Why I am not going to UFC 96

The UFC 96 card is bad. Well its not the worse card ever, not Okami-Franklin bad, but it is pretty bad. In this economy I would rather go to a local bar, get drunk with some friends and watch some fights, then spend $200 on tickets.

UFC 96 is simply a result of bad timing. The mega-bout between George St. Pierre and B.J. Penn tied up two division champions. UFC 97 has the middleweight title bout and UFC 98 has the heavyweight title bout. UFC 96 should of been a light heavyweight title fight between Jackson and Rashad Evans, but Evans elected to rest up after his third round TKO of Forrest Griffin. While the UFC could of made up for this by having two top-tier fights, they could only muster one, in Jackson versus Jardine.

Now the UFC could of helped out the card by placing several prominent, but mid-level fighters on the card. Instead we get a card filled with locals that looks more like a U.K. card on Spike (sorry England), then the ones we have grown used to in Columbus.

While I may be down on the card, and won't spend money on tickets, a lot of the card fits with the UFC's operating strategy. I have no problem with two young lightweights, in Gray Maynard and Jim Miller, to start off the PPV. Shane Carwin vs. Gabriel Gonzaga is a good bout between a rising talent and an established talent. I can forgive the Matt Hamill Mark Muonz bout, but it would be nice if Hamill was fighting a more prominent fighter, Steve Cantwell or Luis Cane for instance. Too bad they are fighting each other at UFC 97. I guess this is making up for the weak UFC 83. Karma is a bitch.

There is really only one bout that shouldn't be on the televised portion. Pete Sell vs. Matt Brown. Brown has an 8-7 record and Pete Sell has a UFC record of 2-5. How is this bout on the pay per view? HOW!? It is infuriating. Couldn't the UFC of saved Jon Fitch vs. Akihiro Gono for this weekend?

Now part of buying tickets is the chance at seeing the preliminary card, which is decent. Kendall Grove and Brandon Vera are on it but both fighters have been on a slide recently. None of the other fighters on the under card jump off the screen. But it doesn't make up for the lack luster televised card. Clearly the UFC is taking advantage of the Arnold Classic this weekend.

Hopefully next year things will be better.