“We’re in the calm before the storm now. With all due respect to Bellator 157, which felt very much like a good Division II team compared to the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s D-I, the time between the last UFC event and the next one feels longer than 19 days. Part of it is the night-before-Christmas effect of having UFC 200 to look forward to, but there’s more to it than that.
If you’ve been following the headlines these past few weeks, you’re certainly aware that money is on our mind. The reports — or rumors, depending on who you ask — about the UFC sale come at an interesting time and not just because of the three-week fight doldrums. The company the Fertitta brothers bought for $2 million in 2001 has been given a price tag upward of $4 billion, which is a hell of an investment return. Even before news of the sale, the almighty dollar had been the focus of the UFC.
Leading up to UFC Fight Night “MacDonald vs. Thompson” on June 18, as the stories of the UFC sale gained more legitimacy, the main story was whether or not Rory MacDonald would re-sign with the UFC after his contract finished. This, of course, was all about money. The post-event situation did little to quell the finance talk from fighters, either. While it’s not news for fighters to voice their complaints and concerns about their pay, the possibility of the UFC sale — and all the uncertainty that accompanies it — has intensified those discussions…”