Making the Grade: UFC Stockholm

May 28, 2017; Stockholm, Stockholms Lan, Sweden; Alexander Gustafsson (red gloves) fights Glover Teixeira (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Ericsson Globe. Mandatory Credit: Per Haljestam-USA TODAY Sports

Now that it’s all said and done, what overall grade should UFC Stockholm receive?

Whenever a UFC fight card is announced, it is almost immediately judged by both fans and media alike. Phrases like “on paper this card looks great/terrible” and “the main card looks good but the prelims are iffy” get thrown around quite a bit in the lead-up to an event. But what about after the event is over

But what about after the event is over? Depending on the main event, that single fight can sometimes overshadow the rest of the card, whether for better or worse.

Occasionally a prelim fight will steal the show and people will, in hindsight, argue that it should have been on the main card despite no one seeing that level of competition coming.

There are multiple factors that come into play when analysing an event. Some factors play a more significant role in the quality of a card than others but all of them still play a part.

Let’s take a look at the things that play the biggest role in making or breaking a card.

The Venue: This aspect plays the smallest role in how well a card does and really only matters that much for the people attending the event rather than the fans at home. Still, a terrible venue can ruin a fan experience and bring down the level of enjoyment people had for the event.

The Crowd: While this, again, probably matters more for those in attendance, it can still play a role in the fans watching at home. Chants, boos, reactions and the like are all picked up on camera and microphones after all.

The Card: One of the most important aspects of any event is the fight card itself. Obviously, fans will be more excited for a stacked card than a card that has a majority of fighters that are considered to be “lower tier”.

The Action: This is the most important part of a fight card when it all comes down to it. Even on cards where the name recognition and “star power” aren’t there, if the action in the cage is exciting then most fans won’t care. Likewise, if the card is stacked but every fight goes to decision and the fighters spend most of their time feeling each other out then it can sink a card.

Now that some of the parameters are laid out, how did the UFC’s most recent outing fair? UFC Fight Night 109 took place in Stockholm, Sweden and here’s how it grades out.