Every time I think the UFC’s Apex lineups can’t get any worse, they go and prove a gal wrong. And it’s not that there’s anything inherently wrong with putting on a bunch of prospect fights (only one is ranked and doesn’t fit the classical “prospect” mold"), but when it’s nearly every event, it begs questioning if UFC really is the Super Bowl of MMA. Sure, they’re the 800-pound gorilla of the community, but are they showing that they have all the top talent? Not consistently, and they certainly can’t seem to get Conor McGregor steadfastly booked, so maybe, just maybe, it’s time to put a concentrated effort in molding Alex Pereira the bona fide superstar he is destined to be.
Which brings me to this event, which has no superstars, nor potential stars in the making. That’s not a bad thing, but when ESPN is laying off staff because their numbers aren’t exactly where they need to be and UFC keeps dropping regional level cards that don’t have a hook to bring in those fresh subscribers…you get where I’m going with this.
There ARE some really fun fights here. I cannot lead you astray in that regard. I just am reminded of Luke Thomas’ old show, Promotional Malpractice, and everything the UFC does at the Apex screams promotional malpractice. But I digress. Let’s take a gander at what the contests look like and some fun factoids to really illustrate just how little the biggest and baddest promotion on Earth cares about fan satisfaction.
UFC Vegas 94
* Amanda Lemos vs. Virna Jandiroba 115 lbs
* Brad Tavares vs. Jun Yong Park 185 lbs
* Steve Garcia vs. Seung Woo Choi 145 lbs
* Kurt Holobaugh vs. Kaynan Kruschewsky 155 lbs
* Cody Durden vs. Bruno Silva 125 lbs
* Doo Ho Choi vs. Bill Algeo 145 lbs
* Hyder Amil vs. Jeong Yeong Lee 145 lbs
* Brian Kelleher vs. Cody Gibson 135 lbs
* Miranda Maverick vs. Dione Barbosa 125 lbs
* Loik Radzhabov vs. Trey Ogden 155 lbs
* Luana Carolina vs. Lucie Pudilová 125 lbs
* Mohammed Usman vs. Thomas Petersen 265 lbs
UFC Vegas 94 Fun Factoids
* Ranked fights: 1 (main event)
* Ranked fighters: 3
* Fighters coming off losses: 12
* Contender Series alumni: 7
* TUF alumni: 4
* Road to UFC alumni: 1
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