Article content continued

Headlining the show will be flyweight champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson (26-2-1) defending his title, and seeking to break the record for most consecutive successful title defences, against 23-year-old top contender Ray Borg (11-2), while the co-main event will feature the rescheduled rematch for the women’s bantamweight title between champion Amanda Nunes (14-4) and challenger Valentina Shevchenko (14-2).

These are two excellent fights and make UFC 215 the first Canadian UFC event to feature dual championship fights since UFC 129, the organization’s debut event in Toronto, which featured Georges St-Pierre defending the welterweight title against Jake Shields and Jose Aldo taking on London, Ontario’s Mark Hominick for the featherweight strap and drew more than 55,000 fans to Rogers Centre.

Right now, on paper, UFC 215 is the best fight card to come north of the border since that record-breaking event in April 2011, and in terms of the depth of talent and the potential divisional impact of the bouts current scheduled to take place at the shiny new home of the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers, this event is vastly superior to all recent Canadian pay-per-view offerings.

Yet as soon as the announcements were made, social media was alight with “Sorry Canada” comments and criticisms about the fight card, most of which stem from UFC president Dana White’s recent public battles with both Johnson and Nunes.

Early last month, Johnson released a lengthy statement voicing his frustrations with White and the UFC over myriad issues, including pressing him to face former bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw instead of Borg. White responded, challenging several of the flyweight champion’s comments and going on the offensive, before acquiescing to Johnson’s request to face Borg in an interview with MMAJunkie.com where he sarcastically discussed the level of fan interest in of the matchup.