McGregor vs. Chandler was for the Casual Fans, Pereira vs. Prochaska is for the Hardcore Fans
(via MMA Fighting)
Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler was likely going to be the pay per view buys champion of 2024, but for hardcore fans, they are more excited for the fight that replaced it.
Alex Pereira vs Jiri Prochaska II for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship is a fight that is more exciting on paper, and has greater title implications than McGregor vs. Chandler.
Despite this, so many fans expressed their outrage with the fact that McGregor had pulled out due to a broken pinky toe. However, many hardcore fans had expressed their excitement with the addition of Pereira and Prochaska to this card.
The star power that surrounds these two has not been recognized in the main stream. These two have realized superstardom in the eyes of regular mixed martial arts viewers through their personas as well as their skill in the Octagon.
Prochaska was the first of the two to enter the UFC, with his first fight being in July 2020. Prochaska then went on a tear of finishes, leaving Volkan Oezdemir, Dominick Reyes, and Glover Teixeira in his wake. He then met Pereira in a vacant Light Heavyweight Championship bout, a title that he lost because he suffered, as UFC President Dana White put it, “The worst shoulder injury in UFC history.”
Prochaska did surprisingly well on the feet against Pereira, the former two division Glory Kickboxing World Champion. He was able to use his unorthodox style against Pereira to create openings for strikes. He was then caught in close by a Pereira left hook that sent him desperately looking for the takedown. The referee called the bout shortly after, giving Pereira the title.
Many believed that this stoppage was too soon, and argued that Prochaska was not defenseless or unconscious the moment the bout was stopped. This stoppage left the possibility for a rematch for the title, given Pereira was still holding it.
Pereira, in his own right has had one of the most successful UFC careers in such a short amount of time. In seven fights, he had already captured championships in two weight divisions, a feat that had never been accomplished in UFC history.
With all this giving more merit to the bout at hand, fans are still feeling cheated out of the potential bout against McGregor and Chandler. The fight between the two would be for a spot in the lightweight title picture despite the fact that the bout will be held at 170 lbs.
McGregor has also not fought since his rubber match against Dustin Poirier in July 2021, where he suffered a catastrophic leg injury, leaving him out up until this point.
Chandler is coming off a loss against Dustin Poirier at UFC 281 in November 2022, has gone 2-3 in his UFC tenure. Both of these men are far out of lightweight title contention, and would require at least two more fights before legitimately deserving of a title shot.
The dichotomy of casual fans and hardcore fans reacting to this change is proof that McGregor vs. Chandler was for the casual fans, while Pereira vs. Prochaska was for the hardcore fans. The fight that will occur means far more to the title picture, and involves two fighters that are beloved in the mixed martial arts community.
Casual fans now are just praying that the fight that will take place will make them forget bout the disappointment of not seeing McGregor, since they have already shelled out the $79.99 for the pay per view and invited people over to their house. Hardcore fans now have a fight that means far more to the sport that they regularly follow, involving two of the most beloved fighters in their community, hoping that neither lose in the process.
