UFC on Fox

So, I capped off an event filled week with the UFC on Fox fights at the Honda Center in Anaheim. I was surprised by the crowd. I've been to other fights where the undercard is not heavily attended. But with the pre-event festivities, there was quite a crowd before the whole thing started. There was a pretty good atmosphere for the event in general and there was a lot of energy for the main event. The crowd was heavily pro-Velasquez. So, I feared that there might be a riot when he lost. Maybe the quick finish was a good thing, since the crowd was stunned for the most part. Had it gone to a decision, the place might have gone crazy.

Similarly, the crowd was pro-Guida. So, even though he got handled IMO, the crowd disagreed with the decision. It's too bad that they didn't show the Henderson vs. Guida fight on Fox. It was great. A high energy, 3-round battle with kicks, cagework & submissions. I would have bet on the lightweights for a guaranteed, solid fight over a heavyweight contest. I understand that people want to see the heavyweights, but I blame Dana's love for boxing on that mistake.

I'd argue that it's easier to get into the sport of MMA by watching the lightweights. Case in point, myself. I followed the UFC to a point. But it wasn't until the WEC had a pretty good rotation on Versus, that I truly got into MMA.

Still, it was great to be a part of MMA history. I'm just not sure if it is the beginning or the end. In a lot of respects it is the end of meeting fighters in the local K-mart without a long line. The end of pay-per-view for FOX events. The end of having mostly local/US events. But this is all a good thing.