1-d) “Boxing … is a sport that involves a great deal of athletic spectacle. Fighting, at least as presently sold, is the precise opposite, a contrived spectacle based mainly on what can be sold to whom that almost incidentally happens to involve a sport.”

This couplet should truthfully cost you your job, or at least your assignments regarding sports. I genuinely mean that, and state it with zero sarcasm or troll-ishness. You do not understand Mixed Martial Arts nor athletics in general, and should not have an income-providing opinion on such, especially involving writing.

5) “Pat Cummins, a part-time coffee shop worker and former collegiate wrestler who’s struggled against bar fighter-level opposition on the regional circuits after he volunteered on Twitter.”

Supremely misleading. Crude and poorly written. Cummins didn’t place in his high school State tournament, yet walked-on to Penn State and became a two-time All-American wrestler. He was also 4–0 (four first-round stoppages, including a TKO win under Strikeforce in his professional debut) prior to fighting Cormier, who you claim is “the top contender in two weight classes, and the one fighter perhaps most feared by other fighters” (neither statement is true, by the way) so not sure how he struggled against “bar-level” opposition.

Additionally, those “bar-level” fighters were actually other professional fighters with more experience but less-than-impressive records. Cummins still helped Cormier train for the Olympics as well as won four separate times himself, so your portrayal is simply to stoke reaction, essentially revealing your writing to be poor and scandalous.

5-a) There was a bipartisan agreement regarding Cummins’ team’s previous inability to find opponents willing to fight him. Many people volunteer for out-of-their-mind activities on Twitter; there’s a reason he was chosen. Regardless of hype, he was selected on skill as well as intrigue. Not typically how the UFC does match-making, but remember, the original match-up collapsed less than two weeks out from Fight Night.

Also remember: the original match-up featured one of the best Light Heavyweight Contenders ever, former Champion Rashad Evans (25–3–1) vs. Cormier’s debut at 205 pounds, where he is expected to eventually challenge Jon Jones’ title. The co-headlining event featured Silver medal wrestling versus Gold medal Judo. The headliner was initially a well-planned, methodical match-up; it became last-minute best-case-scenario Damage Control with a legitimate-if-outclassed opponent.

6) “These fights were insulting, and so was the way they were promoted.”

You do not understand: McMann (7–1; first American woman to receive Silver Medal in Olympic wrestling) was the next legitimate contender for Rousey, who had just defended her belt fifty-six (!) days prior to fighting McMann. While Rousey may steam-roll through her opponents unmatched, the outcome is never guaranteed nor is there any other solution, save for inactivity. (Also, she’s one of a kind.) And while matchmaking-on-intrigue is typically less-interesting and disingenuous, it occurs tremendously less frequently than the true contender-through-the-ranks style of matchmaking, and usually involves the same cast of fighters (Sonnen, Nick Diaz).

Generally, the two groups of fighters are: Top 7–10 in the world, and up-and-comers. In the gray areas are gatekeepers. Or fighters who’ve reached a plateau in their potential but are not-yet-ready nor needed to retire or move on. Additionally, many of the intrigue/personality matches are one-sided on paper, and are not expected to be high-level stylistic match-ups by any casually-knowledgeable fan. The Cormier-Cummins match-up was made less on intrigue and more on need for a legitimate opponent given the incredibly thin pool of willing contestants.

6a) To say Sara McMann didn’t have the credentials nor was a legitimate and intriguing match-up on paper … You are wrong.

6b) Without sounding crass, if you do not care for the match-ups prior to Fight Night, do not purchase the card. However, many match-ups and cards on paper that at first do not seem compelling end up becoming great fights, legendary battles even. As an amateur fan and writer, do not judge cards prior to viewing them. If you do, keep in mind each Pay-Per-View event has a set price with an unset value; each purchase comes with a risk.

You may see up-and-comers who eventually will become champions; you may see a highlight-reel knock-out, to be played forever; you may see nothing but decisions, all going to the judges; you may see five separate ten-second knock-outs, the entire card lasting an hour. Some cards will be “worth” the price; some cards will “not”; some cards will be “worth” way more than the set price, the chance to see the unforgettable.

There is a certain financial and time management-related risk involved in agreeing to purchase, watch and support any single UFC card. There are also higher peaks serving for incredibly truer rewards, both for the fans and fighters. Regardless of any outcome, simply watching two professional mixed martial artists get the chance to compete on Fight Night should come with enjoyment and relief due to the nature of the sport and the training for competition.

Mixed Martial Arts (any contact-combat sport) is the only professional sport involving two participants which can end instantly, within the first seconds of time allotted for the match. The tension of making weight weeks ahead of the fight carries all the way over to the seconds before each fighter enters the cage.

Once the bell rings, the tension peaks and sustains until the end of the match, which can come literally at any time in any number of different ways. A walk-off home run; a game-winning touchdown; a Sudden Death-winning goal; a half-court buzzer beater. The same thrill and joy felt by all participants and viewers can potentially be felt at any given moment during any MMA match.