Check out UFC’s hype special, UFC 200: It’s Time.
The UFC used to be great at putting together hype videos to sell their PPVs. After leaving Spike TV, the videos stopped being as good, but also, there were simply too many shows and you can only sell the audience on so much.
Now, what actually sells the next UFC show is the prior one. Their shows are also their best hype for the next one.
Today, most of their “hype” material shows up on their YouTube channel as well as on Fight Pass rather than on television.
The hype video for UFC 200 is actually quite good, specifically on Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier. The card is so loaded, you could preview the entire thing, including the fights specifically on Fight Pass. But for this one, they chose to focus on the top four matches, only excluding Cain Velasquez vs Travis Browne on the main card.
The Brock Lesnar vs Mark Hunt segment is short, but it reminds you how much of a spectacle Lesnar was in his first run. He may or may not have a chance against Hunt, but he’s easily the most must-see guy on the show. Frankie Edgar and Jose Aldo aren’t overly interesting as personalities, but this is the best fight on the card, if you’re talking about technical MMA. And while Amanda Nunes isn’t much of a name, Miesha Tate is, and she’s definitely grown into the role.
The best reason to watch though, is for Jones and Cormier. There is so much real-life animosity between the two that it gushes through like a waterfall. It’s intense. And while Jones will never be the second coming of Muhammad Ali, he’s definitely taken on a persona that sells. Can Cormier be his Joe Frazier? We’ll see this weekend.
