Dana White (photo) bets on TJ for UFC 177. Photo: Youtube/Reproduction
When the news broke that Renan Barao was out of the rematch against TJ Dillashaw At UFC 177, rumors about the future of the event came to light. Despite the Brazilian having passed out a few hours before the official weigh-in, the directors acted quickly and called up Joe Sato, who was on the preliminary card, to fight for the bantamweight belt. UFC president, Dana White, explained that despite the small appeal of the main fight, canceling the show was never considered.
The reason given by White for maintaining the UFC 177 fight program is simple: Dillashaw is the only UFC champion based in Sacramento and he alone would be able to maintain the public's interest in the show. A loss would bring enormous disappointment to local fans.
“(If) We canceled the show, heavy s*** would fall on us. First of all, Dillashaw is the only Sacramento-born UFC champion in history. He's still fighting, he's still fighting in his home. He’s going to face a tough guy, a guy he trained with a few weeks ago,” said Dana, speaking to journalists after the official UFC 177 weigh-in.
UFC 177 Curse
The medical problem with Renan Barao was just the latest chapter in the troubled history of UFC 177. The event underwent several changes to its card, including the change of the old co-main event between Demetrious Johnson and Chris Cariaso for UFC 178, and an event that ended up being cancelled, UFC 176 – which would have José Aldo x Chad Mendes as the main fight.
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