UFC 108: Evans vs Silva Fan Buzz

The series of injuries and canceled bouts that have plagued this weekend’s UFC 108 card have been well-documented within the MMA press. What once may have been a blockbuster event to draw in giant pay per view numbers is now filled with replacement matchups that do not have the same gravity or buzz. Despite some of the most dire predictions for the success of the card, however, there remains a notably high level of fan interest and online activity surrounding the main event participants Rashad Evans and Thiago Silva. While buzz for UFC 108 is short of some of the better cards of late 2009, the latest figures suggest that a decent event can still be salvaged and offer intriguing bouts to serious fans of the sport.

The buzz rankings take into account the level of activity for people searching and reading about each MMA fighter online. The more online buzz, the better the ranking.

Topping the buzz rankings for the UFC 108 main and co-main event participants is Rashad Evans, whose stint as a coach on the Ultimate Fighter 10 reality show continues to pay dividends for him as one of the highest-profile fighters in the sport today. Despite inactivity since his May 2009 loss to Lyoto Machida, Evans is ranked a solid 13 in the latest buzz rankings.

Evans’ opponent, Thiago Silva, is the next highest at 34th in the rankings. While this should put to rest any possibility that fans consider this main event to be a mega-fight, the figures are more than respectable for the Brazilian fighter. The co-main event of Dustin Hazelett against Paul Daley offers solid striker vs grappler intrigue for avid fans of the sport, but little in the way of mainstream recognition or drawing power as a co-headliner.

All in all, expect UFC 108 to overcome a disastrous string of injuries with a card that is just able to squeak by and do the job. Overall fan interest appears comparable with recent events such as UFC 102: Couture vs Nogueira, and UFC 103: Franklin vs Belfort.