UFC 209 is scheduled to air on March 4, 2017, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Now after the 208 card, many fans were left disappointed by the outcome of the event as it did not live up to the level of expectancy it was advertised as, which was partially due to poor judges’ scoring and refereeing.
Now the UFC is looking to make up for the let by putting together another card that hopefully will live up to the expectations it was created for, but many might look at this card as one that is not worth their time and money so they will just sit this one out
However, before anyone gets the idea to fully back out from this event altogether, let me just explain why everyone should take the time to tune into this event by explaining all it has to offer. (This will only cover the main card)
First off, the card begins with a heavyweight bout between Alistair Overeem and Mark Hunt in a rematch from 2008 in the organization DREAM, which Overeem won via submission (Americana) in round one. Yes, like I have stated many times before, who does not enjoy watching a heavyweight fight especially when it’s between two big names who are known to bring the roof down. Overeem is looking to get back on the road to another title shot after his knockout loss to current champion Stipe Miocic, while Hunt is looking for that victory to finally get him the title shot he has been longing for and with so much on the line in this fight is just more reason why everyone should tune in for this action-packed card. I mean both are heavy hitters and always look for the finish and therefore there is a great possibility the night will begin with an intense finish fans will be talking about all night.
This next reason might not be as big as the first, but why it could help this card be worthwhile is all for the fact it is between two lightweight contenders not very well known who are wanting their names to be known by the end of the night. Both Lando Vannata and David Teymur are just beginning their careers in the sport and now look to make their presence known in the sport by putting on an epic performance in the biggest MMA organization in the world. With both fighters bringing their own combination into this fight just makes it more worthwhile to check out as anything can go down and could very well be the deciding factor if either one or maybe both have what it takes to compete in this sport.
We now come to former light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans making his middleweight debut against Dan Kelly in what looks to be an interesting matchup. Now some might not agree with this fight being very interesting to watch but I say otherwise with it being the possibility of Evans possibly making a comeback in his career after two losses in a row and by changing weight classes he certainly has the chance to do just that. It also gives Kelly a chance to make his name known even more if he put on a great performance to where he won via decision or finished the former champion. After all, fans enjoy seeing upsets and seeing new stars rise, so why would you not want to miss the opportunity to see one possibly be made among the fights on this card?
It’s now time for the bigger reasons to not look away from this card and the first would be the co-main event between the undefeated Russian, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson for the interim lightweight title. Now this fight is looking to be an intense war waiting to finally happen as both of these fighters are just thirsty for blood and a shot at the current champion Conor McGregor and who can blame them. Both are well-rounded wrestlers with aggressive striking and ground-and-pound that for sure will be tested and reveal who indeed is the tougher fighter and has what it takes to possibly challenge McGregor in a future title fight sometime later this year. Who does not like wrestlers with on spot striking going against each other to decide who is more skilled at their combination?
Finally, the real reason why this card is not worth missing is the main event for the welterweight title in the highly anticipated rematch between champion Tyron Woodley and Stephen Thompson. In their first meeting at UFC 205, both these gladiators would go at it in a five-round war that would win ‘Fight of the Night’ and be in the running for ‘Fight of the Year’ after ending in a majority draw (48-47, 47-47, 47-47). Now that they will be going at it again it only makes sense to sit down and watch the fight go down as it will be the deciding factor on who indeed is the more dominant fighter in the welterweight division. It could be Woodley’s chance to show that just because he is one of the most hated champions in the business doesn’t mean he isn’t one of the most dominant, or Thompson time to finally shine and prove why strikers are indeed some of the best fighters to compete in the sport of mixed martial arts.
With all that could go down on this card is just more reason not to skip out on this event and who knows, maybe when the night is said and done fans will forget about the failure of UFC 208 and talk about the success of this one and continue to look forward to the future events.
