5 recent UFC main events that have lacked star power

Marina Rodriguez v Michelle Waterson was the main event on May 8 2021
Marina Rodriguez v Michelle Waterson was the main event on May 8 2021

#4. Marina Rodriguez vs. Michelle Waterson - UFC on ESPN 24

Rodriguez defeated Waterson via unanimous decision
Rodriguez defeated Waterson via unanimous decision

In this one, the UFC had to improvise after losing a mouth-watering main event when T.J. Dillashaw had to pull out of his scheduled bout with Cory Sandhagen. The card then also lost a bout between Julianna Peña and Holly Holm. In the end, Marina Rodriguez and Michelle Waterson were thrown together on short notice.

While Marina Rodriguez has looked great recently, she was just one fight removed from a loss to Carla Esparza at the time and was far from a big name at 115 lbs. Waterson was likely the more well-known of the two but had lost two of her last three. On top of all that, the fight was contested at flyweight.

Two fighters who aren't particularly big draws, not in the best run of form, competing in a division they are unfamiliar with does not scream main event. While the UFC was clearly put in a difficult position here, it's hard to deny the main event they came up with hardly set the MMA world on fire.


#3. Jessica Andrade vs. Amanda Lemos - UFC Fight Night 205

Andrade defeated Lemos via first-round submission
Andrade defeated Lemos via first-round submission

Unlike the previous entry, this fight was bizarrely always scheduled to be the main event. While Jessica Andrade is no stranger to a main event, without a belt on the line or at least a number one contender fight, having her as the main star was odd. This was her return to strawweight after an unsuccessful run at the flyweight gold.

Amanda Lemos may have been on a five-fight winning streak but her only notable win had been a split decision over Angela Hill. Unsurprisingly, this led to many predicting Andrade would likely win in dominant fashion given her significant experience advantage.

That proved to be the case as Andrade submitted Lemos in the first round. The fight did little for Andrade, who still has a ways to go to get back in the strawweight title picture and did even less for Lemos. This match-up only helped the case of those fans who feel the star power of the UFC main events has been slipping.

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