The Bottom Line: UFC 196 a Perfect Illustration of MMA’s Greatness

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It was just a few months ago, back at UFC 193 in November, when Holly Holm was on top of the world. She didn’t just defeat but destroyed and knocked out the most dominant female fighter in the history of the sport. Thousands turned out in her hometown to celebrate her win with a parade. Ronda Rousey’s reign over the women’s bantamweight division was finished and now Holm was the undefeated UFC champion.

Just three pay-per-views later, Holm would find herself in a suffocating rear-naked choke at the hands of Miesha Tate. Holm lobbied for a quick return to the Octagon to defend her title, and she got what she asked for. In hindsight, it doesn’t look like the best of ideas. She fought off the choke until she no longer could. Her title run was over seemingly before it even began. Her title slipped away with her consciousness.

It was even more recently that Conor McGregor was on top of the world. After years of trash talking the greatest featherweight of all-time, McGregor got the opportunity to back up his words at UFC 194. Thirteen seconds later, Jose Aldo’s 10-year unbeaten streak was over. The Irishman was more than just undisputed featherweight champion. McGregor had taken Rousey’s place as the biggest superstar in the sport. With that came nearly unprecedented power, running his own press conferences and playing matchmaker for his own fights. McGregor was labeled a national hero and compared to Muhammad Ali.

Just 84 days later, a dejected and humbled McGregor was left to explain what exactly had happened. McGregor was a 5-to-1 favorite at UFC 196 on Saturday in Las Vegas, where he met Nate Diaz, who took the fight on just 11 days’ notice. McGregor did well early, but Diaz battered him at the midpoint of the second round and submitted him on the ground. McGregor remains featherweight champion, but his aura took a major hit.

It was a rough evening for Holm and McGregor, two stars who were on top of the world just a short time ago. It was an even rougher evening for the UFC, which saw the marketability of arguably its biggest star (McGregor) and its biggest potential fight (Holm-Rousey 2 for the title) take big hits. Yet it was an electric and magical night for the sport.

It’s not just that McGregor-Diaz and Holm-Tate were exciting fights, nor is it simply that the repercussions were so stunning, shaking up the trajectory of the sport in a sudden and unexpected manner. It’s that UFC 196 was in a nutshell the perfect reminder of what makes this sport so great.

Baseball writers have often been fond over the years of comparing baseball to life in general. It’s usually meant in an optimistic, high-minded way. In truth, life is a lot more like MMA. It’s short, it’s brutal and absolutely nothing is guaranteed for anyone. These aren’t the most heartwarming characteristics, and as a result, MMA isn’t for everyone. However, it means there’s an urgency that just isn’t present in other sports. Fortunes can turn, not just in a matter of months but in a matter of seconds. With so many ways to win, it’s incredibly difficult for any fighter to thrive for long. A fighter can go from seemingly unbeatable to just another fighter overnight. Take two of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s all-time biggest drawing cards as examples.

Brock Lesnar’s career high point was likely at UFC 116, where he survived a pummeling from undefeated monster Shane Carwin to rally for a stirring submission win. Lesnar had proven he had heart to go along with his size and athleticism. It was his last MMA win. He was knocked out in the first round of his next two fights and left the sport to return to the world of professional wrestling.

Chuck Liddell was likewise the UFC’s poster boy at his fighting peak. Magazine covers and TV show appearances underlined his celebrity. In the cage, he was a knockout machine, taking out one opponent after another with his fists. The high point of it all was likely at UFC 66, where he drew the biggest buy rate in UFC history and knocked out rival Tito Ortiz for the second time. Liddell would fall from his career apex in extremely short order. A first-round knockout against Quinton Jackson ended his title run, and he would lose five of his six final fights before retiring.

It would seem highly improbable that McGregor will suffer a fall like Lesnar or Liddell, but there is no shortage of similar examples throughout the sport’s history. That uncertainty is what makes the sport so exciting. If a team builds up a big enough lead, the game eventually gets out of reach. In MMA, there is no lead big enough to negate the right punch with a four-ounce glove or a locked-in choke. No fighter can be the best at every aspect of the game, so there’s always a game plan to be implemented. Once that game plan proves to work, there’s a blueprint for others to exploit.

That perpetual turmoil doesn’t lend itself to stability for fighters, but it does lend itself to excitement for fans. UFC 196 neatly encapsulated that thrilling reality. It was a wild, chaotic evening that turned the sport on its head. McGregor and Holm may or may not return to the lofty perches they possessed a few short months ago. In a sport with no sacred cows, every card offers the opportunity for everything to come together, or for it all to fall apart.