5 non-title UFC fights that headlined a PPV
It was recently announced that UFC 272 will be headlined by Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal. This is a rare occurrence as neither man is a champion and the main event of pay-per-views (PPVs) traditionally features a championship match. The pair join an exclusive list of fighters who have had the star power to pull this off.
Let's have some fun. Jorge Masvidal (@GamebredFighter) vs. Colby Covington (@ColbyCovMMA) will headline UFC 272 on March 5, per UFC Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell. Five rounds, Las Vegas. Can not WAIT. es.pn/3fl9wL3
In order to get fans to spend their hard-earned money on a non-title fight, the fighters involved have to be huge stars. This level of popularity is very hard to achieve, although we have seen it on occasion over the years.
Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz fought twice in the main event of pay-per-views without having a belt on the line either time. These fighters are so popular that both bouts sold well over one million pay-per-views and each man has gone on to headline pay-per-views with non-title fights against different opponents since.
While this does not happen often, there are a few cases of big-time fights securing top billing in recent memory. Here are five non-title UFC fights that headlined a pay-per-view:
#5. Anderson Silva vs. Nick Diaz - UFC 183
This fight was Anderson Silva's return to action after over a year out with a broken leg. The former UFC middleweight champion was matched up against the popular former Strikeforce welterweight champion. Coincidentally, Nick Diaz was returning from over a year out himself.
Nick Diaz had retired following his last bout against Georges St. Pierre and was making his middleweight debut in this fight. With fans also unsure how Silva would perform following his brutal leg injury, there were plenty of unknowns heading into this one.
The combination of intrigue and enormous popularity of both fighters made the bout big enough to main event a pay-per-view. This decision was justified as, even without a title on the line, the bout sold a very respectable 650,000 pay-per-views.
Anderson Silva vs. Nick Diaz at UFC 183: Best photos bit.ly/2SpHlSp https://t.co/A9f42sIkk0
While Silva had his arm raised on the night as the winner by decision, this fight was ultimately overturned to a no contest. 'The Spider' tested positive for a banned substance and Diaz was also handed a ban for his use of marijuana.