Will looks work at UFC on FOX 22?

The December slot for UFC on FOX 22 is traditionally one of the biggest of the year. For the last three years it has averaged 2.8 million viewers.

2013 main event: Champion Demetrious Johnson vs. Joseph Benavidez.
2014 main event: Former heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos vs. future champion Stipe Miocic.
2015 Main event: Lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos vs. Donald Cerrone.

The 2016 main event is Paige VanZant vs. The Karate Hottie, Michelle Waterson. The co-main is Sage Northcutt vs. the witty and gritty and 3-0 Mickey Gall.

This is just Northcutt’s fifth UFC fight, and he went 1-1 this year. He made $100,000 for his last fight. He’s 20.

This is PVZ’s sixth UFC fight, and she too went 1-1 her last two. She’s 22. Neither fighter would be (co) main eventing a big television show, with a direct Reebok sponsorship, if they looked like this.

This is not to denigrate their very, very real accomplishments. Northcutt is one of the best youth karate players ever. PVZ showed her true, badass, red colors in losing to Rose Namajunas one year ago.

But Bryan Barbarena, the guy who beat Northcutt this year and then beat Warlley Alves who had been an undefeated 10-0, he’s in the middle of the prelims.

Both PVZ and Northcutt are above the retirement fight for Urijah Faber, in his own hometown. It’s not fair, but this isn’t an amateur sport, it’s a business. Big FOX shows are about building names.

The big question isn’t whether it’s fair. It isn’t, move on. The real question is, will it work? If it does close to 2.8 million the answer is yes, putting lesser-skilled, mediagenic fighters in the main and co-main works. If it does significantly better, expect to hear an awful lot more about Aleksandra Albu. And if it does worse, it’s a vote for getting the best fighters out there on the biggest cards.

Further, this may be part of a WME-IMG plan to focus on fighters who the new owners believe have what it takes to become breakout stars. Maybe PVZ and Sage become the next Scarlett and Rhett, the next Ricky and Lucy, the next Bella and Edward.

And in the end, mixed martial arts is different. A mediagenic politician can drag it out for a career. A mediagenic actor can last as long as Chuck Norris, who turns 100 on Monday. But a mediagenic UFC fighter has to back it up – once the doors close, nothing matters but reality. So mediagenic fighters get opportunities, but if you can’t back the looks and personality up, it is ultimately an opportunity for beatings until you quit.

H/T Dave Meltzer, MMA Fighting