 Events per Year

The Stakes

UFC Fight Night 60 is the worst television card in UFC history. Sure, there are a couple of points of interest, but there is no avoiding the top-to-bottom weakness here.

The biggest question is whether this is the result of the absurd turnover in the main event slot, or if the UFC is now willing to harvest its smaller cards to shore up pay-per-views.

The Question

Will throwaway cards become a common occurrence?

Analysis

As the UFC's schedule grows, its ability to make each and every event compelling dwindles. That has made mediocre cards the standard and terrible cards commonplace.

Whether that is a bad thing, however, is debatable. The UFC pulled former headliner Matt Brown off the card and paired him off with Johny Hendricks for UFC 185, improving an already strong card to near can't-miss status.

If the UFC embraces the fact that fans aren't going to tune in for every event and tailors some cards to be appealing strictly to the hardest of hardcore fans (like this one), that will allow the company to stack its pay-per-views and beef up select Fight Nights. If that is the case, can we really complain about a hollowed-out Fight Night?