After UFC on FUEL TV 1 classic, White says all future main events five rounds
OMAHA, Neb. – If you were left begging for two more rounds after Jake Ellenberger's thrilling three-round victory over Diego Sanchez, you weren't alone.
Following Wednesday's UFC on FUEL TV 1 event in Omaha, Neb., UFC president Dana White admitted he "blew it," and all future main events will feature five rounds.
"Already thought and done," White told MMAjunkie.com (
www.mmajunkie.com). "I'm actually pissed at myself about it, so yeah."
The UFC first implemented five-round non-title fights this past June.
"From this day forward, as we speak right here, right now today, every fight that is a main event that is not a title fight will be a five-round fight," White said following a UFC 131 pre-fight press conference.
However, when the UFC later signed a multi-year deal with the FOX family of networks, it turned out the new change only applied to pay-per-view and FOX-aired contests, leaving FX and FUEL TV with three-round main events.
No longer, said White.
"I can do 33 rounds on FUEL TV if I want to," White said. "FUEL TV can't get enough.
"We blew it tonight. It should have been a five-round fight."
Many MMA fans and pundits felt the same after Sanchez called up third-round heroics, blasting Ellenberger on the feet and nearly scoring a finish on the floor. However, Sanchez had clearly dropped the opening two rounds and was forced to settle for a unanimous-decision loss.
With the tide turned, Sanchez simply ran out of time, and many observers believe an additional 10 minutes could have changed the course of the fight.
There are a few notable exceptions to the new policy: The Thiago Alves vs. Martin Kampmann headliner of UFC on FX 2 and the Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Alexander Gustafsson main event at UFC on FUEL TV 2 will remain three-round affairs. With bout agreements already in place, White said it wouldn't make sense to try and change the terms of the contracts.