Dana White and the UFC are making history this week.
The lineup for UFC 332, to be held in Salt Lake City, Utah Saturday, Oct. 3, is one of the least appealing in recent memory.
It’s hard to fathom a reason to get less excited about a numbered UFC event than this one.
It’s a card for the diehards. Or those who have run out of entertainment options.
Paulie Malignaggi, the former world boxing champion, captured the essence of the problem during a recent interview with USA TODAY Sports.
“Good fights can be made,’’ he said, “but people need to see the recognizable names.’’
A good card needs a star.
This card is a black hole.
The end of the pay-per-view era, when Paramount+ replaced ESPN as UFC’s streaming home, is the only way this card materialized.
The
headliner for UFC 332 will be Natalia Silva and Wang Cong fighting for the vacant women’s flyweight title. Talented fighters. Not worthy of a place on the marquee.
Silva has won 14 fights in a row, but the last five have come by decision. Cong is 10-1 but has only two knockouts. The 25-minute title fight could induce napping.
Who's responsible for this?
The buck stops with White, the UFC’s CEO.
In recent weeks, he’s looked and sounded preoccupied by the boxing match between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. And even more so, his feud with Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn.
White lost the feud. (Hearn and Frank Warren will be the promoters.) Has White lost his focus too?
Though White indicated he leaves the UFC cards in the hands of his matchmakers, a savvy promoter like White would stay involved to prevent what has been assembled for UFC 332.
Of the 10 fighters fighting on the main card, only four are ranked in the top 15. Only one fighter is ranked higher than No. 8.
The co-main is a bantamweight bout between Deiveson Figueiredo and Payton Talbott. Talbott has shown knockout power, but does a fighter ranked No. 12 deserve to be in the co-main?
King Green, a fan favorite, will be fighting Esteban Ribovics in a lightweight bout. But Green is 40, and with 54 career fights, his well-worn tires could blow at any time.
A name like Khaos Williams is reason for some excitement. But he’s lost two of his last three fights heading into a welterweight bout against Roberto Soldic.
Ateba Gautier, who is built like Adonis, will fight Roman Kopylov in a middleweight bout. But the Adonis physique has not earned him a spot in the top 15.
Something else that will never be ranked in the top 15: the card for UFC 332.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: UFC 332 is shaping up as one of the UFC’s worst cards | Opinion
