Pic: The UFC 222 Poster Is Out & Fans Are Going Nuts
Seeking to extend his 12-fight win streak, UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway will face former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar in the main event of March 3’s UFC 222 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The fight is a rebooking of their previously-scheduled match in the main event of December 2’s UFC 218, where Holloway stopped late replacement Jose Aldo, the longtime champion whom he originally won the belt from last June, after Edgar suffered an orbital injury in training and was forced to pull out.
This week the UFC released the official fight poster for the marquee featherweight main event but based on the reaction from fans, it’s not that fight that’s getting all of the publicity (and heat) on social media. No, the fight directly below Holloway vs. Edgar, a Stefan Struve vs. Andrei Arlovski heavyweight co-main event, is the one that’s causing a minor uprising.
And it may be tough to blame the fans, because while Struve vs. Arlovski is certainly a heavyweight throwdown that could not only be exciting but end with a huge knockout, the fight isn’t exactly a pay-per-view-worthy co-main event, at least not in the eyes of many.
What’s more, the booking comes during a time when the promotion has been accused of watering down cards to fill the packed, slogging schedule which many fans have said is sapping their commitment to MMA, something that probably wasn’t enhanced by the UFC recently raising prices for pay-per-view shows. PPV sales were lower than they had been in years throughout 2017 as well, with a precipitous dropoff from the banner 2016 coming just when new owners Endeavor had taken over control of the UFC.
So while fans believed Struve vs. Arlovski was a great bout for a Fight Night or Fight Pass-aired card, putting it in the co-main event of a numbered and costly pay-per-view event has the UFC faithful offering some stiff opinions on the matter. Check it out right here and let us know yours:
Whose side are you on?
Your OFFICIAL #UFC222 poster has arrived. pic.twitter.com/TUdsZwXrU2
— UFC (@ufc) January 23, 2018
