Risky Money
By Eddie Sanchez
Scared money doesn’t make money is a phrase nearly everyone has heard or uttered in some fashion, in so many words. Often, this saying specifically follows a questionable financial decision such as a risky investment or healthy wager (wait.. those are investments also, am I right?).
In our case, with the MMA community, we are specifically referencing the news that the UFC is continuing to lead the charge in regards to sporting events in our COVID-world. Dana White announced the plan to host a full-capacity arena PPV card for UFC 261 in Jacksonville, FL. It’s also interesting to note that Jacksonville was the host for UFC 249, which was the initial return for not just the UFC, but sports in general during the pandemic.
It’s hard not to get excited for a full capacity return after viewing the promo. We have the number three P4P fighter in the world and two of the baddest women on the planet defending their respective belts. It almostkes you forget about the potential danger that may lie ahead for the UFC and the 15,000+ potential fans that wish to attend the fight card at VyStar Memorial Arena.
The irony with the UFC 261 announcement is that the UFC Fight Night scheduled for April 17th, the week prior, will now have Kelvin Gastelum replace Middleweight Paulo Costa because of illness.
“We just want to postpone [the fight] a week or two so ‘Borrachinha’ can recover,” Carlos Costa told MMA Fighting on Tuesday. “He had COVID and then had the flu, and the flu is taking a long time to go away. We just want to postpone.”
On a micro-level, this is a bummer for fans of the UFC who wanted to see Costa and Whittaker throw-down. However, on a macro-level, this might spark an anti-UFC media tirade as we lead up to the April 24th PPV in question.
While postponing sporting events has become the new normal in the current climate we live in, when solo sports are impacted in this capacity, the damage is much more noticeable. Once you compound this with the knowledge that the media will be largely negative regarding the UFC’s full capacity return, if there are any issues with one of the three major title fights, then the narrative will be especially harsh.
It’s fair to question why entertainment businesses are willing and able to host live events during a pandemic. Any criticism that can be perceived as anti-UFC is justifiable, considering that millions of people around the world have been impacted in some capacity due to COVID.
Alternatively, it’s understandable why businesses will do everything in their power to make as much money as possible during these uncertain times. As with almost every conflict in life, things are just a bit complicated.
What’s not complicated is the fact that UFC 261 is happening in front of a full arena on April 24th.
We will see the rematch between Kamaru Usman and Jorge Masvidal, which should erase any questions about the legitimacy of Usman’s previous victory over ‘Gamebred.’ Jorge will have a full camp and knows what to expect going into this fight, so there shouldn’t be any excuses heading into the matchup.
Valentina Shevchenko (20-3) will open as a -360 favorite against Jessica Andrade (21-8) for the Women’s Strawweight title. She is largely regarded as the second or third best woman in the world behind Amanda Nunes, who is the only woman to have beaten Valentina in the past ten years. Although she is a big favorite, there is much excitement regarding her return. Additionally, fans will also continue to flirt with the prospects of a Super Fight against Weili Zhang (21-1), who is also on this fight card.
Zhang, who has not lost a fight since her pro debut in 2013, will take on Rose Namajunas (9-4) for the Women’s Flyweight title. Zhang, who ironically fought on the last card with a full capacity crowd in 2020, will open up as a -200 favorite against her upcoming rival. If you are to ask Valentina though, this is far from a guaranteed night of easy-work.
For all that is holy in the world, and for all fans of the UFC, I hope Valentina is wrong. I want Zhang and Valentina to win their respective bouts in dominating fashion so the world can be treated to the Super Fight we deserve.
Although hosting a PPV with a full capacity crowd is risky to say the least, the UFC is ready to prove that they can continue to lead the charge and best represent themselves as an organization and brand.
