Two of combat sports biggest names will do battle against each other on November 14th.The most popular boxer in the world Manny Pacquiao will square off against one of the greatest MMA fighters of all-time Randy Couture in what essentially amounts to as a vicious popularity contest.
Manny Pacquiao will face Miguel Cotto at what they dub “FirePower”; and according to numerous internet reports, Randy Couture will fight Brandon Vera at UFC 105 on November 14th.
Could Randy Couture steal some of that fire power from Manny and Miguel? This is the excitement that UFC needed for this card. A week ago, I wrote an article detailing how Pacquiao would clearly destroy the UFC 105 event.
UFC in big trouble with their battle against Manny Pacquiao on November 14th
Now that the UFC has scheduled Randy to fight, I think the pendulum has shifted in the direction of even.
The die hard fans will watch their respective sports but it’s the battle for the casual fans and their money that the UFC and Boxing are fighting for.
The casual fans have to decide, do they invest their time and money in the top pound-for-pound boxer in the world or do they invest their time and emotions in rooting for a mid 40’s fighter who defies age and has become a living legend?
Believe me when I say that I understand one fight is on PPV and one fight is on tape delayed television. Just read some of my past articles and you can see how I have clearly laid out the battle lines and covered this point.
But things have dramatically changed. Couture is the second biggest draw in all of MMA just below Brock Lesnar. He has captured the hearts and following from die hard MMA fans and casual fans too. Will his fight on the 14th hurt the PPV buys for Pacquiao’s fight? Will Couture make people want to see the UFC 105 event more than the Pacquiao fight?
After Couture’s last fight against Antonio Nogueira, Couture made a fan out of me and many others.
He showed so much heart to hang with a top competitor at least a decade younger. It’s the heart of Couture that captivates the fans.
As of right now, I’m not sure when the tape delay of UFC 105 will air in the United States.
But it could present a problem for Boxing if they air UFC 105 at the same time Pacquiao fights Cotto.
Here’s the question I pose to you readers: If UFC 105 is aired at the same time as the Pacquiao fight, which one will you watch?
For me, I really hope they don’t air at the same time because it’s a choice that I don’t want to make.
