All-heavyweight main card set for UFC 146

Dana White is a great promoter because after listening to him talk for just a brief while, he can make even a so-so bout sound like the next Fight of the Century.

The UFC president says a fight is "big, it's [expletive] huge," so often, he ought to consider trademarking the phrase.

But on May 26 at UFC 146 at the MGM Grand, it won't be hyperbole when White calls the card "big" and "[expletive] huge."

For the first time in UFC history, the main card will consist of five heavyweight bouts, putting about a ton-and-a-quarter of heavyweights into the cage in a three-hour span. UFC 28 featured four heavyweight bouts, but White was able to top it for UFC 146 when he finalized a bout between Stefan Struve and Mark Hunt that is expected to open the pay-per-view broadcast.

Also on the main card on the show will be Shane del Rosario against Gabriel Gonzaga, Antonio "Big Foot" Silva against Roy "Big Country" Nelson, former heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez against "Fracturing" Frank Mir and, in the main event, a title bout between champion Junior dos Santos against No. 1 challenger Alistair Overeem.

Heavyweights have long been the most popular division in combat sports and the heavyweight champion is often regarded as the so-called "baddest man on the planet."

These 10 heavyweights average 6 feet 3 inches and 253 pounds. Most interesting, though, is that they have combined for a 162-51 record, and have 144 finishes among those 162 victories, according to records from Sherdog. They've combined for 83 knockouts and 61 submissions.

Of their 51 losses, they've been finished 35 times. That means that of their combined 213 fights, the bouts have been finished 179 times, or in 84 percent of the fights.

The group includes the reigning UFC heavyweight champion (dos Santos), two former UFC champions (Mir and Velasquez), a Strikeforce champ (Overeem) and a former International Fight League champion (Nelson).

I'm looking forward to this card.

a night full of finishes

Cool card I guess, but I strongly disagree with the sentiment that heavyweights are somehow the most exciting. Quite the opposite IMO actually. Am I alone here?

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Originally Posted by Ehsan_Karam

Cool card I guess, but I strongly disagree with the sentiment that heavyweights are somehow the most exciting. Quite the opposite IMO actually. Am I alone here?

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I don't know about "quite the opposite" but I do agree it can be equally exciting to watch lighterweight talent. But on a card like this, there's bound to be some awesome finishes from the fatties.

lol

i love to watch the big boys fight...

Sure, the middle of the pack & lower level heavy weights can be boring due to poor cardio but everybody likes fighters that finish their opponent. There is a direct relationship between weight class & finish rate: http://fightnomics.com/featured/size-matters/

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ehsan_Karam

Cool card I guess, but I strongly disagree with the sentiment that heavyweights are somehow the most exciting. Quite the opposite IMO actually. Am I alone here?

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100% agree with you. I honestly dont even pay attention to most heavyweight fights. Its all about 155 and below for me

Whole PPV will be over in 1 hour...

I don't enjoy the fights as much at heavyweight because they tend to be a little less technical overall. Not saying that technicians don't exist but I guess the difference in competition at that weight class really shows, which is why I feel the finish percentage is a lot higher in that division. Cardio isn't as much an issue nowadays as speed. Whether your a submission artist or a knock out artist, the steam roll mentality of that division leads to less competitive matches and more dominant performances. I'm not saying their not as skilled or that the significant speed difference is boring, just as a fan of the sport overall I too prefer watching fights in lower weight classes. Mir vs Nog was a really great technical match. And i think this upcoming card will really boost the representation of that division. Struve and Hunt is an awesome match of strikers that will more than likely not go the whole fight, Mir and Cain will be a match up between two heavyweights who I feel are really the elite when it comes to the modern progression of the current heavyweight division, and the title bout is another exciting match up. But in this division one strike or one dominant position is all it takes.

I love to wath the hevyweights bang but I do have to agree with the comments above. Its seems as tho alot of times in the heavyweight division there isnt very much "mixed" martial arts. Its either a ground specialist or a striking specialist. Its almost as tho the heavyweight division has not evolved as much as 205 and below. Reminds me of the early days of style versus style.