UFC 103 vs Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Juan Manuel Marquez

Haven't given an update on Saturday's PPV collision between a red-hot UFC and the biggest name in boxing today. So here we go with the latest smack talk and speculation.

Dave Meltzer has some thoughts, he's expecting Mayweather by a commanding decision:

UFC seems at a distinct disadvantage in a pay-per-view battle against the Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Juan Manuel Marquez fight. Both sides have added new promotional twists. The boxing promoters added a nationwide network of movie theater showings at a relatively low price. UFC has added a one-hour live block on Spike TV (9 p.m. ET) just before the pay-per-view starts. A couple of live preliminary fights from Dallas will be aired to attempt to get people to choose the MMA event.

Few will argue that the boxing side has the stronger headlining fight. It also may be that combat sports fans are simply ready for a high-profile boxing fight. There has not been a major boxing event since May’s Manny Pacquiao-Ricky Hatton fight. Meanhile, UFC has had big pay-per-view attractions every month.

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The last time boxing and MMA went head-to-head with major events was Nov. 18, 2006, when UFC presented a Georges St. Pierre vs. Matt Hughes main event that did 500,000 buys, compared to a Manny Pacquiao vs. Erik Morales boxing match that did 350,000 buys.

Bad Left Hook has a round up of the smack talk and hype leading into the Mayweather fight:

We also know that Floyd and Marquez will have direct PPV competition from UFC 103, a card that excites the MMA diehards even without a big, blow-away main event (Rich Franklin and Vitor Belfort headline the show). Mayweather, Dana White and a totally uninvolved Bob Arum have chimed in about this, and none of it has been particularly high-brow stuff.

We've heard that there's been trouble selling tickets, that the PPV buyrates may limp across the finish line instead of the arms-raised, victorious sprint that a Mayweather return to the ring theoretically should have brought, and that the fight wasn't moved from July 18 to September 19 entirely due to bumps and bruises on Floyd Jr. thanks to tough training.

And BLH (and BE) reader Mason_Beer has some commentary about the underdog of the boxing card:

 Juan Manuel Marquez, above nearly every fighter ever profiled on 24/7, is a throwback to the old traditional fighter - a man who fights for family, god, and country.  A humble man of the old world.  And thats not to say there isn't depth to Floyd Mayweather, for sure his love of boxing transcends his "Money" persona.  But something about Marquez is different, different from even Pacquiao - another national hero.  Maybe its because Marquez has had some agonizing losses (and draws), that he has crawled and fought to his place in boxing - having to leap countrymen Barrera and Morales to get there.  Maybe its because we all know what an underdog he is.  But few fighters have been as open as Marquez, the fact that what he fights for is something so basic, so honest, so real that it transcends the language barrier.  

Maybe it's sentimental, maybe it's because I'm basically a conservative man myself, but for boxing to regain its greatness it needs to find more men, and by that I mean "men," like Juan Manuel Marquez.  And for all his flash, his talk, his drama, and all that makes Floyd Mayweather perfect for television - the honestly, the traditionalism, the underdog authenticity that Juan Manuel Marquez brought to this show has stolen it from Floyd Mayweather. 

This might give some insight into why boxing fans were offended when Dana White trashed Marquez for no reason. Dana's mouth has come back to haunt him many times. We'll see if he winds up regretting his trash talk of Marquez.