The Bottom Line: There Will Be Blood

Editor’s note: The views and opinions expressed below are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Sherdog.com, its affiliates and sponsors or its parent company, Evolve Media.

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Interim championships do not have the best reputation in MMA. There was once a time when they were used relatively sparingly for developments like severe injuries to Frank Mir and Dominick Cruz. Unfortunately, in recent years, they have often been trotted out as little more than marketing gimmicks when the true champion will be ready to fight in four months rather than two. As a result, when interim title fights are announced, they often elicit more groans than cheers.

The interim title fight coming up at UFC 249 on Saturday in some ways fits that mold. After all, the No. 1 vs. No. 2 fight that everyone wants to see is still Khabib Nurmagomedov against Tony Ferguson. It will be a shame if we never get to see that bout or if it comes when one or both men are on the decline. Demand for Nurmagomedov-Ferguson remains strong, even with Ferguson meeting a different opponent and Conor McGregor’s name floating around for a major fight.

Ferguson-Justin Gaethje was also made more for timing reasons than necessity. Nurmagomedov is healthy and will be ready to fight sooner rather than later. Ramadan, taking place from April 23-May 23, will mean the devout Muslim won’t be able to fight in the next couple months. However, August or September is a realistic timetable that provides Nurmagomedov time to recover and prepare. That’s not very far away in spite of the tricks COVID-19 is playing on our minds’ sense of time.

The pandemic could affect Nurmagomedov’s ability to travel in the coming months, but that’s also true of international fighters like Israel Adesanya, Alexander Volkanovski, Valentina Shevchenko and Weili Zhang. There has been no move to quickly create interim titles in any of those divisions. Thus, the UFC 249 main event is being made for the same sorts of reasons that so many other interim fights have been created in recent years. With that said, if there were ever a fight so compelling that it justified a dubious interim title tag, it’s Ferguson-Gaethje. There are plenty of nuances that fight fans grow to appreciate over time: a perfectly timed level change, the deft transition out of a submission or a fighter frustrating an opponent with mastery of distance. At heart, however, most fight fans are drawn in by the violence of the sport. A brutal, skillful battle like Adesanya-Kelvin Gastelum or Zhang-Joanna Jedrzejczyk is what fans tune in hoping to see.

The problem for fans is that fights are unpredictable. Sometimes fights that look to be thrilling on paper fall apart, like Francis Ngannou-Derrick Lewis. While a fight may not unravel as notably as Ngannou-Lewis, it also may not deliver the fireworks that were expected. That’s pretty much never the case when it comes to Gaethje and Ferguson. These are two fighters who don’t simply win in a way that tends to be crowd pleasing; they are athletes who take pride in fighting a certain way. If Ferguson-Gaethje isn’t thrilling for as long as it lasts, it won’t be for lack of resolve.

Beyond how exciting the fight promises to be, it’s also a great step in the careers of both men. As Ferguson has won fight after fight, it has been an ongoing test to see if someone can match his aggression and force of will. Nurmagomedov has been widely perceived as that ultimate test, but in some ways, Gaethje is an even more compelling challenge. Nurmagomedov can beat Ferguson by forcing Ferguson to fight Nurmagomedov’s sort of fight, thus negating the American’s strengths. Gaethje, by contrast, is likely to try to beat Ferguson on Ferguson’s terms. No fighter has ever run over Ferguson, and that’s precisely what Gaethje will be looking to do.

For Gaethje, it’s an even more significant fight. Since his World Series of Fighting days, it has been evident that there is something special about the way he competes. Once he finally reached the Ultimate Fighting Championship, a larger base of fans started to catch on. He has delivered thunderous knockouts and thrilling wars. Now, he has the opportunity to hold UFC gold for the first time and to show that he’s more than just a fun fighter to watch. With the sports calendar so vacant, the spotlight will be on him in a way that it never has been before. If he wins, his fights will get even bigger.

With a fight so compelling and stakes so high, it’s a lot easier to overlook the absence of Nurmagomedov and the creation of yet another interim title. Those are concerns for another day. In a matter of days, we can hopefully just enjoy a terrific headliner on what’s a strong overall card. It’s hard to believe it has been less than two months since we last had live fights. This is a worthy choice to bring back the sport.