It would not be a mistake to say that the Ultimate Fighting Championship is on a bit of a roll at this point in time. Even though UFC 178 suffered a major blow and lost the planned main event, the sentiment after the show was that the entire card delivered. Fight fans are excited about both the bantamweight and featherweight divisions, two weight classes that were in danger of becoming stale. With UFC 179 on the horizon, the promotion needs this event to be a success — in the cage, at the box office, and in pay-per-view buys. This event has the potential to continue a strong close to 2014, but it starts at the top.
Chad Mendes and Jose Aldo stand at the forefront of this event and carry the weight of its success on their shoulders. Even though 20 other men will step into the cage before the main event kicks off, UFC 179 will be known for how well these two deliver in the cage. The rivalry that started nearly three years ago has not subsided one bit. In fact, things seem to have become more heated between the two competitors, as they have taken shots so deep at each other that the UFC is rumored to be displeased with what they have had to say.
Still, the rivalry between Team Alpha Male and Nova Uniao will continue to boil during and after the event, no matter who is the victor. This creates an opportunity for the UFC to market both these competitors and their teams, and turn that into another large payday in the future. But this is only a possibility if Mendes and Aldo give the fans a reason to want to seem them face off in the Octagon once again.
There is another attention-grabbing story in the lead up to UFC 179. That is the Irish competitor known as Conor McGregor, who is waiting in the wings. He’s made mention that he intends to show up in Brazil and face off with whichever man takes the featherweight title. The UFC needs to ensure that this occurs, because the buzz would be deafening. Like him or not, McGregor has made himself into a must-watch character in MMA. The promotion does not need to go to the lengths that Bellator has in recent memory by staging a shoving match, but making the face to face meeting of either Mendes or Aldo with McGregor one of the last images of this weekend’s PPV offering would do wonders for future promotion.
UFC 179 isn’t the most stacked card in recent MMA history, but the anticipation of its main event is enough to create a large scale buzz for the show. With two stars such as Mendes and Aldo squaring off for the featherweight title, this is the exact type of fight that could build for future events if the action during this weekend’s card delivers.
• Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes (UFC Featherweight Championship)
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UFC 179: Aldo vs. Mendes II is due to take place on October 25, 2014 at Maracanazinho Gymnasium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Click the stars to rate how good you think UFC 179 will be.
