The UFC is set to make their debut on their new home on Saturday, August 17, which is the brand new launch of the FOX Sports 1 channel. The event will be headlined by the light heavyweight bout between former UFC light heavyweight champ Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and former two-time middleweight title challenger Chael Sonnen.
The co-main event will feature a heavyweight bout between Alistair Overeem and Travis Browne. The event will take place at the TD Garden Arena in Boston, Massachusetts, with three preliminary fights airing on Facebook beginning at 4 p.m. ET. The preliminary fights will then move on over to the FOX Sports 1 channel at 6 p.m. ET.
Let’s take a look at the top five questions heading into the event.
Will the UFC on FOX Sports 1 event garner over two million viewers?
I think the two million viewer threshold is a solid number to shoot for and even possibly surpass. However, there are many factors that could affect the ratings for the first few shows in this new channel. It’s a new channel, plus there are still instances where the distribution for the channel may not be secured by the time the channel debuts on Saturday night. The hope is that the channel will reach near 90 million homes, but it may be in as few as 60 million homes unless distribution is secured by Saturday. The UFC is sending out a solid card on paper with a few fighters carrying a little star power. Also, the event will be live for well over three hours which should allow for a solid build up ratings wise the longer the show goes.
Is this a must-win fight for Mauricio “Shogun” Rua against Chael Sonnen?
Rua is (2-2) since losing his title to Jon Jones at UFC 128, and is coming off a unanimous decision loss against the current number one contender Alexander Gustafsson in December 2012. Rua is only 31 years old, but the many wars and numerous surgeries seem to be taking a toll on him lately. He’ll be taking on Chael Sonnen who hasn’t won a light heavyweight fight in forever. A loss to Sonnen could officially signal the end of Rua as a top tier light heavyweight. Sonnen is a bad style matchup for him as well with his wrestling base and ability to absorb punishment.
Is this a must-win fight for Alistair Overeem against Travis Browne?
Overeem is coming off a vicious KO loss against Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva in his last outing. He’s in a different situation than Rua going into this fight. At least he’s fighting an up and comer who many think may be a future contender at heavyweight. So a loss here would be against someone with some upside. However, a loss here would pretty much negate any chance of Overeem ever challenging for the UFC heavyweight strap.
Can Michael McDonald get back on track against Brad Pickett and stay near the top of the bantamweight division?
McDonald hasn’t fought since losing via fourth round submission to interim bantamweight champion Renan Barao in February 2013. The young 22 year old had rattled off eight straight wins going into the bout with Barao. Pickett has won three out of his last four bouts and is considered one of the better bantamweights in the worldl. A win for McDonald probably puts him 1-2 wins away from another title shot considering he was pretty competitive against Barao in their initial matchup. A win for Pickett would be huge for his career who will be 35 years old next month. He also has a loss to Barao in a bout that won “Fight of the Night” at UFC 138 in 2011. It should be a good scrap!
Can Conor McGregor keep surging up the ladder in his second UFC fight?
McGregor burst on the UFC scene with a first round TKO win over Marcus Brimage in April. He competed exclusively in the U.K. prior to his debut and has a career record of (13-2) and has finished all 13 of his opponents in his wins (12 KO/TKO, 1 submission). He’ll be taking on Max Holloway who has shown to be fairly tough at the ripe age of 21. UFC brass are high on McGregor who has shown a great deal of charisma and seems to be developing a following fairly quickly. He’s large for a featherweight at 5′ 10″ and could quickly shoot up the ranks with a couple of wins and challenge for the title in a division that needs some new blood.
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