That was the top critiscm I had of the show going in, their lack of using better talent on the undercard. It was good in that it got over new people to existing fans, but for many it was gonna be their first taste of UFC and on a show like that you need to get as many of your legitimate stars who need a little extra bump as much over as possible. Booking Gonzaga and Scherner and pushing 2 of your TV boys was a mistake. The TUF guys (Swick/Sanchez) are already known to that big audience. Gonzaga has a history of putting rear naked chokes on audiences. Scherner hasn't proven to be some firey fighter. I didn't really get the undercard too much.
And the main event wasn't all hype. Hughes is now a star and probably a solid draw. That's something they need, a Welterweight who draws outside the hardcore audience. They've got Hughes, Penn, GSP, Parisyan, Sanchez, Diaz, I mean the list goes on and on and none of those guys are any proven mega-PPV draw. Hughes can probably sell on his own now, especially with as many legit contenders as they'll have to pair him up with.
Last edited by Matt Boone : 06-14-2006 at 11:20 PM.
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