5 reasons why the UFC should cut down their number of events in 2022

#4: Less UFC events would allow the promotion more time to build big fights

The UFC could use more time to build big fights like Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington

2021 has seen the UFC put together a monumental number of huge fights, including bouts such as Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier, Jan Blachowicz vs. Israel Adesanya and Francis Ngannou vs. Stipe Miocic.

While all of these bouts were box office hits, at times this year it’s felt like big fights have had far less time to build than they would’ve had in the past.

Years ago, a big feud like, for instance, Rashad Evans vs. ‘Rampage’ Jackson seemed to be brewing for ages before the fight actually happened, leaving UFC fans desperate to see the eventual clash.

In comparison, UFC 268’s big grudge match between Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington almost seemed to hit the fans out of nowhere – largely because of the many fight cards the UFC already held in October.

Had there been fewer UFC shows in the month prior, then the Usman vs. Covington feud could well have garnered far more attention than it did and perhaps make more money for the UFC in the process.

At the end of the day, the UFC is in the business of putting together the biggest fights possible. These fights would be much bigger were there not so many other events for them to compete against.

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#3: Less UFC events could mean more stars are created

In a world with fewer UFC events, Joaquin Buckley might've become a star for the promotion by now

Cast your mind back to last October for a moment. The UFC produced one of 2020’s better shows in the form of UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs. Sandhagen, and the fighter who stole the show was Joaquin Buckley.

‘New Mansa’ landed a spectacular spinning back kick to finish Impa Kasanganay, and the knockout instantly went viral across the internet, with Buckley becoming an overnight sensation.

However, despite its immense popularity, Buckley’s knockout was quickly forgotten when just one week later, Brian Ortega put on a virtuoso performance to beat Chan Sung Jung – and a week after that, UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov retired after his win over Justin Gaethje.

Buckley did fight again just a month later – again winning by knockout – but the UFC had put on so many fights in the interim that ‘New Mansa’ was practically an unknown again by that stage. Going into 2022, his status isn’t really any better.

In previous years with fewer UFC events, though, Buckley’s knockout would’ve been the only thing talked about by fans for a few weeks, if not months.

That kind of coverage could’ve made him an instant star, and even if he were unable to live up to the hype by climbing into title contention, the UFC could have used him to headline at least one show.

Essentially though, with so many UFC events, even the most exciting fighters can blend into the huge melting pot that is the promotion’s roster. And in a star-driven sport like MMA, that isn’t good.

By cutting its number of events in 2022, the UFC would therefore allow its stars – particularly those who emerge from nowhere – to properly develop, potentially making more money for the promotion down the line.