5 UFC main events that were hugely underwhelming

#2 Anthony Smith vs. Devin Clark – UFC Vegas 15

Anthony Smith's fight with Devin Clark was the UFC's weakest main event in some time

Like the main event fight between Paddy Holohan and Louis Smolka, this fight only ended up as a UFC headliner when the initially planned fight fell apart.

In this case, Anthony Smith vs. Devin Clark was upgraded when Curtis Blaydes vs. Derrick Lewis was canceled after Blaydes tested positive for COVID-19.

However, the fact that Smith vs. Clark was the best fight the UFC could then find to move into the main event slot was very telling of how weak UFC Vegas 15 was in the first place.

In fact, things could’ve been even worse. Smith – a fighter who had at least headlined four UFC shows previously – wasn’t originally booked to fight Clark, and only stepped in to replace Shamil Gamzatov a month before the event.

But this was still one of the weakest-sounding main events in UFC history. Smith hadn’t won a fight since June 2019 and was on a two-fight losing streak, while Clark was unranked and had a UFC record of just 6-4.

In the end, Smith won the fight with a first round triangle choke. It was clear that had there been a crowd in attendance, they would’ve been disappointed overall that this was the headlining act.

BACK IN THE WIN COLUMN 🦁@lionheartasmith ends the #UFCVegas15 main event within round 1! 💪 pic.twitter.com/Y7D1fs3dHT

— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) November 29, 2020

It was an indicator that following the COVID-19 pandemic, the UFC had perhaps pushed itself too hard in putting on a show each weekend.

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#1 Cub Swanson vs. Artem Lobov – UFC Fight Night 108

Most fans believed Artem Lobov didn't belong in a UFC main event

UFC Fight Night 108’s main event was a true head-scratcher. Despite featuring solid fights like John Dodson vs. Eddie Wineland and Mike Perry vs. Jake Ellenberger, the UFC chose to headline with a featherweight clash between Cub Swanson and Artem Lobov.

It certainly wasn’t rare for Swanson to headline a UFC show. He’d been involved in multiple main events, was ranked in the top ten at featherweight and was coming off a ‘fight of the year’ candidate with Doo Ho Choi.

But quite how Lobov found himself headlining a UFC show was anyone’s guess. He was just 2-2 in the UFC and 13-12-1 overall. In fact, most fans suggested the only reason he was in the UFC in the first place was because he was a training partner of Conor McGregor.

To say that nobody was giving him a shot at beating Swanson would be an understatement, which in turn made this one of the most underwhelming UFC main events in the history of the promotion.

And sure enough, while Lobov went the distance, he was comfortably beaten by Swanson after being outclassed. Two more losses followed, and with that, the Ireland-based Russian found himself out of the UFC altogether.

Make that FOUR wins in a row for @CubSwanson!! #UFCNashville pic.twitter.com/bOUzuX6xt8

— UFC (@ufc) April 23, 2017