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Is the UFC booking too many rematches? You may think the answer is a simple yes or no, but it is more nuanced than that. However, before we can understand why that's the case, let's take a look at the significance of rematches.
A rematch is like a sequel to a popular movie. If the first one was good, part two might be even better, and sometimes even part three. An example would be Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier's legendary third fight; a milestone in combat sports. The "Thrilla in Manilla'' took place on October 1, 1975, and had a record-breaking global audience. It also had 500,000 pay-per-view buys.
Similarly, in the past, rematches in the UFC have been huge for the promotion. A second or third fight is always an opportunity to promote and build hype for pay-per-view events.
Before a rematch, there is no shortage of history for the UFC to use in the build-up. Chuck Liddell v Tito Ortiz II is a good example. Years of bad blood and trash talk had been televised to garner hype.
With that in mind, here are three reasons why the UFC is giving us so many rematches.
#3. Dispelling all doubts
To become dominant, a champ in any weight class must convincingly defeat anyone who challenges them. Yet often, a fight between the titleholder and the number one contender is too close to judge. A sudden knockout in the final round after being dominated for the entire fight or a split decision at the end of a close bout tends to always set up a rematch.
The recent rematch between Israel Adesanya and Marvin Vettori at UFC 263 cemented Adesanya's position as middleweight king. On the road to becoming the middleweight champ, the Italian gave Adesanya a tough time.
Vettori used the split decision loss he suffered against 'The Last Stylebender' in 2018 to make his case. After winning five fights in a row, he got his chance for redemption. In the end, Adesanya defeated him with ease and dispelled any shred of doubt regarding his dominance at middleweight.
We also had Deiveson Figueiredo v Brandon Moreno II for a similar reason. After a memorable first fight which resulted in a majority draw, both the athletes and the fans were eager to find out who would win in a rematch. At UFC 263, Moreno defeated Figueiredo and answered that question.
#2. Money fights
UFC president Dana White may dislike the term, but money fights are more important now than ever before. Money fights happen when the promotion's biggest stars are involved. However, lately, things have taken quite an interesting turn, especially in the lightweight division.
Conor McGregor is still the UFC's biggest star when it comes to generating pay-per-view buys. His big comeback at UFC 257 in January 2021 generated immense hype. The event sold 1.6 million pey-per-view buys. McGregor defeated Poirier back in 2014, but the rematch did not go his way.
After defeating the Irishman, Dustin Poirier was expected to fight for the vacant lightweight title. Instead, he chose to fight McGregor for the 3rd time.
Poirier's decision would prove to be the right one. UFC 264 generated 1.8 million pay-per-view buys. One talking point to come ahead of and from the trilogy was that the number one contender chose a money fight rematch over a title shot.
Kamaru Usman and Jorge Masvidal's first fight generated 1.6 million buys. You could argue that such huge sales played a significant part in the UFC's decision to book a rematch. Especially when many, including Colby Covington, did not see any point in it. In an interview with MMA Junkie, 'Chaos' said:
“It’s pathetic that he’s (Masvidal) out there asking for a rematch... He lost every round."
#1. The dominant UFC champions
More often than not, title runs are short. Champions tend to rise and fall. However, some have dominated their weight class for years.
The UFC has seen some legendary title runs. However, the current situation is rare. There are multiple dominant champions in both men's and women's divisions.
In the welterweight division, Kamaru Usman cleaned out most of the weight class on his road to becoming champion. Those he did not fight as a contender, he dispatched as a champion. He has already rematched Jorge Masvidal and will defend his title against Colby Covington at UFC 268 in yet another rematch.
A similar situation has developed at middleweight for Israel Adesanya. He has already rematched Vettori and his expected next bout with Whittaker will be another rematch. The fighters beyond that who could fight for the title are seemingly Jared Cannonier, Derek Brunson and Paulo Costa. Out of those three, Cannonier is the only new opponent for the 185-pound king.
Ultimately, with dominance comes less fresh challengers. As a result, we tend to see rematches in the divisions topped by destructive champions.
