So you’re swamped at work. The girlfriend is complaining you don’t spend enough time with her. Your friends have been begging you to get drinks for a month.
Summer is quickly fading away and this is your dilemma: You can only watch one MMA show this week.
You really want to watch both UFC 163 on Saturday night and Bellator on Wednesday night. But you can’t. You must choose. So what’s it going to be?
The casual MMA fan will probably say UFC. I’m not that guy. Bellator is the event you can’t miss in the next four days.
On 7 p.m. on Spike TV, Bellator has two title fights and two tournament finals, the equivalent of a pair of No. 1 contender matchups for the tourney-based organization. Plus, it’s free and not on pay per view like the UFC’s offering.
Granted, the UFC has the biggest name and most talented fighter competing. Jose Aldo is regarded as one of the top four or five MMA combatants in the world. His technique, athleticism and finishing ability is sometimes worth the price of admission – or the $55 to order the PPV.
But you’re not operating in that world. You can only watch one card. Aldo is likely to run through “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung, though it’ll probably be entertaining. The co-main event features a pair of light heavyweight contenders in Lyoto Machida and Phil Davis. While that fight has a ton of rankings significance, neither guy is known for being an exciting fighter.
Tuning in for Bellator gives you the chance to watch the best lightweight (Michael Chandler) and welterweight (Ben Askren) in the world not currently in the UFC. And if they were in the UFC, they would almost certainly be title contenders – they’re that good.
Chandler defends his belt against David Rickels and Askren meets Andrey Koreshkov. Both are heavy favorites – especially Chandler – but each fight has a chance to be interesting.
Plus, former Strikeforce Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal faces Jacob Noe in the light heavyweight tournament finale and electric Patricio “Pitbull” Freire starts off the card against Jared Downing. Then there’s the added attraction of Quinton “Rampage” Jackson being in attendance in Albuquerque to announce his first Bellator fight, expected to be a boxing match against Roy Jones Jr. near the end of the year.
This Bellator is arguably the biggest in the history of the organization. And this UFC event is arguably its worst pay per view of the year.
If you have to choose, pick Bellator.
Or you can shirk your social and occupational responsibilities and be in front of the TV for both. Like me.