With the UFC inching closer to its UFC 200 event (which will take place on July 9, 2015), things are starting to fall into place. We have a few fights and some rumors, but they need to do way more to live up to the massive hype that this event as already received. It has been pitched the biggest event the UFC has put on yet, so I am left wondering about some things ahead of this event.
1. How will the rematch go?
(source: theguardian.com)
Mcgregor is far and away the biggest draw in the UFC, even after his quick and somewhat embarrassing loss to Nate Diaz as UFC 196. There is absolutely no way Mcgregor wasn’t going to be on this card, and recently, it was announced that a rematch would take place between Mcgregor and Diaz. The question on everyone’s mind now is how different will this fight be from their first and what sorts of adjustments has each man made?
2. Will GSP return?
(source: thesnpshow.com)
Arguably the greatest and most popular fighter of all time, there are rumors that Georges St. Pierre will return to the UFC at UFC 200. GSP was last seen inside the octagon when he defeated Johny Hendricks to retain his UFC Welterweight championship way back in 2013. He retired, but left the door open for a return. For months a return has been hinted at, but no definitive answer has been given. I would personally not be surprised to see him return for UFC 200 but the UFC would likely have to pay him handsomely for him to return.
3. Will it break the buy rate of UFC 100?
(source: fightstate.com)
With the huge evolution in the sport over the past few years and the emergence of some mega-stars, you would think at least one pay per view event would have broken the record 1.6 Million buys that UFC 100, but it hasn’t happened. Two Mcgregor-headlined events have gotten close (with UFC’s 194 and 196 getting 1.4 and 1.5 Million buys, respectively) but the record still stands. The question on everyone’s mind is whether this event will break the record. Of course, this is impossible to tell until we see the type of fights we get on this card, but I bet the UFC will pull out all the stops to make sure they can break this longstanding record.
