No Georges St-Pierre… Big Problem!
UFC fans north of the border are not at all pleased with how December’s UFC 206 pay-per-view event in Toronto is shaping up.
The card is currently headlined by a light heavyweight title fight rematch featuring current champion Daniel Cormier taking on feared knockout artist Anthony “Rumble” Johnson.
The next biggest fight currently slated for the UFC 206 event is an intriguing featherweight tilt between veteran Cub Swanson and surging contender Doo Ho “The Korean Superboy” Choi.
While both of the fights listed above are very compelling matchups, there is no denying that UFC 206 is lacking some serious star power, especially when compared to UFC 205 and UFC 207.
With that said, some Canadian fans have taken to social media starting a rally to boycott the UFC 206. Check it out:
https://twitter.com/kenny_ac/status/788391634643877888
UFC lost Rory and GSP in a span of months, Canadians should protest and boycott UFC 206
— Gaz (@agaz996) October 18, 2016
https://twitter.com/CLMcGrath_209/status/788132740725997568
https://twitter.com/Bluerealm/status/788114499039526912
with No GSP @ UFC 206… its time to boycott ufc 206. #UFC206 #BoycottUFC206
— James J Raynor (@JamesJRaynor) October 17, 2016
https://twitter.com/MMALoaded/status/788490354152574976
— Chan P (@ChanPurbaRx) October 21, 2016
HELLO, CANADA AND GSP FANS AROUND THE WORLD!
Join us in supporting a true legend of the sport we all love.#BOYCOTTUFC206 #FREEGSP pic.twitter.com/qQGBoZockV— @MMAG33K (@MMAG33K) October 18, 2016
https://twitter.com/MattGraham4/status/789861485908418560
UFC at risk of jumping the shark. Go gsp #boycottufc206
— Chung Kim (@chung_kim1) October 23, 2016
https://twitter.com/mahippalsidhu/status/790173194456076289
The last two pay-per-view events in Canada did not do well at all in terms of live attendance or PPV buys.
UFC 186 took place in April of 2015 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. That event was headlined by a flyweight title fight between Demetrious Johnson and challenger Kyoji Horiguchi. The co-main event of UFC 186 was a catchweight bout between Quinton Jackson and Fabio Maldonado.
Prior to that, the most recent pay-per-view event in Canada was UFC 174 which took place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in June of 2014. That card was also headlined by a flyweight title fight between champ Demetrious Johnson and then challenger Ali Bagautinov. The co-main event for UFC 174 was a welterweight bout between Rory MacDonald and Tyron Woodley.
However, when Georges St-Pierre headlined the UFC 129 pay-per-view event in Toronto opposite Jake Shields, the result was one the biggest cards in the promotions history.
“Rush” is currently in a contract dispute with the UFC. The Canadian superstar claims that he is now a free agent, but the UFC is adamant that “GSP” is still under contract with the promotion.
If the UFC cannot come to terms with St-Pierre in the next few days, or secure a couple more high profile bouts, then UFC 206 has the potential to go down as one of the worst pay-per-view cards in the promotions history.
Would you buy the current UFC 206 pay-per-view? Sound off PENN Nation!