Pacquiao vs. Marquez: Why Superfight Will Eclipse UFC on FOX

Fight fans have no shortage of events to look forward to on Saturday night. In addition to the Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez pay-per-view, UFC makes its primetime network debut with Cain Velasquez defending the heavyweight title against Junior dos Santos. 

The anticipation for both shows is off the charts, but, as is often the case in sports, one of them is likely to be a let down. But the question is which one?

While Velasquez and dos Santos are fantastic fighters in their own right, there is one thing that they don't have working for them that Pacquiao and Marquez do: Legitimate Heat. 

Marquez has been telling anyone who will listen to him that he got screwed out of two victories against Pacquiao before and will leave no doubt about who the better fighter is the third time around. 

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"Well, if [Pacquiao] is upset about what I said about winning the first two fights – I am upset that I didn’t get the decision. I am motivated just as much as he is. We all have opinions and my opinion is that I didn’t get the decisions I deserved."

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Marquez has no filter, he is honest and says what he believes. Pacquiao is not as direct as Marquez, but his attitude is the perfect contrast to Marquez in this epic battle. 

Velasquez and dos Santos, for as talented as they are inside the octagon, are horrible at promoting a fight.

Neither fighter is great at talking; the countdown special that aired on Fox last week did nothing to get you interested in seeing them battle. It is just two guys who respect each other getting ready to compete.

UFC and Fox have done a great job promoting it, including one of the best 30-second spots I have ever seen the company put together, but you need that spark between the competitors to make it a must-see event. 

Also, dos Santos does not do enough things well to hang with Velasquez for a five round fight. He can punch as well as anyone in the sport, but he is not good on the ground and his defense is still below average. 

Velasquez can win a fight standing up or using his wrestling background to take it to the ground and work submissions and ground-and-pound. 

Pacquiao knows that Marquez is his equal. He knows that he got lucky the previous two times that they have fought, and wants to prove that he is the superior fighter to Marquez. 

Both fights have great potential, but if I am banking on one to live up to the hype it is Pacquiao and Marquez.