Dana "embarrassed"
Gareth A Davies1:35PM BST 23 Jul 20121 Comment

After one of the most entertaining set of prelim fights in UFC history, the main card was the butt of booing after three successive fights failed to deliver.

It set Dana White, the UFC president, on a twitter attack commentary. It was not pretty. But it was pay per view. Nine fights on this card had been changed through illness, injury and absence, and on paper, it still looked a good one.

But as I have often pointed out, styles make fights. Not stars. How often have we seen a set of fights on a card pilloried as ‘having no major names’, and yet it can be those fighting for their lives on the UFC roster, or just making their way, who turn it into pure entertainment.
UFC 149 was a watershed, perhaps. Too many events ? Too many pay per view ? Certainly, too many injuries.

Cheick Kongo and Shawn Jordan was a mismatch in the end; Hector Lombard was, well, just outdone by Tim Boetsch’s gameplan, though the American revealed afterwards he’d damaged his foot during the fight.

Renan Barao to test the mettle of Urijah Faber in Calgary 19 Jul 2012
The highlight reel Lombard has amassed made a mockery of the fighter who turned up making his debut under the oxygen of publicity in Calgary. One of the most disappointing heralded entries to the UFC in its history.

Brian Ebersole was clearly on the weight cut when he got the late call up against Chris Clements. It all added up to a fine mess.
But spare a thought for Renan Barao, who showed that he clearly belongs at the very top level, not giving Urijah Faber an inch – though you could have made a case for giving the American the third round out of the five periods. He kicked his way to victory. It will be a game contest between the Brazilian and Dominick Cruz for the UFC bantamweight title. (Barao took the fight 49-46, 49-46, 50-45).

Unfortunately, the Calgary crowd had done so much booing during the main card, it carried on through, unjustly, to the main event.
But most telling of all on the night were the comments of White, who isn’t a man to paper over the cracks. “This company makes money. We like to break records. I’m embarrassed,” he said after the event. “The undercard delivered. The main card did not. Faber/Barao did not deserve the boos. It was a very technical fight between two of the best bantamweights in the world.”

During the contests, he tweeted: "Officiating is kicking combat sports right in the NUTS!!! A ref let's 2 guys lay in a clinch against the fence for the last 5 mins of 3rd rd."

“What was the referee doing looking at Kongo and Jordan in round three," added White at the post fight news conference. "If they are not fighting, break them up. These referees are experienced guys. The Lombard/Boetsch fight was horrible. But Boetsch was the underdog, he has come from nowhere, he has beaten Ushin Okami. He proved again tonight that he is a very tough guy.”

“Tim Boetsch has put himself in a good position. But it was not the fight I expected at all. I thought it was going to be a war. I thought the fight between these two would save the show.”

White lay the blame on the fighters for not delivering. “We have a partnership with the fighters. UFC events have not become exciting because I talk a lot. It is because these guys go in and deliver. We are putting the most exciting fights we can together, and we look to deliver.”

“We have the conversations with the fighters, and then they step in and take over.” Unfortunately, for a number of reasons, they didn’t. And 149 turned into a 911 call. But backup never arrived. Time to move on.