Booking Edgar vs. Maynard 3 was the right decision
The one knock on each of the UFC 125 main event combatants heading into their main event match-up was that for whatever reason, neither had been able to establish a real connection with the fans.
In the wake of their instant classic on the opening night of 2011, there is no question that MMA fans are more interested in Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard now than ever before. For the UFC to maintain that momentum, they needed to schedule a trilogy bout between the two, allowing them to settle things once and for all.
After the two lightweight stars battled to a draw in the UFC 125 main event, the organization announced they would proceed as originally planned and incoming WEC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis would face Edgar next. While the move was understandable on some levels, most everyone agreed that the match should be shelved in favour of resolving things between Edgar and Maynard.
The problem for the UFC is that Pettis is never going to be more marketable than he is right now; riding high on the exposure from his “Showtime Kick” performance at WEC 53, sitting on the sidelines for six-to-eight months halts his momentum, and putting into a tough test against the likes of Jim Miller or Sean Sherk runs the risk of a loss shuffling the deck even more.
Additionally, moving forward as planned was the only real chance the company had to make a title unification bout meaningful. With the WEC folded up and put away for good, the expiry date on the WEC lightweight title is rapidly approaching, and six months from now, no one will remember (or potentially care) that Pettis was the last 155-pound champion in WEC history. You get one bout to promote him as such, and a bout with Edgar was the only match-up that made sense.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t the right fight to make.
Shortly after UFC Vice President Craig Borsari announced the organization’s plans to proceed as scheduled, UFC President Dana White reversed course and stated that a third meeting between Edgar and Maynard was indeed going to be the next fight for both men.
Edgar – Maynard 2 was an instant classic, and ignoring the intense rivalry and public interest in a third instalment in this series would have been a real mistake.
The UFC had been waiting for fans to connect with their top two lightweights for some time, and with their performances on Saturday night, that goal was accomplished, and establishes the third fight between the two the must-see fight of the year just two days into 2011.
The UFC President has always stated that he’s in the business of giving the fans the fights they want to see, and he lived up to his word by reversing course here. He also made the smarter business decision too.
Booking the trilogy fight makes more dollars and sense than following the original script and having Pettis step in with Edgar. There is absolutely nothing you can put together in the UFC marketing department that makes an Edgar – Pettis pairing a better sell than an Edgar vs. Maynard Part 3.
No matter how awesome the “Showtime Kick” was – and it was awesome – Edgar and Maynard just combined to kick off the year in impressive fashion, and no amount of press coverage and pre-fight hype was going to make the possible title unification tilt more compelling than finding a final resolution to the unresolved feud we are already invested in.
While it took the UFC a minute to come to the right decision, sending the rivals back into the Octagon together is the right thing to do.
