In MMA, one of the most effective ways to ensure disappointment is to place unrealistic expectations on a fight. Eddie Alvarez’s bout with Justin Gaethje at UFC 218 was just such a set-up for failure. People were circling it for not just Fight of the Night on a card chock full of bangers, but for Fight of the freaking Year. Even for a couple of gung-ho brawlers sick enough to try and meet such expectations, that kind of pressure is a bit much.
Yet Gaethje and Alvarez went to Detroit and did their level best to give the people what they wanted.