Is UFC 108 Going to be a Solid Fight Card?

The question is not whether the buy rate will be high, it won't.  The consumer does not purchase PPV events based on the quality of the fights.  Strikeforce Evolution and WEC 45 both recently put on GREAT fights, but who would have actually purchased them for $55.  Almost no one is who.  The decision to purchase UFC events is based on the popularity of the fighters and if there are title fights on the line.  The use of popularity in this case is not how well liked a fighter is, but how marketable they are.  Without true headliners (exception of maybe Rashad) it is no surprise to anyone that the buy rate for UFC 108 will be poor.  To be fair, one could argue that popularity is somewhat based on the fighter's rank and seeing the best in the world.

The question is UFC 108 going to be an entertaining night of quality fights and I believe that answer is yes.  A lot has been said recently about the perceived weakness, justifiably so, of UFC 108 and Dana White has helped fuel the fire with his remarks.  Ignoring the fact that Dana believes the media (yes, I am referring to myself as media, deal with it) is a promotional tool and not an objective reporter, he did make one comment that some fans tend to believe.  Dana played on the fact that many times the shows that are perceived weak end up surprising everyone.  However, Michael Rome debunks this theory and this is simply a case of selective memory for people.  While Rome does claim there are a few stylistically exciting matches he does not believe this card will be anything special.  I think he underplays the exciting matches and this Saturday will be a very enjoyable night of fights.

SBN coverage of UFC 108: Evans vs. Silva

Looking at the seven fights we are guaranteed to witness on Saturday I am personally intrigued with at least five of them.  The headliner of Rashad and Silva may not be the match up everyone wanted, but it still is a contest between two top ten light heavyweights.  A win here will have a noticeable impact on the division.  The co-headliner biggest problem is its location on the fight card.  Dustin Hazelett has not fought in over a year and Daley has fought once in the UFC, this is not your typical co-main event.  However, the match-up itself is an extreme grappler vs. striker fight.  The chance to see one of the most dynamic strikers against one of the most exciting submission artists is actually the fight I am most excited for.  The other big fight at 108 is Yvel and Dos Santos in which we will see two top level strikers go at it.  Another solid fight on the card. 

After those three is where the majority of people see the drop off.  I do not expect the Miller/Ludwig fight to provide much excitement as Miller is a horrible match for Ludwig and the fight will most likely be very one-sided.  In addition, I am unaware of any fans jumping out of their seats to see Cole Miller fight Dan Lauzon, but hey, it's free.  However, the other two guaranteed watchable fights provide us with some nice potential.  Any fight Sam Stout is a fight I want to see.  He has pulled in three fight of the night awards and show tremendous grit every time he enters the Octagon.  Plus, I am very interested to see how Kampmann responds to the crushing defeat he received at the hands of Daley.  A win there for Kampmann might have gotten him a title shot or at least got him the fight against Hardy for the title shot.  He is now relegated to a free prelim fight and it will be interesting to see how he comes out.  This fight will say a lot about if he will be able regain top status within the division.

All that being said, everything is relative.  Many times the difference between a good card and an average card is expectations.  Managing expectations is key.  If everyone feels this fight will be horrible, but it puts on decent show people will think more highly off it.  I actually think the perceived weakness will help the reviews come Sunday.  The big questions remains, will I order this fight?  Hell no, I am going to B Ws to mingle and socialize with some Affliction wearing, "punch him the face" screaming fans.