Something about combat sports brings out the jingoism in all of us. It’s a weird, vicarious validation to see a countryman beat the best of the best of another country. The Ultimate Fighting Championship routinely plays up this angle: Look no further for evidence than this season of “The Ultimate Fighter.” It’s a natural promotional approach given the degree of international presence in the sport, and it seems to be a renewable source of excitement upon which to fall back.
Though much of the promotion for the light heavyweight title fight at UFC 192 on Saturday essentially boiled down to “tall punchy guy vs.